Consumer complaint received 2017-10-01
Company: ResidentCollect, Inc.
State: CA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Written notification about debt
Sub-issue: Didn't receive notice of right to dispute

Complaint:
Resident Collect ( aka Innovative Recovery ) reported an overcharge of {$7700.00} alleged apartment " moving out charge '' to the credit bureau without informing me, or validating the " debt ''. They di d not even wait for 30-days before reporting to credit bureau. My old apartment sent my account with unjustified charges to the collection on XXXX XXXX. Immediately, they turned my account to credit bureau in XXXX without notifying me or giving me a chance to dispute. I just found out that the collection record was shown on my credit report in XXXX. Resident Collect practice seemed to be unlawful, violating FCRA act I called ResidentCollect a few times and finally spoke to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX who claimed to be my XXXX XXXX. XXXX stated that they, as a collection agency, has no responsibilities to notify me to verify the " debt '', but directly report my " debt '' to credit bureau. They do n't have to wait for any days before reporting. That does not sound lawful at all. When I questioned the legitimacy of their collection practice, XXXX hung up on me. Subsequent calls received no response. 

I am disputing the move out overcharges of {$7700.00} which was a ripoff and totally unjustified. 

The thousands dollars of bedbug inspection /pest control expenses XXXX added onto my moving out charge is unlawful, unjustified. I am a victim of the bedbug horrors. Many other units also got infested by bedbugs. Mine was not the only unit. In addition, bedbugs expense incurred nearly one year prior to my moving out. How come it was reported and collected as moving out charge? 

XXXX was lying when they say that my unit was the ONLY one infested with bedbugs, therefore I should be responsible for bedbug inspection and treatment. 

The apartment used XXXX as their pest control vendor. XXXX have a total of ~15 bedbug inspections and treatments for the past year, including unit XXXX XXXX/XXXX/XXXX XXXX -- XXXX unit XXXX, unit XXXX XXXX -- XXXX, unit XXXX XXXX/XXXX/XXXX XXXX/XXXX/XXXX unit XXXX vacant {$2500.00} There was confirmed report the theatre @ XXXX was also got infested with bedbugs. 
Why my apartment was holding me financially responsible and adding the pest control/treatment expenses onto my moving out chargest? That was a ripoff and totally unjustified. 

I lived across trash bin room and across the stairway. Unfortunately, my unit got infested. I was a victim of bedbug. I suffered tremendous distresses at the time, mentally financially. Both my health and my job were negatively affected. 

Once again, I am disputing the move out overcharges of {$7700.00}. 

In addition, bedbug expenses incurred nearly one year before my moving out, yet they were added as a major part of my moving out cost as you confirmed below? I am disputing the charge. California just passed a new bedbug law. As some landlords are trying on passing bedbug treatment expenses to tenants, bedbug infestations may not getting reported promptly as tenants are afraid to bear the burden of pest control costs ( see my case as a perfect real example ). So bedbugs maynot get treated promptly but instead are getting wider spread. 

It 's way too common and convenient for a landlord to use this kind of excuses, something like, " You are the only one who got this bedbug or pest issue '' to shame the victims to shut up. Obviously, It is not to tenants ' advantages to fight this type of claim as tenants have no accesses to other tenants information nor current and rental history of any units. 

I am a highly clean and hygiene person. I never had any pets. I did not even cook as meals were provided by my employer. I never had guests coming over. I even never known what bedbugs were before. I had to XXXX it to learn those tiny insects fest on human bloods. They move around and find their perfect victims/hosts. They can survive for up to half a year without a blood meal. Being an engineer myself, I had attempted to figure out where those bugs were actually from : from neighbors moving in and out, from moving trucks, movers, from vacant apartments, from trash collectors, from common areas, pools, parking, mail room, theaters, trash bin area ( I lived across the trash bin room, lots traffic in going and out of the trash bin room ), traffic on the stairs ( I lived across from the staircase ), club house, gym, or cleaning staff passing by, maintenance staff who came in or out of my unit or from the hall way traffic, even possibly by XXXX XXXX themselves as they travel among different XXXX properties where got bedbugs infested, and could be easily carried by them. 

In summary, my apartment has no proof that I actually financially responsible for the expense pest control charged to the apartment. XXXX was just dumping those cost to me unlawfully. Stop the collection and remove the fraudulent charges from my account. 

* i left my apartment spotlessly clean. I am a single working professional with no kids, no pets. I never had any pictures or not a single nail on the wall. I spent 4 days to clean my apartment before moving out * I have never been late on my rent payment, always pay my rent on time. 

* No any damages in my apartment.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation