The things people actually ask us

It is a fair question and you should keep asking it - of us and of anyone else who contacts you. Here is what an honest operation looks like: no fee before your money is released, a written agreement you can take to a lawyer, a real phone number answered by a person, and no objection whatsoever to you calling the county yourself to confirm the money exists.

You can verify every one of those about us today. Call 877-797-1776 or email claims@claimsurplusrefund.com.

Do not use the phone number printed on any letter, including ours - that is exactly how impersonation works. Type 877-797-1776 in yourself, or email us at claims@claimsurplusrefund.com, and ask whether the person who contacted you works here.

We will never ask you to wire money, buy a gift card, or pay anything before your funds are released. If someone using our name asks you to, it is not us, and we would like to know about it.

No. We are not a law firm and we do not give legal, tax or financial advice. Some claims - contested estates in particular - genuinely need an attorney, and when yours is one of them we will say so rather than take it on. You are always free to have your own lawyer review anything we send you.

Nothing up front, and nothing at all unless you are paid. The records check is free. We work on contingency, so our fee comes out of the recovery once the county releases it - never out of your pocket beforehand.

The exact terms are written into the agreement and we walk you through them before you sign. If the claim does not succeed, you owe us nothing.

No. Not a filing fee, not a search fee, not a deposit, not postage. If anyone tells you otherwise while using our name, that is not us.

The county releases the funds against the approved claim and the money goes to you. Our fee is taken from the recovery at that point, and you receive a full accounting of what was recovered and what was deducted.

Usually six to nine months. Timelines depend on the complexity of the case and on state rules - some counties process claims administratively, others require a court hearing scheduled on their own calendar.

An estate, a competing lienholder or a missing document will add time. We will tell you what is realistic for your county rather than quote you a best case. Our process page breaks down what makes a claim fast or slow.

You can, and if your case is straightforward you should consider it. The county will explain its own process for free and there is no law requiring you to use anyone.

What we take on is the part that stops people: identifying which office is holding the money, meeting a deadline you may not know about, proving the chain of ownership when a name has changed or an owner has died, answering document requests, and dealing with anyone else who files against the same funds. If that sounds manageable, do it yourself and keep the whole amount. If it does not, that is what we are for.

It happens more often than people expect - a second lienholder, a co-owner, or a relative. We look for competing interests during verification rather than waiting for them to surface at the county, and we respond to any claim filed against the same funds as part of the work.

To start, none - the first search runs on the property address and your name. To file, counties typically want photo identification, something linking you to the property such as a deed or the foreclosure paperwork, and proof of your current address.

If you cannot lay hands on something, say so. Most of it can be recovered from public records, and that is our job rather than yours.

Often yes. Surplus funds usually pass to the estate, which means an heir or the estate's representative can claim them. It takes longer and needs more paperwork - a death certificate and documents showing you have the right to act for the estate - and in some cases it needs an attorney. Tell us the situation and we will be straight with you about what it involves.

We work with counties nationwide. Surplus funds are governed state by state, so the deadlines, the forms and the rules on who may be paid all differ - and in some places those rules affect how a claim can be handled at all. Tell us where the property is and we will tell you plainly how it works there, or say so if we are not the right people for it.

Yes, and it varies a great deal - some states allow years, others a matter of months from the sale date, after which unclaimed funds can be absorbed by the state. Finding out the deadline that applies to your property is part of the free records check, and it is the main reason not to sit on this.