Forfeiture occurs when a property owner falls behind in mortgage payments, taxes, interest and other costs. In a forfeiture, the seller of the property seeks to bring all the charges on the property current. If the purchasers of the property are unable to accomplish this, they are requested to return the property to the seller. In a forfeiture action, the purchasers keep possession of the property in question if all of the charges are brought up to date. This may happen again in the future if the purchaser, again, falls behind in payments, taxes on the property, costs and insurance. If a seller elects to begin a forfeiture action on a property, instead of a foreclosure, there is no protection against future collection problems. Forfeiture can also be initiated when a purchaser does not keep the property in good repair or sells the property without prior approval from the lender.
