Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ)

Save My Surplus™ is approved as a Claims Representative by the State of Florida. As a Claims Representative, we are authorized by the the state to contact individuals and companies to claim lost assets and collect their money in a legal and confidential way.

Save My Surplus LLC is a division of Florida .

You can verify the company by going to www.sunbiz.org and licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us.

There are absolutely no up-front fees!  We work on a contingency fee basis, and are compensated directly by the State only AFTER we have successfully recovered your money. There are NEVER any  out-of-pocket fees, and you will never be charged a processing fee or pay us anything directly! 

The answer is yes; we collect a percentage of the proceeds at the end of the claim.

Save My Surplus™  NEVER charges you any money upfront for our services.

Often, we have a very short window to make claim. Contact us right away to see if you still have time to save your surplus before its too late.

After one year, the funds from your foreclosure sale are sent to the state  Treasury.  They can still be claimed from there but that process is much more complex and takes significantly longer, so we really need to collect them before one year.

The biggest problem isn’t the funds being lost to the county or state, but there are people who watch these cases and if someone doesn’t file for the funds within the first few months they will fraudulently try and collect the funds for themselves. They might even try and sign your name on certain papers in an attempt to claim the funds.

We have worked with homeowners in the past who were victims of fraud and we were able to defeat those fraudulent claims and get the funds disbursed to the homeowners correctly.

Most of the assets we locate aren’t available by searching the internet, and it’s unlikely that without the aid of a company like ours, that you’ll be notified of their existence by the agency holding them.

Every Government is different from the claim process. Depending on the state rules of law and the type of claim it can be anywhere from 90 -120 from the filing date. Some cases more take even more time.

NO. We do not charge you any money upfront for our services. WE WILL NEVER ASK YOU FOR ANY PAYMENT INFORMATION. We work on a contingency basis and are only paid when and if we successfully recover the funds for you

The funds we are calling you about are held in the county court registry. They are the result of an association foreclosure, a mortgage foreclosure, or a tax-deed foreclosure sale, where the amount the property sold for at auction is more than the amount it was being foreclosed on for. These are called “surplus funds”.

We locate people for a living. Our staff has many years of experience in private investigations and insurance adjusting. In your case, we simply matched a last known address and a current address.

We have the required security clearances and access to databases not available to the general public. We follow a strict privacy policy to make sure that your personal information is confidential and secure.

State law dictates the claims process and requires every claimant to prove his or her identity. On your claim form, you will see what exactly is required. Depending on circumstances, it may be a photocopy of driver’s license, a certified death certificate, or a notarized affidavit.

We always get asked: If you do not have a driver’s license or a state-issued I.D. (or prefer not to send a photocopy), a special affidavit form must be submitted and notarized. If it was not mailed to you, the form can be downloaded here. We have a Notary Public on staff if you live or work near our Pompano Beach office. Also, your bank or any local automobile insurance agent should have a Notary Public on staff.

You do not have to provide your Social Security number, although the state prefers that you do so because it is unique to each individual.

We know exactly what the State of Florida requires to process your claim. After we review your documentation, we ensure that the forms are complete and accurate. If additional information or documents are required, we’ll contact you immediately.

Special circumstances such as death or a change of name are discussed below.

If you are the person who lived at the address in bold type on the letter we sent you—congratulations!  You have taken the first step towards being reunited with money that belongs to you.

Attached to the letter you received is a form that the State requires you to complete, which will only take a few minutes.  Please do so and mail it to us as soon as practical.

The State will not accept a fax or a scan of these documents. An original signature of the owner is required, so they must be mailed to use before we can process your claim with the state.

Yes, absolutely! Please download the Notarized Sworn Statement of the Claimant using the link below and take the form, along with your valid identification to a notary to complete the form. If have any questions regarding the form or if you require assistance locating or paying for a notary, please contact your Account Executive who will be happy to assist. If you don’t have any form of valid identification please contact your Account Executive for assistance.

Notarized Sworn Statement form

You should receive a check from the State in 30-90 days after we receive the completed form. 

I NEED A FORM . . . 

Mail us at:

Save My Surplus LLC

382 NE 191st St #Ste 83274
Miami, FL 33179

Or phone us at:

1-855-9-SURPLUS

Or email us at:

money@savemysurplus.com

We will mail or scan you the necessary form.

We are available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or by appointment.

If your name has been changed through marriage, divorce or for any other reason, you will need to include a copy of the legal documentation changing your name (such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree, etc.)

If we located you at your current address, we ran several databases to link it with your former address (on file with the state). We’ll send the necessary paperwork to the state, so you will not need to locate a utility bill or other document from your old address.

If the owner is deceased, simply fill out an Estate Affidavit. This explains how you are related to the deceased and will allow the claim to be successfully processed.

If the company is still active, just provide us with a signature of an officer.

If the company is inactive or dissolved, provide us with a signature and ID of one of the officers of the former business (most likely you). In such instances, the check will be issued to the individual providing the signature and ID, not to the name of the inactive company.

Watch the video on the “Home” page for more information, or call us at 1-855-9-SURPLUS and we’ll be glad to answer all your questions!

Depending on the claim, oftentimes we work closely with a reputable law firm to make sure the process is compliant and ensuring the highest level of success and speed in claiming for you.

Cases we investigate involve cash assets worth more than $20,000. It’s worth a few minutes of your time to get free information about your interest in the case we are calling you about. This is not a random call or a solicitation for you to pay money in advance. Considerable effort goes into determining who is entitled to the unclaimed property or inheritance. If you prefer, you can have us speak with a relative or trusted adviser.

Locate documents required to prove ownership

Facilitate estate administration and other judicial proceedings required to establish ownership and distribute assets

Contact all interested parties to coordinate cooperation necessary to achieved desired results

Facilitate settlement of disputes

Correct unclaimed property reporting errors and erroneous application of unclaimed property laws and rules

Appeal improper unclaimed property claim denials

Correct improper inheritance distributions

Facilitate enforcement of contracts, agreements, judgments, and judicial orders

Facilitate negligence actions against companies who fail to report complete and accurate account owner identification information to unclaimed property administrators

Typically, a motion needs to be filed with the court so that these funds can be collected. In order to do this, you can hire an attorney on your own which is very costly – attorneys typically charge an hourly rate which you will have to pay out-of-pocket, even if they aren’t successful. Alternatively, if you find an attorney that works on contingency, then they will charge a fee as high as 30% or more!

When the claims are more complex in nature, our attorneys need to work diligently to establish you as the rightful recipient of these funds, and to ensure that the court orders a release of these funds by the agency holding them.

By working with Save My Surplus™, all of the attorney’s fees and related expenses are completely covered by us. There are zero out-of-pocket expenses that you will incur. And we work strictly on a contingency basis, so we only get paid when/if you get paid! And if we are not able to recover any funds on your behalf, then our services are 100% free of charge!

Proving ownership of unclaimed property or an inheritance is a process that requires expertise, time, attention, and often includes upfront costs such as legal fees. People hire us (as they would H&R Block to get their tax refund) for our expertise and convenience. We work with people whose lives are busy, who want to reduce risk of losing money and time on a failed claim attempt, increase their odds of success and speed up payment. As our testimonials show, clients find our services to be effective and valuable. Our experience and persistence produces results where others have failed.

Each case is unique. Fees are determined by what is required to document ownership or to distribute inheritance, the risk we take relative to the amount time and financial resources we must expend to prove ownership and the anticipated difficulty involved to deliver your assets to you. Service fees are fully disclosed in advance – there are no upfront charges or fees. Fees are contingent upon success. If we fail you owe us nothing.

The complexity of the case will govern how long it will take to get paid. Contact us and we can provide an estimate based upon the specifics of your case. Simple claims may take as little as 60-90 days. Complex cases can take up to 2+ years. If you elect to sell your claim or inheritance rights, payment can occur in 10 days or less.

Perhaps 5 minutes. A few signatures and a copy of your ID is usually all that is required of you. Save My Surplus™ will handle document retrieval, research, probates when required, weekly monitoring, defense against fraudulent claims and paying attention to all the numerous details necessary to get you paid.

Your check will be delivered directly to you from the fund holder, an attorney’s trust account or our trust account. Circumstances will determine how distribution occurs. Contact us for specifics regarding your case. Save My Surplus™ provides services on a contingency basis. In other words, we only get paid when we are successful in recovering the unclaimed property or inheritance on your behalf. Service fee due to Choice Plus are paid directly from the fund holder, an attorney’s trust account or our trust account.

Dormant assets – are typically stocks, bonds, checking, savings or retirement accounts which have had no activity for an extended period of time. Unclaimed Property – is typically insurance policy benefits, inheritance, uncashed cashier’s checks, deposits, refunds, sales proceeds, escrow funds, judicial settlements, etc., that have never been claimed or the attempt to claim the asset failed.

Dormant assets often belong to people who have passed away.

Situations such as divorce, death, relocation, job loss, and business hardship are common reasons assets become dormant, lost, or forgotten.

A relative could have investments, insurance policies, or bank accounts that you did not know about.

Financial matters get overlooked or forgotten during times of stress.

Generally, recovering your property does not represent income. Inheritance is tax free up to the exemption amount. The amount of the inheritance exemption will depend on what the exemption amount was in the year the person you inherit from died. We are not qualified to provide tax advice. Check with you tax professional to determine if your circumstances create a tax liability.

The answer is “maybe”! Each case is different based on many factors, including which parties are actually named in the foreclosure suit. Your dedicated Surplus Saver will provide you with a detailed overview of your specific case at no cost to you. In many cases, these other liens and mortgages are not named in the foreclosure suit and therefore aren’t entitled to receive any of the surplus funds that you may be entitled to.

In most cases, your primary mortgage is a superior lien to that of the HOA, meaning that their lien on the property is not extinguished as a result of the home selling due to the HOA foreclosure.

By law, the mortgage company would not be entitled to the surplus funds, and they are yours to claim. There are other pertinent details that need to be discussed in these situations and our legal team here at Save My Surplus™  is perfectly equipped to help you through them.

Discuss this with your dedicated Surplus Saver. if needed, we will retain an attorney on your behalf to ensure your income-based support is not disrupted due to claiming your funds.

The funds will eventually be sent to the Department of Treasury, but will stay claimable forever, depending on the state  these funds do not “escheat” to the state like other states.  If you don’t want the funds, consider using Save My Surplus™  to partner with one of our charities, many of which go to help homeowners facing foreclosure, or we can partner with a charity of your choosing and direct the funds to them.

The short answer is, No!

If the mortgage was not named in the foreclosure case, they cannot claim surplus. Even if they are the plaintiff, they can’t claim surplus because they were paid in full from the proceeds of the sale. If they are not named, the reason why they cannot claim surplus is that they still have their “senior” lien on the property; they weren’t “foreclosed”. The person who bought it at auction bought the property with that mortgage still on the property, and so that new property owner is now responsible for that mortgage. In other words, you are in the clear to have us claim the funds on your behalf.

If you aren’t the owner of record, you’ve been identified as an heir to that person. When someone who owns property passes away, and their property goes through foreclosure, the “heirs” of that person are the rightful party to claim surplus.Sometimes it’s as simple as a spouse’s property, or your parents. However, in the state of Florida if someone dies without a will they died “intestate”, and so there is a predefined set of rules on who are the heirs. Your dedicated Surplus Saver will walk you through how exactly you are entitled to the funds, but rest assured we are experts in this and have identified you as the right party!

The Legislature in the State of Florida has been very specific in how they worded the law on who is entitled to surplus. Here is the “legalese” version our attorney uses, and below it, our version that’s easier to interpret 2021 Florida Statutes Title VI – Civil Practice and ProcedureChapter 45 – Civil Procedure: General Provisions 45.032 – Disbursement of Surplus Funds After Judicial Sale.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. It is the intent of the Legislature to abrogate the common law rule that surplus proceeds in a foreclosure case are the property of the owner of the property on the date of the foreclosure sale.Owner of record” means the person or persons who appear to be owners of the property that is the subject of the foreclosure proceeding on the date of the filing of the lis pendens. In determining an owner of record, a person need not perform a title search and examination but may rely on the plaintiff’s allegation of ownership in the complaint when determining the owner of record.Subordinate lienholder” means the holder of a subordinate lien shown on the face of the pleadings as an encumbrance on the property. The lien held by the party filing the foreclosure lawsuit is not a subordinate lien. A subordinate lienholder includes, but is not limited to, a subordinate mortgage, judgment, tax warrant, assessment lien, or construction lien. However, the holder of a subordinate lien shall not be deemed a subordinate lienholder if the holder was paid in full from the proceeds of the sale.Our version:Whoever owned the property on the date the lawsuit was filed is the party who can claim surplus funds. They can make that claim after any lienholders are paid what they are owed on the property. Other lienholders might be: second or third mortgages, city liens (unpaid water, electricity, trash, etc.), code enforcement violations (didn’t fix something the city asked you to), UCCs (people who have a secured asset they have loaned to you like solar power on the roof, or hot water heaters, etc.) During our case review, our expert specialist will walk you through all the details of your case and who may or may not claim surplus.A lot of times, we see the investor or purchaser at auction try and make a claim for surplus funds. This happens a lot when the homeowner isn’t represented by us. If nobody files an objection to this claim, a lot of judges will grant it. As a result, money that actually belongs to you (the prior homeowner) instead gets wrongfully disbursed to the new buyer of the home at auction. We can and will fight this on your behalf!

You have been identified as the appropriate party to claim these funds because property you owned has gone through a foreclosure or tax sale, or because you are an heir to property that has gone through sale.

Surplus funds can also be referred to as an “overage”, or “excess funds.”

When a property goes into foreclosure, it sells at auction. The foreclosure may be an association foreclosure, a mortgage foreclosure, or a tax-deed foreclosure for example. In any case, when the property sells, it often times will sell for more than the amount for which it was being foreclosed on. These excess funds are called a “surplus”, and these excess funds belong to the original home-owner, or heirs to the original home-owner!