last obstacle, need help

[Anonymous]

at the beginning of the month our lender ran a credit check and a new debt popped up that we didnt know about. they have never sent us anything or even called us. i filed a dispute (which just came back verified) and sent a DV letter, and filed a complaint with the FTC. Now that the dispute just came back verified I am worried. I have had a lot of luck getting things off this way. We sent the DV letter about two weeks  ago. What do I do now? This collection is the only thing standing in the way of our loan!

[SGTRobocop]

If it was me, I would contact the CA politely and try to resolve it. Once resolved they can send you something clearing it. Some morgage lenders can do something called "Rapid Rescoring" Which takes Five days to update your credit once cleared.

[Anonymous]

My husband has already talked to the CA the day we got our report so we could find out what it was from. They want to charge us for lawyers fees when we never were served with papers or went to court. He also mentioned that they have never contacted us before reporting it, so they lowered the debt from $3100 to $2700 (taking off interest and I believe lawyer fees). This is still far more than we can afford, and we still dont agree with the all of the debt they want to charge us.

[SGTRobocop]

Research the OC and CA, find out if they have done something like this to someone else and if there is recourse. SOL up on it(Zombie debt)? I am trying to buy a house now, and one thing I have found is when the process starts, CA's come out of the wood like roaches. RESEARCH!

What does the OC say, I have had times where the OC will not condone what the CA is doing. Sometimes, I have struck up a bargain with OC to pull back and make payments on. First thing you should do is validate it with the OC.

[Anonymous]

Its not an old debt, its from last year in Jan. Im sure the OC will agree we owe it.

[SGTRobocop]

Gonna need more info, what is it(name and type), why is it on your credit? Someone else on the board may have dealt with them and may have some advice as well.

[Anonymous]

The CA reported under Affiliate Credit Services, but they are actually Wakefield and Assoc. We had to walk out of a rental and we owe one month rent. They also want a late fee, cleaning fees (we left a deposit) and I can't remember what else besides the lawyers fees and interest they said they would take off. (Honestly had forgotten about it because we never heard from the company). We have been working on cleaning up our credit so they obviously figured it was time for them to strike.

[SGTRobocop]

Was there a valid reason for walking out of the rental(reletting) that may be covered under your rental agreement, Did you pay first month & last month rent at the start of the rental? What did your deposit cover? Did you leave it clean or damaged? Have you requested and itemization of everything done to the rental? Did you make any improvements such as add ceiling fans that they kept? Did you pay for any repairs they should have reimbursed you for?

At this point you need to research your contract and find where you stand as well as where they stand. What did you pay for and what they charged you for. If you owe a month of rent, but paid first month last month plus deposit, there should be an equal out somewhere. What are your states laws regarding Tenant landlord laws. You may want to speak to an attorney as well.

[Anonymous]

We havent gotten anything from this company ever, so I have no itemizations of what they are charging us for. I have sent a DV letter and am waiting for a response. Other than that we never paid for any repairs nor did any damage to the place (although it did need to be cleaned). I can look into the contract but Im sure we paid first and last months rent when we moved in. Even so, shouldnt we wait until we hear back from the DV letter to contact them again? And how can we negotiate if they come back saying no?

[Familywantsahouse]

Try the BBB and attorney general as well. Regardless of the debt being valid, they can't just toss it on your credit report without proper notification.

I'd specifically mention in my BBB and AG complaint that you want a copy of their initial notification because you never got it before they began reporting...