If your property sold at foreclosure or tax sale, there may be money left over.

When a property is sold at a foreclosure auction or a tax sale, the sale sometimes brings in more money than is needed to pay off the debt, liens, taxes, and authorized costs. Whatever is left over is called surplus funds, excess proceeds, or overage, depending on the state.

That remaining money does not belong to the county or the court. It is held for the people who are legally entitled to it — which is often the former owner, their heirs, or another party with a recorded interest.

Most offices do send a notice. The problem is that they send it to the address on the court record, which is usually the property that was just sold. If you had already moved, the notice went to a home you no longer lived in.

Some jurisdictions publish the notice in a newspaper or on a county website instead of mailing it. Procedures vary widely from state to state and even from county to county.

Yes. In most jurisdictions you can file directly with the court, clerk, or county office holding the funds, and you do not need an attorney or any other representative to do it. Some states require that we tell you this in writing, and we would tell you anyway.

Filing yourself is not free of all cost — expect fees for certified copies, notarization, and sometimes recording, which commonly run somewhere in the low hundreds of dollars. But it is far less than any contingency fee.

If you ask us which office holds your funds so you can file on your own, we will tell you. People hire us because they would rather not manage the paperwork, deadlines, and document requirements — not because they have to.

There is no upfront fee and nothing to pay out of pocket. We are paid a contingency percentage only if funds are successfully recovered for you. If no funds are recovered, you owe us nothing.

Our fee always complies with the laws and regulations of the state where the funds are held. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and may differ depending on the type of surplus funds involved. Before any work begins, you will receive a written agreement clearly explaining our fee, the services we will provide, and any applicable terms.

During your first consultation, we will explain exactly how our fee works, answer your questions, and give you the opportunity to review everything before deciding whether to move forward.

Honestly: longer than most people expect, and we would rather tell you that now than after you have signed something.

Timing depends on the jurisdiction, the court’s backlog, whether other parties have competing claims, whether liens have to be resolved, and whether probate is involved. Some straightforward matters resolve in a few months. Matters involving an estate, multiple heirs, or contested liens can take a year or more.

Anyone who promises you a specific date is guessing.

It varies by office, but you should generally expect to provide government-issued photo identification, proof that you owned the property or are otherwise entitled to claim, and a completed claim form from the office holding the funds.

Heirs and estate representatives usually need additional records: a death certificate, letters of administration or testamentary, a will, or a small-estate affidavit. We tell you exactly which records your specific office requires, and we help you gather and organize them.

The surplus generally becomes an asset of that person’s estate. Who may claim it, and what documentation is required, depends on state law, whether there was a will, and whether an estate has been opened.

In many states a small-estate affidavit can be used instead of opening full probate when the amount is modest. This is exactly the situation where the paperwork tends to overwhelm families, and it is a large part of what we help with.

Often, yes — but eligibility is decided by the court or agency holding the funds, based on the documentation you provide and the law of that state. Being a family member is not by itself enough; the record has to support the claim.

A preliminary review helps identify what evidence would be needed in your situation. It is not a determination of your legal rights.

No. Reclaim Assets Recovery LLC is a private company. We are not a government agency and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any federal, state, county, court, or municipal office.

If you ever receive a letter or call about surplus funds that appears to come from a government office, verify it by contacting that office directly using a phone number you look up yourself.

No. We are not a law firm, we do not employ attorneys to represent you, and we do not provide legal representation. We do not appear in court, file pleadings on your behalf, or act as your legal representative.

Our work is research, document organization, and administrative support. If a matter requires a licensed attorney in your state, we will tell you, and you are free to hire counsel of your own choosing.

No, and you should be wary of anyone who does. We cannot guarantee that funds exist, that you will be found eligible, or that any amount will be paid to you.

Eligibility and the amount disbursed are determined solely by the court or agency holding the funds, and can be reduced or eliminated by competing claims, junior liens, tax obligations, or other claimants with a superior interest.

Your submission is sent over an encrypted connection directly to our own systems. We do not route it through a third-party form service, and we do not sell or rent your information to anyone.

We collect only what we need to research your matter and contact you. We do not ask for your Social Security number, bank details, or a copy of your identification through this website — and you should be cautious of any recovery company that does.

You will see a confirmation with a reference number on screen. A member of our team reviews the information, searches the available public records for the county you named, and contacts you using the method you selected.

On that first contact we tell you what the records show, whether we believe there is anything worth pursuing, what our fee would be, and how you could file on your own if you prefer. Submitting the form does not obligate you to anything and does not create an agreement for services.

We research public records across U.S. jurisdictions, but our services are not available in every state. Some states restrict this type of work to licensed attorneys or to registered representatives, and some impose waiting periods before a recovery company may enter into an agreement at all.

Texas, for example, does not permit a non-attorney to charge a fee to obtain tax-sale excess proceeds. If we cannot lawfully assist you in your state, we will tell you plainly and point you to the office that holds your funds.

Please do. Look up Reclaim Assets Recovery LLC in the Florida Division of Corporations business records, call the phone number published on this page, and confirm that the mailing address matches. Ask for our written agreement and read it before signing anything.

You can also call the clerk or county office that holds the funds and ask them directly what their process is. A legitimate company will encourage you to do all of this.

Do not sign anything on the first call, and do not let anyone pressure you with a deadline. Take the time to compare.

Before you sign with anyone, ask for the fee as a percentage in writing, ask whether the agreement is a limited authorization or an assignment of your rights, ask which office holds the funds so you can verify independently, and check whether your state caps the fee. If a company will not answer those four questions clearly, that tells you what you need to know.