When a property sells at a foreclosure or tax deed auction for more than what was owed, the leftover money belongs to the former owner or their heirs. Not the bank. Not the county. You. We find that money, we file for it, and we do not get paid unless you do.
Surplus funds are public record. Every case we handle exists in county court files that you can check yourself. When we contact you, we give you the case number and your county clerk's phone number. Call the county first. Verify everything. Then call us back.
A mortgage foreclosure or a tax deed sale ends with the property going to the highest bidder.
The debt, the taxes, and the costs get paid off first. Often there is money left over.
That leftover money sits in a county account, in the former owner's name. It is called the surplus.
"...there is established a rebuttable legal presumption that the owner of record on the date of the filing of a lis pendens is the person entitled to surplus funds after payment of subordinate lienholders who have timely filed a claim."
That is Florida's version, written into state law. Every state writes its own, and the principle holds nationwide: the surplus belongs to the former owner. Not the bank. Not the county.
Counties are required by law to hold the money. They are not required to find you. The county did its job when it posted a legal notice. After the deadline passes, unclaimed funds transfer to the state, where getting them back is much harder. Finding you was never anybody's job. So we made it ours.
More than likely, it hit you and your family directly. The stress, the move, the paperwork, all of it. We are not calling about the house. That chapter is closed. This is about money that came out of that process and still belongs to you. And if the former owner has since passed, mortgage cases can run through probate and heirship too. Every case is unique, and we treat it that way.
Often it begins with a tax sale, though it can follow any foreclosure. A parent or relative lost a property, and now you may be facing probate, heirship questions, and paperwork you never asked for. With a will in place or without one, heirs can still have a valid claim. Our surplus attorneys handle probate every day, and we walk the entire process with you.
You submit the form. We research the county records. It costs you nothing.
We tell you exactly what we find, even if the answer is nothing. If there is a claim, we explain your options in plain English.
A few items only you can provide. We handle the rest on your behalf: filings, notarizations, court procedures, county follow-up, with every cost fronted by us.
Funds are disbursed through the official county process. Our fee comes out of the recovery, per the agreement we fill out together. No recovery, no fee.
We work on contingency. Our fee is a percentage of the funds we actually recover, spelled out in a written agreement before we begin. If the claim is denied, we absorb every cost and you owe us nothing. We only win when you win.
If you were the owner of record at the time of the sale, you may have a claim. If the owner has passed away, the right to claim passes to the estate and the heirs. Executors and personal representatives can claim on the estate's behalf.
I signed everything away in the foreclosure.
Surplus rights cannot be waived in foreclosure paperwork, and the buyer at the auction cannot take them. The surplus belongs to the owner of record at the time of sale.
The bank took everything.
The bank is only entitled to what you owed: principal, interest, fees, and costs. If the winning bid exceeded that, the difference is yours by law. The bank cannot keep the overage.
It was years ago. It's too late.
Maybe not. Deadlines depend on the county, the type of sale, and the specific case. Some funds sit unclaimed for years. Checking is free. Assuming it's too late is the only guaranteed way to lose it.
Every state writes its own rules. Hover any state, then click it for the foreclosure process it uses, statute references, and how to start your check.
Click any state on the map to see how it handles foreclosure sales and where its surplus rules live.
Judicial states run foreclosures through the courts. A judge oversees the case and the sale. Non-judicial states let the lender or a trustee sell the property without a court case, following steps written into state law. Why it matters to you: it changes which office holds the surplus, who sends the notices, and how the claim gets filed. We handle both, every day.
Statutory windows close. After that, funds transfer to the state and recovery becomes far harder, sometimes impossible.
Lienholders and other claimants can make claims against the same funds while you wait.
Records age, estates get complicated, and documentation gets harder to assemble every year.
I work county records, courthouse procedures, and clerk offices every day, and I built Sand Dollar Surplus Recovery because I kept finding money that belonged to families who had no idea it existed. Overseeing every claim from first records check to final disbursement is the job, and I take it personally.
We understand and appreciate your concerns and skepticism. In the world we live in, you must be sure you are dealing with the right people. Refer to your state statute. Contact the county to verify recovery company services. Speak with one of our attorneys. Check out our verified licensing on SunBiz. We are fully transparent and vetted, and you are smart to be sure.
Healthy skepticism is exactly right, because this industry attracts bad actors. Here is the difference. We never ask you for money. Everything we tell you is verifiable in public county records. We encourage you to call the Clerk of Court yourself before you commit to anything. A scam needs your money or your secrets. We need neither.
Foreclosure and tax deed sales are public record. When a sale produces surplus funds, that is in the record too. We research those records to locate the people the money actually belongs to. Your information came from public documents, not from anything private.
If you were the owner of record at the time of the sale, or you are an heir, estate representative, or another legally entitled party, you may have a valid claim. We cannot promise anything until we review eligibility, and we won't pretend otherwise. That review is free.
Nothing upfront, ever. We work on contingency. Our fee is a percentage of what we actually recover, set out in a written agreement before we begin. If we recover nothing, you pay nothing.
In some cases, yes, and we will tell you honestly if your situation looks simple. But the process can involve statutory deadlines, county-specific procedures, lien review, heirship documentation, court filings, and competing claims. A denied claim can mean starting over with less time. Our value is doing it right the first time, at our cost and our risk.
It varies by county, court schedule, documentation, and complexity. Some claims close in weeks, others take several months. We keep you updated at every step, and you can reach us any time.
Heirs may still be entitled to the surplus. Estate situations need additional documentation, and our attorney network handles exactly this, with a will in place or without one. It is more paperwork, not a dead end.
Maybe not. Deadlines depend on the county, the type of sale, and the specific case. Some funds sit unclaimed for years. Checking is free, and it takes two minutes.
We only request what is necessary to evaluate and file your claim, at the stage it is needed. Nothing sensitive is required just to check. Documents are handled professionally and never sold or shared.
They are only legally entitled to what you owed them: principal, interest, fees, and costs. If the auction bid exceeded that amount, the difference belongs to you by law. The bank cannot keep the overage.
Surplus rights cannot be waived in foreclosure paperwork, and the buyer at the sale cannot take them. The surplus belongs strictly to the owner of record at the time of sale.
Waiting means the funds transfer to the state first, and recovering from that system is slower and harder, with its own procedures. Claiming through the county while the window is open is the clean path.
Two minutes. No cost. An honest answer either way, even if that answer is "we didn't find anything."
Send them this page. Two minutes and a free check could put money back in their hands. No cost either way.