Beginning Oct. 1, 2001, Washington, DC, lenders are required to send a written notice to borrowers that they have 30 days to cure a serious default before any foreclosure action can be initiated in the nation’s capital. Under the district’s newly revised home foreclosure laws, a lender must send a so-called breach letter informing a borrower that he or she has 30 days to cure a severe mortgage default before any legal foreclosure action begins.