Free phone consultation
Thirty minutes, no charge and no card required. We tell you what you are dealing with and whether you need us.
Consultations
Thirty minutes on the phone at no charge, or an in-person visit anywhere in California.
Last reviewed Written from State Controller, State Controller data Everything here is checkable without asking us.
- 1What
- 2Where
- 3When
- 4Your details
What Would You Like to Book?
-
Consultation An honest read on where you stand — including if the answer is that you should file it yourself.
-
Start a claim in person Bring what you have and we will work out what the State will need, then open the claim with you.
-
Notarization Signing and notarizing a claim affirmation. Bring current photo ID — without it a notary may not proceed.
-
Document review Go through what you have gathered before it is filed, so it is not rejected on a technicality.
Two Ways to Meet
In person
A $25 deposit books it, credited back against anything you are charged. From $150 plus travel, quoted before we come out. Useful when documents are involved, or when the claimant would rather not post them.
What We Will Cover
- What the record actually shows and what it is likely worth
- Which documents your specific situation requires
- Whether your claim needs notarization
- Whether this is something you should simply do yourself
- What it would cost if you would rather we did it
In-person Visits Take a Deposit
Travel is booked and quoted in advance, and the deposit is credited against the visit. Phone consultations never require a deposit and never require a card.
What Thirty Minutes Actually Covers
A consultation is not a sales call with a different name. It is a working session that ends with you knowing three things: whether there is property, what it will take to prove it is yours, and whether you need anyone’s help to get it.
- We search the Controller’s records live, under every variant of the name
- We tell you what the record shows — the holder, the type, the amount, and whether anyone has claimed already
- We identify which documents your specific situation will require
- We tell you whether notarization applies, and why
- We give you a realistic timeline based on the kind of claim it is
- We tell you plainly if you should file it yourself
What to Have Ready
None of it is required, and a call without any of it is still useful.
- Every version of the name — maiden, married, initials, misspellings
- Any address in California from the relevant period, however approximate
- For an estate, the date of death and whether probate was opened
- For a business, how the name was written and whether the entity still exists
- Any correspondence you have received about the property
How Often the Answer Is “Do It Yourself”
Frequently. Simple cash, current name, address evidence in hand — that is a form, a notary if it is over $1,000, and an afternoon. We will say so, and we would rather say it on a free call than take a percentage of it.
What This Is Not
It is not legal advice. We are a commissioned notary, not a law firm, and questions about who inherits, whether to contest another heir, or whether to open probate belong with a probate lawyer. We will tell you when you have reached that line rather than guess past it.
What a Consultation Costs
A thirty-minute telephone consultation is free, with no card required and no expectation you will hire us afterwards. An appointment at one of our offices takes a $25 deposit at the time of booking, which is credited in full against anything you are later charged and refunded if you cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours ahead.
Either way you can move or cancel it yourself from the confirmation email.
How You Are Protected
Our fee is capped at ten per cent of what is recovered by Code of Civil Procedure §1582, and nothing is owed until the State Controller has paid you. If we recover nothing, you owe nothing. Our recovery fee is never asked for up front — it comes out of money the Controller has already paid you. A booking deposit on an in-person appointment is a separate thing, and is credited back against anything you are charged.
California Unclaimed Property Services is a private asset recovery firm. We are not the California State Controller’s Office.
Sources
This page is written from the public record. Read the originals rather than taking our summary of them.
We are a private firm. We are not the State Controller’s office, not affiliated with it, and not endorsed by it.
From the knowledge base
How This Actually Works
- 16 Oct 2026 Unclaimed Property Records: What Holders Must Keep California does not state a fixed retention period in the statute text we rely on, but a holder that cannot produce the…
- 15 Oct 2026 When Your Company’s EIN Changed: Finding Property Under the Old Name When a company is acquired, the State Controller's unclaimed property records stay filed under the legal name reported at the time, not…
- 15 Oct 2026 Why California Requires Notarized Unclaimed Property Claims California requires notarization for any cash claim of $1,000 or more, and for every securities or safe deposit box claim regardless of…
- 14 Oct 2026 The Two-Sided Business Audit for Unclaimed Property A California business can turn up twice in the State's unclaimed property records: once as the rightful owner of old refunds, dividends…
- 14 Oct 2026 Suspended California Corporations and Unclaimed Property A suspended California corporation may still appear on the State Controller's unclaimed property file, but the Controller will not release payment until…
- 13 Oct 2026 Owner of Record vs. Actual Owner: What the Name Really Means Owner of record is the name a company or bank reported when it handed unclaimed property to California, not a verified current…
- 13 Oct 2026 The Unclaimed Property Liability You Inherit in an Acquisition When a company acquires another, it also acquires that company's unclaimed property history: uncashed checks, dormant accounts, and any unreported liability now…
- 12 Oct 2026 California’s Two Unclaimed Property Reporting Calendars California holders follow one of two reporting calendars. Life insurance companies file their notice report before 1 May and remit property between…
- 12 Oct 2026 Table of Heirship: What It Is and When You Need One A Table of Heirship lists each heir's relationship to a deceased owner and their proportional share of an estate. It matters most…
- 11 Oct 2026 What California Does With Your Money While It Waits California does not spend, invest, or time-limit unclaimed property. The State Controller holds it in custody under the property's reported dollar value,…
Find out in About Thirty Seconds
Give us a name and we will check the State Controller’s records under every reasonable variant of it. Asking costs nothing and commits you to nothing.