- We confirm whether a surplus exists and who is holding it before you sign anything
- We file before the money is absorbed by a county fund or escheated to the state
- We verify title and heirship so no false claimant is paid on your money
- We clear competing liens first so the holder pays without going to a higher court
The steps at a glance
We confirm the sale and the surplus
You send the property address and the month of the sale. We pull the deed given to the buyer and the debt that forced the sale from public records, compare the two, and confirm whether a surplus was created and how large it is.
We locate the funds and who holds them
Surplus moves. We trace it from the trustee or the officer who ran the sale to a clerk of court, a county tax office, or a state unclaimed property program, and we confirm in writing that the money is still there before any claim goes out.
We verify title and heirship
We prove who is entitled by checking how title was held at the sale and, when the owner has died, who inherits under the will, the trust or the state's intestacy rules. This is the step that keeps a false claimant from being paid on your money.
We clear the liens and prepare the claim
We check every debt recorded against the property and settle the order of payment before we file, so the holder can release the money to you instead of interpleading it into a higher court. We prepare the claim on the office's own form with sworn and notarized paperwork.
We advance the costs and follow it to payment
We outlay the filing, certified-copy, notary and court fees, file the claim, answer the office, and stay on the deadline until a release or order issues and the check is cut. Our completion fee comes out of the surplus only after it is recovered.
This page explains how qualifying for surplus funds recovery works with us: what we do at each stage, and the few documents you provide so we can do it. We bring the information a claim needs to move quickly, and that is what keeps three things from going wrong. Surplus that sits too long gets absorbed into a county fund or escheated to the state. A false claimant can be paid on money that is yours. And a claim filed with a mistake can push the holder to send the funds up to a higher court. Our process is built to prevent all three.
What qualifying looks like
You qualify when a foreclosure auction or a tax sale took a property you owned, or one your parent or spouse owned, the winning bid was higher than the debt, and a surplus is still being held. Heirs and co-owners qualify on the same footing with a little more paperwork, which is set out on who can claim surplus funds. You do not work the claim yourself; we do. The numbered steps at the top of this page are our process from your first message to the check. Below is where the money sits, what you hand us, and what our having the full record protects you from.
Where the money sits, and how we keep it from getting away
Surplus does not stay in one place. It begins with whoever ran the sale and moves onward if nobody claims it, and every stop has its own form, its own holder and its own clock. Left alone long enough it is swept into a county fund or escheated to the state, and then the money is claimed back from a government program instead of collected from the office that still holds it. We find the current holder, confirm the balance in writing, and file before that happens.
| Where the money sits | Who we deal with for you | How we hold the window open |
|---|---|---|
| The foreclosure trustee | The company named on the deed given to the buyer | We claim inside the short window that starts when the notice is mailed, not when you read it |
| A clerk of court | The civil clerk in the county where the property was sold | We file in the case and prove your priority before the hearing, so the money is not held back |
| A county tax office | The treasurer, tax collector or clerk that ran the sale | We claim before the window measured from the tax deed closes, weeks in some states, years in others |
| A state unclaimed property program | The state office that keeps money nobody claimed in time | We recover it here too, and we work to reach the money before it is ever swept this far |
We deal with each of these holders for you. Which one applies to your sale, and how long your window runs, are set by your state; the deadlines and any limits on what a recovery company may charge are on your state page.
Deadline: Notices about surplus go to the last address on file, which is very often the home that was just sold, so many people never see them. The clock does not wait for the mail. Send us the sale details this week and we will confirm your deadline and open the claim.
What to have ready
Qualifying is fast when the documents are in hand. Here is what we ask you to provide:
- Government photo identification.
- The last deed recorded into your name, and the deed given to the buyer at the sale.
- Any notice you received about the sale or the surplus.
- If the owner has died: a certified death certificate and the estate paperwork your state accepts, which may be letters from a probate court, a small-estate affidavit, or a certification of trust.
The deeds are public records; the county recorder will sell certified copies for a small fee, and we can pull them for you. You never send identification or account details to anyone who contacted you out of the blue. When a claim needs a probate opened, we handle that step and advance the cost, so a missing will or an unopened estate does not stall the money.
What our full record protects you from
Two failures come from claims filed without the whole picture, and both are avoidable. The first is a false claimant. Surplus draws people who file on money that is not theirs, sometimes using a name close to the owner’s or a document that was never valid. We verify how title was held and, for an estate, who actually inherits, so the holder pays the right person and not a stranger. The second is interpleader. When a holder is unsure who is owed, or a claim collides with a lien nobody has tested, the safe move for that holder is to deposit the money with a court and let a judge decide, which is described on liens and competing claims. That can add months. We settle the order of payment and clear the competing liens before we file, so the office can release the funds directly to you.
What it costs, and who files in court
There is no out-of-pocket expense. We advance the filing fees, certified-copy costs, notary costs and court costs, and our only payment is a completion fee taken from the surplus after the money is recovered. Where your state requires a licensed attorney for a court or probate filing, a licensed attorney handles it, and you still pay nothing out of pocket. In California, claims by a former owner-occupant of a home sold at a trustee’s sale are handled by a licensed California attorney, because California law reserves that work for the owner’s attorney (Cal. Civ. Code §2945.4). Some states also limit what a recovery company may charge or require specific contract terms, and what we found for each state is listed on your state page. Before you sign with anyone, read how to check a recovery company.
Questions about how to qualify
Send us the property address and the sale month. We confirm whether the winning bid was higher than the debt, whether a surplus is still held, and who is entitled to it. If there is money and you are the owner of record or an heir, you qualify for us to file the claim.
Government photo identification, the last deed recorded into your name, and the deed given to the buyer at the sale. Add any notice you received about the sale or the surplus, and, if the owner has died, a certified death certificate and the estate paperwork your state accepts.
The window is short in many states, and unclaimed surplus is absorbed into a county fund or escheated to the state once it runs out. Getting it back after that is harder and slower. We file inside the deadline so the money does not move out of reach.
Where your state requires a licensed attorney for a court or probate filing, a licensed attorney handles it, and you still pay nothing out of pocket. We manage the rest of the work and advance the fees.
There is no out-of-pocket expense. We advance the filing, certified-copy, notary and court costs, and our only payment is a completion fee taken from the surplus after the money is recovered.