Question about Leasing Property

[PrettyBoyAJ]

That's fair. I am going to call the company and see when they got it leased again. I don't mind paying advertising and rent up until someone else moved in. They have already sold the debt to a collections company so even at that I am unsure if this is relevant.

 

[Billtx49]

It's definitely not relevant anymore. They already took some amount of loss on that debt when they sold it to the collection agency at a reduced price. The agency may tell you they are collecting for the landlord, but in reality they own your debt. It's a different ball game now.

The debt has been ignored far too long, so now you have to deal with the collection company alone and its impact on your credit. Time to go into mitigation mode with the collection agency now. Focus on getting them to take less profit on your debt. Find out what percent of the debt amount is their cost and take it from there. Just keep in mind that they are pros at what they do.… your credit rating is their leverage. Some agencies can and will take you to court if they decide to use that option.

Word to the wise for the future, anyone who signs an apartment or realtor association approved contract in most states almost always loses in a dispute. The contract is that good and heavily slanted for the landlord.

 

[Billtx49]

On a side note, your original says you owed 6K. Sounds like the agency offered you a reduced amount of 5K to settle the 6K debt. That's their usual approach. You offered to pay 2K and got turned down.
More than likely, collection paid 2K for the original 6K debt. They usually try to get over 100% of their cost out of you. If it does go to court they may try to add on to the debt with court costs and very well might go for the full 6K + costs.
It's your job now to resolve it for an acceptable price ( hint-It's not going to be 2K) and make sure it does not go that far downhill on you...

 

[PrettyBoyAJ]

So I actually got a detailed bill of the $5,155 they say I owe and got more information.

So I paid rent for November 2015 of 1300. Someone moved in within the same month however.

They are claiming an accelerated rent of 2,550 and an interior paint refresh of 1708.20. I'm going to dispute those two because I'd assume paint is in the normal wear and tear of a home and why would they have an accelerated rent when someone moved in in November even though they charged me for November.

This concerns me because they sold this 5,155 debt to collections so will collections even care about all of this?

 

[Billtx49]

This concerns me because they sold this 5,155 debt to collections so will collections even care about all of this?

No, they do not care. You owe them money. It is all they care about.
Whining to them about your landlord will do you no good. It will make you look like just another deadbeat to them. They hear it daily…

There well might have been a contractual or state legal time limit on any rental disputes also. With this much time having past, you would probably have to take landlord to small claims court for any monetary relief if the state statute hasn't expired. You would also likely need a copy of your signed contract to do so.

Be aware though, if you go to court and the court rules in their favor and not yours, they will likely be awarded a judgement against you at that time and possibly their legal fees added to your debt.

If you really want to know your options, pay an attorney for an office consultation and get his advice. Otherwise deal with the collection agency. You now have two responsible options, go legal or pay. If you don't settle this issue your credit is blemished for 7 years.

 

[Bible_Belt]

1,700 bucks to paint? $2,500 for an apartment that they rented the next month? I'm smelling fraud, and I'm thinking they are committing a pattern of it, and that leads us to three magic words, "class action lawsuit." I would go nuclear on them, and start threatening a lawsuit that was much larger than the money they claim that you owe. All you have to do is recruit other plaintiffs to whom they did the same thing, which isn't that hard. Just the threat of you posting advertisements seeking plaintiffs should be enough to get them to back down. It makes them look very bad.

And furthermore, AJ aren't you black? If you can establish a pattern of the apartment complex singling out minorities this way, then that opens up a whole new can of Federal worms. Threaten to report them to HUD for discriminatory practices, and HUD can set them up in an undercover sting operation that generates six-figure fines. If they have half a brain, they will pay you off immediately to shut you up.

Or just pay the money. None of what I am suggesting is very nice. It's up to you. I think you're being fvcked with, and my attitude is to retaliate ten times harder.

 

[PrettyBoyAJ]

Absolutely agreed. I need to take this to some lawyers and threaten to sue/take this to court. The more I look at this broke down bill the more I know that they are just trying to take as much as they can.

So I emailed the leasing company about the discrepancy and the bill and the malpractice and they haven't contacted me back.

I also called the debt collector and they tell me they will call me back and I never get a call back.