Surplus funds recovery
When a home sells at foreclosure or tax auction for more than was owed on it, that leftover money usually still belongs to the former owner, not the county. We find out whether any of it is yours, and we handle the claim from start to finish.
Watch first
If you have just come off a call with one of our representatives and wanted to check we are real, start here. It covers what a surplus is, how a claim works, and what it costs you, which is nothing.
The basics
A house is sold at a foreclosure auction or a tax sale. The county takes what it is owed: the unpaid loan, the back taxes, the fees and the costs of the sale. Sometimes the property brings in more than that total.
That leftover amount is called surplus funds, or excess proceeds depending on the state. In most places it does not belong to the county, and it does not belong to the lender. It belongs to the person who owned the property.
The difficulty is that counties rarely come looking for you. The money sits in an account under a case number. There is usually a filing deadline. And in many states, if nobody claims it in time, it is absorbed by the county or turned over to the state.
If you lost a property in the last few years, it costs you nothing to find out whether there is money sitting in your name.
Who we help
A surplus does not care whose name was on the deed. If the property sold for more than was owed on it, the money belongs to whoever held title, whether that is a person or a company.
The largest share of what we do. A home is lost, the sale clears the debt, and nobody tells the former owner that anything was left over.
A great deal of property is held in a company name rather than a personal one. When one of those is sold, the surplus belongs to the entity that owned it, and these are often the claims nobody bothers to chase.
Our process
Five stages. Select any one to see what happens, what we need from you, and roughly how long it takes. You are never asked for money at any stage.
Stage one
You tell us the property address and roughly when it sold. We explain in plain terms what surplus funds are, whether your situation is likely to involve them, and what the process would look like. If we do not think there is anything there, we say so on that first call.
Stage two
We obtain the sale figures, the payoff amounts and the case file from the county. We check the chain of title and look for anyone else with a legal interest in the money, such as a second lienholder or another heir. Then we tell you the amount we believe is claimable and what could reduce it.
Stage three
Most counties require the claim to be filed through an attorney, and a judge often has to approve the release. We work with licensed attorneys in the state where your property sold. They prepare the petition, the affidavits and the supporting exhibits, and file them with the court or the county.
Stage four
This is the part nobody controls. Some counties process a claim in a few weeks. Others put it on a court calendar and it waits its turn. If anyone contests the claim, or the county asks for more documentation, the attorney responds on your behalf. You do not have to attend hearings in most cases.
Stage five
Once approved, the county or the court releases the funds. Our agreed percentage and the legal costs come out of the recovery, and the balance goes to you by check or transfer. You receive a written breakdown showing the total recovered, every deduction, and what is left. Nothing is taken before this point.
Free tool
If you know roughly what the property sold for and roughly what was owed on it, this gives you an idea of whether a surplus exists and how large it might be.
It is arithmetic, not a valuation. Liens, second mortgages, court costs and other claims can all reduce the final figure, and only the county file shows the real numbers. Treat the result as a starting point for a conversation.
Not sure of the figures? That is normal, and it is exactly what the free record check is for. Have us look them up.
About us
Shlama Asset Recovery is a small firm. When you ring the number on this page, you get a person who has read your file and can tell you exactly where your claim stands.
Our fee is a percentage of what we recover, written down and agreed before we start. If we recover nothing, you owe nothing.
Claims are prepared and filed by attorneys licensed in the state where your property sold. Their costs come out of the recovery, not out of your pocket.
If the records show no surplus, or the money belongs to a lienholder rather than to you, we say so straight away.
The meaning behind our name
Shlama means peace. Not the absence of trouble, but the sense that something has finally been put right.
Losing a home is one of the hardest things a person goes through, and getting money back will not undo any of it. But it can settle something. For a lot of the people we work with, it is the difference between starting over with nothing and starting over with a deposit, a van, or a few months of breathing room.
In their words
People who have been through the process, in their own words.
I did not know there was anything left over. The house sold at auction in 2022 and I assumed that was the end of it. Eric explained how the surplus worked, filed everything, and about ten weeks later the county released the money. He never asked me for a dollar up front.
Two other companies wrote to me first. One of them wanted me to sign my claim over for a flat payment that turned out to be less than half of what was sitting there. Shlama told me what the records actually showed and let me make my own decision. That is the only reason I called them back.
My father passed away before the tax sale went through and I had no idea where to start. They walked me through the probate paperwork the county wanted and kept me posted the whole way. It took about five months, but I never once had to chase anybody for an answer.
It takes one phone call or one short form. We check the county records and come back to you with a straight answer, at no cost and with no obligation.
