Property sold subject to the right of redemption may be redeemed only by the judgment debtor or the judgment debtor's successor in interest. For the purpose of this article, the purchaser of the property at the foreclosure sale is not a successor in interest.
§ 729.020.Property Redeemed By Judgment Debtor Or Successor
Title 10. Actions In Particular Cases · Chapter 1. Actions for the Foreclosure of Mortgages · Enacted 1982 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 729.020 limits who may redeem property sold subject to the right of redemption to the judgment debtor or that debtor's successor in interest, and expressly excludes the foreclosure sale purchaser from counting as a successor in interest for this purpose.
Full Text of § 729.020
Plain-English Summary
Redemption rights are narrow by design. Section 729.020 restricts them to the judgment debtor — the person whose property was foreclosed — or someone who has succeeded to that debtor's interest, such as an heir, grantee, or other transferee of the debtor's remaining rights in the property.
The section heads off an obvious workaround: the purchaser at the foreclosure sale itself doesn't qualify as a successor in interest. Buying the property at the sale doesn't give the purchaser a second bite through redemption; redemption exists to let the debtor's side reclaim the property, not to let the buyer manipulate the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can redeem property sold subject to the right of redemption?
Only the judgment debtor or the judgment debtor's successor in interest.
Can the purchaser at the foreclosure sale redeem the property?
No. Section 729.020 expressly states that the purchaser at the foreclosure sale is not a successor in interest for purposes of redemption.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1982, Ch. 497, Sec. 49. Operative July 1, 1983, by Sec. 185 of Ch. 497.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: who can redeem foreclosed property californiasuccessor in interest redemption rights