The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the plaintiff in this foreclosure action did not demonstrate compliance with the typeface requirements for the RPAPL 1303 notice. Therefore plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment should have been denied:
RPAPL 1303 “requires the foreclosing party to deliver, along with the summons and complaint, a notice titled ‘Help for Homeowners in Foreclosure’ in residential foreclosure actions involving owner-occupied, one-to-four family dwellings. The statute mandates that the notice include specific language relating to the summons and complaint, sources of information and assistance, rights and obligations, and foreclosure rescue scams. It also mandates that the notice be in bold, 14-point type and printed on colored paper that is other than the color of the summons and complaint, and that the title of the notice be in bold, 20-point type” … . “Proper service of the notice required by RPAPL 1303 . . . is a condition precedent to the commencement of a foreclosure action, and it is the plaintiff’s burden to show compliance with that statute” … .
Here, the plaintiff failed to meet its prima facie burden since it is not apparent upon review of the copy of the RPAPL 1303 notice served upon the defendant that the correct typeface was utilized. In addition, the process server’s affidavit of service did not indicate that the notice served upon the defendant complied with all of the requirements of RPAPL 1303, including the proper typeface … . MTGLQ Invs., L.P. v Assim, 2022 NY Slip Op 06000, Second Dept 10-26-22
Practice Point: In a foreclosure action, the plaintiff must strictly comply with the notice requirements in RPAPL 1303, including the size of the typeface. The use of the wrong typeface precludes the commencement of the action.