Note 1 - Going Concern	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Notes
Note 1 - Going Concern	NOTE 1 – GOING CONCERN The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming Real Estate Associates Limited VII (the "Partnership” or “Registrant") will continue as a going concern. The Partnership continues to generate recurring operating losses. In addition, the Partnership is in default on notes payable and related accrued interest payable that matured between December 1999 and December 2004. Two of the Partnership's three remaining investments involved purchases of partnership interests from partners who subsequently withdrew from the operating partnership. As of March 31, 2013, the Partnership is obligated for non-recourse notes payable of approximately $2,341,000 to the sellers of the partnership interests, bearing interest at 9.5 percent annually. Total outstanding accrued interest is approximately $5,800,000 at March 31, 2013. These obligations and the related interest are collateralized by the Partnership's investments in the local limited partnerships (the “Local Limited Partnerships”) and are payable only out of cash distributions from the Local Limited Partnerships, as defined in the notes. Unpaid interest was due at maturity of the notes. Both of the notes payable have matured and remain unpaid at March 31, 2013. No payments were made on the notes payable during the three months ended March 31, 2013 or 2012. As discussed in “Note 4 – Notes Payable”, the Partnership has agreements with the non-recourse note holder for the two notes payable in which the note holder agreed to forebear taking any action under these notes in order to permit the Partnership to negotiate the sale of its limited partnership interests in these Local Limited Partnerships to the local general partner of the respective Local Limited Partnerships. Subsequent to March 31, 2013, the Partnership sold its interest in one of these Local Limited Partnerships to the local general partner of the Local Limited Partnership in exchange for the cancellation and extinguishment of two of the Partnership’s non-recourse notes payable of an aggregate of approximately $920,000 and associated accrued interest of approximately $2,419,000 as of March 31, 2013 (as discussed in “Note 4”). The other sale is expected to close during 2013. As a result of the above, there is substantial doubt about the Partnership's ability to continue as a going concern. The unaudited consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects of the recoverability and classification of assets or amounts and classification of liabilities that may result from the outcome of these uncertainties.

Note 1 - Going Concern

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

NOTE 1 – GOING CONCERN

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming Real Estate Associates Limited VII (the "Partnership” or “Registrant") will continue as a going concern. The Partnership continues to generate recurring operating losses. In addition, the Partnership is in default on notes payable and related accrued interest payable that matured between December 1999 and December 2004.

Two of the Partnership's three remaining investments involved purchases of partnership interests from partners who subsequently withdrew from the operating partnership. As of March 31, 2013, the Partnership is obligated for non-recourse notes payable of approximately $2,341,000 to the sellers of the partnership interests, bearing interest at 9.5 percent annually. Total outstanding accrued interest is approximately $5,800,000 at March 31, 2013. These obligations and the related interest are collateralized by the Partnership's investments in the local limited partnerships (the “Local Limited Partnerships”) and are payable only out of cash distributions from the Local Limited Partnerships, as defined in the notes. Unpaid interest was due at maturity of the notes. Both of the notes payable have matured and remain unpaid at March 31, 2013.

No payments were made on the notes payable during the three months ended March 31, 2013 or 2012. As discussed in “Note 4 – Notes Payable”, the Partnership has agreements with the non-recourse note holder for the two notes payable in which the note holder agreed to forebear taking any action under these notes in order to permit the Partnership to negotiate the sale of its limited partnership interests in these Local Limited Partnerships to the local general partner of the respective Local Limited Partnerships. Subsequent to March 31, 2013, the Partnership sold its interest in one of these Local Limited Partnerships to the local general partner of the Local Limited Partnership in exchange for the cancellation and extinguishment of two of the Partnership’s non-recourse notes payable of an aggregate of approximately $920,000 and associated accrued interest of approximately $2,419,000 as of March 31, 2013 (as discussed in “Note 4”). The other sale is expected to close during 2013.

As a result of the above, there is substantial doubt about the Partnership's ability to continue as a going concern. The unaudited consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects of the recoverability and classification of assets or amounts and classification of liabilities that may result from the outcome of these uncertainties.