So, this is a follow-up to this previous question. Looking for some tips for next steps. Long story short, after moving out of a DC apartment in May our corporate landlord billed us a totally bogus damages. Now they've sent it to collections and it's showing up on the credit report. How do I fight this and get it off my credit report for good? *You Are Not My Lawyer* and no advice given will be taken as legal advice
Actual Questions:
-This debt is now on my credit report. How do I get it off?
-I have been told that we have an excellent case should we go to small claims court. But, if we do win in court will that guarantee that the credit agencies will remove this from our reports?
-The business practices of the apartment building are also just utterly unethical and I'm not sure the best agencies to report this to in order to ensure they don't continue this kind of BS with other renters.
-I'm willing to pony up to talk to a real lawyer. If you have a recommendation for a DC attorney who could be helpful please feel free to send info along.
Important Background Points:
-Building claimed $250 in "wall damages" but had no records of any actual repairs. Building claimed over $500 in re-finishing the entire floor of a three bedroom unit because they claimed there was a scuff in one hallway. The building took a series of photos the apartment after we moved out, none of which show any damage whatsoever.
-After a walk-through of the apartment before we moved out, a building staff member signed a form stating that no major damage was apparent (although this form does not prohibit the building from charging for damages later).
-The management company, and all billing, is through a giant national apartment company. We are only directed to an anonymous 1-800 number where we talk in circles with folks reading scripts at a call center.
-We tried to officially dispute the purported damages (as there were none) with the apartment company. There was no dispute process. Without any warning our dispute was sent to collections.
-The building could not supply evidence of any kind (such as a contracting bill) for the wall damage and after months finally gave us the receipt for re-finishing the floors of the entire unit which had no mention of damage to the floors whatsoever.
-Additionally, the building and collections agency refuse to mail me anything in writing. There were four people on the lease. They arbitrarily decided that one of us is the "point person" and refuse to send anything to anyone else. This seems totally fishy and illegal, but is it?
-I have still, months later, not received a single thing in writing from either the building or the collections agency despite asking via phone, email, and certified mail to use my current address for all communications.
-We all sent in a letter based on the one provided by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau via certified mail asking for proof the debt. It has been several months and the collections agency has refused to supply this information because they claim one of us hired an attorney so they're "waiting to be contacted" by this purported attorney before giving us anything. No one called a lawyer or threatened to and the collections agency people don't even know which of us purportedly hired the lawyer.
Actual Questions:
-This debt is now on my credit report. How do I get it off?
-I have been told that we have an excellent case should we go to small claims court. But, if we do win in court will that guarantee that the credit agencies will remove this from our reports?
-The business practices of the apartment building are also just utterly unethical and I'm not sure the best agencies to report this to in order to ensure they don't continue this kind of BS with other renters.
-I'm willing to pony up to talk to a real lawyer. If you have a recommendation for a DC attorney who could be helpful please feel free to send info along.
Important Background Points:
-Building claimed $250 in "wall damages" but had no records of any actual repairs. Building claimed over $500 in re-finishing the entire floor of a three bedroom unit because they claimed there was a scuff in one hallway. The building took a series of photos the apartment after we moved out, none of which show any damage whatsoever.
-After a walk-through of the apartment before we moved out, a building staff member signed a form stating that no major damage was apparent (although this form does not prohibit the building from charging for damages later).
-The management company, and all billing, is through a giant national apartment company. We are only directed to an anonymous 1-800 number where we talk in circles with folks reading scripts at a call center.
-We tried to officially dispute the purported damages (as there were none) with the apartment company. There was no dispute process. Without any warning our dispute was sent to collections.
-The building could not supply evidence of any kind (such as a contracting bill) for the wall damage and after months finally gave us the receipt for re-finishing the floors of the entire unit which had no mention of damage to the floors whatsoever.
-Additionally, the building and collections agency refuse to mail me anything in writing. There were four people on the lease. They arbitrarily decided that one of us is the "point person" and refuse to send anything to anyone else. This seems totally fishy and illegal, but is it?
-I have still, months later, not received a single thing in writing from either the building or the collections agency despite asking via phone, email, and certified mail to use my current address for all communications.
-We all sent in a letter based on the one provided by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau via certified mail asking for proof the debt. It has been several months and the collections agency has refused to supply this information because they claim one of us hired an attorney so they're "waiting to be contacted" by this purported attorney before giving us anything. No one called a lawyer or threatened to and the collections agency people don't even know which of us purportedly hired the lawyer.