When a home is sold at a foreclosure auction or a tax sale for more than was owed on it, the
county keeps the difference until somebody claims it.
Owed checks whether any of it has your name on it, and does the filing for you.
9–0The Supreme Court's vote in Tyler v. Hennepin County
$25,000Kept by one county above what the owner actually owed
2023The year keeping the surplus was ruled unconstitutional
An estimated $930 million is sitting in county accounts right now.
Here is roughly how much is waiting, state by state. Hover a state to see its figure,
or tap it to start your check there.
See every state as a list
Built for people who were never told
The county is not required to track you down, and the letter it does send goes to the address
that was foreclosed on. That is the whole reason this money sits unclaimed.
search
Free to check
Checking costs nothing and commits you to nothing. There is no fee to search and no fee to
open a claim, and we will tell you straight if there is nothing there.
gavel
We do the filing
We pull the county's own records, prepare the claim, and deal with the county's questions
until it is resolved. You are not left to work out the paperwork on your own.
payments
You pay only if we recover
Our fee comes out of money that actually reaches you, and nothing is ever owed upfront.
Fees vary by state and are capped by state law.
Which one happened to you?
Pick the closest and we will start the check with that already filled in. If none of them fits,
the full check covers every case.
Foreclosure surplus
A lender foreclosed and the property sold at auction for more than the debt against it.
That difference belongs to the former owner, not to the lender and not to the county.
A county sold the property over unpaid taxes and it fetched more than was owed. These carry
the shortest deadlines of any claim, so the timing matters more here than anywhere else.
No documents, no appointment and no cost. The check happens on this site, and you decide what
happens after it.
1
Tell us about the property
Where it was, roughly when it sold, and whether you were the owner or you are family.
Plain multiple choice, about a minute, and there is nothing to upload.
timer About a minute
2
We check the county's own records
Surplus funds are public record. We search the county's file for the property and the
name, including the spellings, married names and estate filings an exact search misses.
folder_open Public records
3
You get a straight answer
If a record matches, we send you the county's own document so you can read it yourself
before deciding anything. If nothing matches, we say so and keep checking as counties publish.
visibility Plain English
4
We file it, and you get paid
We prepare the claim, file it, and stay with the county until the money is released.
Our fee comes out only when the money actually reaches you.
handshake You pay only on recovery
The Supreme Court already settled who this money belongs to
Geraldine Tyler was 94. Hennepin County, Minnesota seized her condo over a tax debt that had
reached $15,000, sold it for $40,000, and kept all of it, including the $25,000 that had
nothing to do with what she owed. In May 2023 the Supreme Court ruled against the county
unanimously: keeping more than you are owed is an unconstitutional taking.
“The taxpayer must render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, but no more.”
Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Tyler v. Hennepin County, 598 U.S. 631 (2023)
9–0
The vote. Every justice agreed that a county keeping more than it was owed is an
unconstitutional taking under the Fifth Amendment.
Tyler v. Hennepin County, 598 U.S. 631 (2023)
$25,000
What the county kept above Geraldine Tyler's $15,000 debt after selling her home
for $40,000.
Tyler v. Hennepin County, 598 U.S. 631 (2023)
~$1.2B
Surplus generated for distressed homeowners by foreclosure sales since 2016. An industry
estimate, not a government figure, so treat it as directional.
Auction.com, Seller Strategy Report
12%
Florida's ceiling on what a non-attorney may charge to recover surplus for you. Caps differ
by state and the cap always governs our fee.
Fla. Stat. §45.033
Sources: Tyler v. Hennepin County, Minnesota, 598 U.S. 631 (2023). Auction.com Seller Strategy
Report, an industry estimate rather than a government statistic. Florida Statutes §45.033.
A ruling that surplus belongs to the former owner is not evidence that money is owed to
any particular person. Only a county's own records can show that, and looking at them
is exactly what the check does.
Questions people actually ask
It is a fair question and you should be careful with anyone who contacts you about
money. Here is the test that matters: if this were a scam we would be asking you to pay something
upfront, and we never will. You pay us only if the county actually pays you. Everything we work
from is public record, and we will send you the county's own document so you can check it without
taking our word for anything.
Nothing to check, nothing to open a claim, and nothing at any point before money
reaches you. Our fee is a percentage of what is actually recovered and released. That percentage
varies by state because several states cap what a recovery service may charge, and where a cap
applies the cap governs. The exact figure is in a written agreement you sign before we act.
Counties publish records of what they sold, what was owed, and what is left over.
We search those records against the property and the name you give us. A match means a record
exists under a name like yours, which is worth verifying. It is not proof on its own, and we will
not tell you it is.
Often yes. Heirs, a surviving spouse and the person handling the estate can
usually claim, and it is one of the most common situations we handle. It adds paperwork, and
sometimes a probate step, which is the part we take on for you.
Yes, and it is set by state law rather than by us. Tax sale windows are the
shortest and are measured in months from a notice that often went to the address that was
foreclosed on, which is why so many people never see it. Once a window closes the money can be
kept for good, so the sooner you check the better.
The check itself takes about a minute. If a record matches, verifying it against
the county usually takes a few days. How long the county then takes to release funds is up to the
county and varies widely, and anyone who promises you a date is guessing.
No. You can do the whole thing by text and email if you prefer. If a form needs
to be notarised, a notary can come to you. A call is available if you want one, but it is never
the only route.
Then we tell you that plainly rather than leaving you wondering. A blank result
today is not proof that nothing is owed, because counties publish on their own schedules and
records get added constantly. We keep your search open and check again as new records appear.
Find out whether any of it has your name on it.
One check against the county's own records. It costs nothing, it takes about a minute, and
there is no obligation at the end of it.
