Question 1

Is Surplus AI a claim service?

Accepted Answer

No. We produce the factual record and stop there. We do not contact claimants or former owners, prepare or file claim forms, or appear before a clerk or court. You and your counsel decide what to do with the file. That boundary is what keeps the product clear of claim-representation and consumer-reporting exposure, and we will not blur it for a customer who asks.

Question 2

What is a tax deed surplus?

Accepted Answer

When a property sells at a Florida tax deed auction for more than the amount needed to satisfy the tax certificate and statutory costs, the excess is held by the clerk of court. Parties with a recorded interest, and then the former owner, may be entitled to claim it within the statutory period.

Question 3

Why is the notice mailing date so important?

Accepted Answer

Because the claim window runs from the clerk's mailing of notice, not from the sale. Lists anchored to the sale date routinely overstate the time remaining. We read the date off the certificate of service and show you the page it came from.

Question 4

How do you handle competing lienholders?

Accepted Answer

We report what is recorded, with book and page, and we do not rank priority or net interests against the surplus. Priority is a legal question and a wrong answer delivered as data is worse than no answer.

Question 5

Where does the data come from?

Accepted Answer

Florida county clerk records: the surplus register, the tax deed file, official records, the probate docket, and the property appraiser roll. Public records only. No purchased consumer data, no credit-header files.

Question 6

Is this a consumer report?

Accepted Answer

No. It is public-record research supplied to businesses. It is not intended or permitted for use in any FCRA-regulated decision, including credit, insurance, employment or tenant screening.

Question 7

What if a field cannot be verified?

Accepted Answer

It ships blank with a stated reason, or flagged with lower confidence. We would rather hand you a gap than a plausible fabrication.

Question 8

What does the free sample include?

Accepted Answer

Twenty-five verified case files from one county of your choosing, with the evidence citations attached, at no cost and with no card. The purpose is for you to audit us against the clerk before any money changes hands.

Question 9

Can I get a county you do not cover?

Accepted Answer

Usually. Onboarding a county takes roughly a week of source mapping and manual runs before automation. Agency subscribers get priority on requests.

Questions a buyer should ask.