When a foreclosure or tax deed sale brings more than the debt, the difference may be yours. We recover it.
When a foreclosed or tax-delinquent property sells at auction for more than what was owed, the extra money, the surplus, does not belong to the bank or the county. It generally belongs to the former owner, or to heirs and lienholders with a valid claim. Recovering it means filing the right claim, in the right proceeding, before the deadline.
Premier Law represents former owners and heirs in surplus recovery across Florida. We locate the funds, establish your entitlement, respond to competing claims, and move the court or agency to release the money. Fees are discussed up front, and unlike the "asset recovery" companies that cold-call after every auction, you are represented by a law firm the whole way.
Foreclosure
After a mortgage foreclosure sale, proceeds beyond the judgment amount are deposited with the clerk of court. Florida’s foreclosure statutes set out who may claim the surplus and in what order: subordinate lienholders first, then the former owner, with strict claim windows measured in days, not months.
Heirs claiming a deceased owner’s surplus face an extra layer of proof, and competing claims are common. We prepare the claim, the supporting record, and the hearing presentation.
Tax Deed
When property is sold at a tax deed auction for more than the delinquent taxes and costs, the surplus is held for governmental lienholders and then the former owner of record. Chapter 197, Florida Statutes governs the process, with its own notice procedure and claim deadlines administered by the clerk.
Tax deed surpluses are frequently substantial, and frequently unclaimed, because notice reaches owners at addresses they left years earlier. If you lost property to a tax deed sale, it is worth checking whether money is waiting.
Unclaimed Property
Surplus money that goes unclaimed long enough is transferred to the Florida Department of Financial Services as unclaimed property under Chapter 717, Florida Statutes. It does not disappear, but recovering it moves to a different process with its own documentation requirements, particularly for heirs and estates.
We handle unclaimed property claims tied to real estate proceeds: proving entitlement, assembling the documentation the Department requires, and pushing stalled claims through.
Deadlines apply, and third-party recovery firms are already looking at the same court file. Talk to a lawyer first.
Schedule a Consultation
