Consumer complaint received 2023-01-04
Company: FAIR COLLECTIONS & OUTSOURCING, INC.
State: MD
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not yours

Complaint:
This is a consumer complaint for violations under the FCRA. My prior apartment management company has falsely accused me of damaged hardwood fIoors as a retaliatory and XXXX tactic to my moving out and upon request my writing a letter to the management company about the decline in the property within the XXXX years that I rented at the XXXX I moved into the XXXX Apartments in XXXX XXXX  on XX/XX/2020. I submitted several maintenance requests regarding the hardwood floors and the fireplace repairs during my XXXX  year tenure at the XXXX. Asking maintenance to fix the floors because they constantly shifted and were coming up due to years of wear and tear. Maintenance would come to my home and kick the planks in place with the heel of their boots and say that the floors are old and theyre aware but that they don't have the budget to replace the floors in all of the units and that my unit isnt the only unit but that the floors and the fireplaces were a systemic problem throughout the entire property because they are old and it is hard to find parts for the fireplaces and that it is costly to maintain and keep the hardwood floors. XXXX the maintenance man and I had a conversation about the new linoleum floors that are manufactured now that looks just a good and easier to maintain and is more cost effective from a budgetary standpoint. He went as far to say that he was working on getting it approved. So I happily said so the tenants would be getting new floors and he replied no that it is easier to implement the replacements as tenants moved out. 

XXXX the maintenance supervisor said and I quote " You are lucky that your fireplace works at all. Some of the units fireplaces don't work at all and its hard to find the parts for these old fireplaces anymore. So, when it goes out/stop working its not very much maintenance can do about it. I said I hear you, but I dont want to be charged for this later and XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX are aware. I took pictures and sent the pictures through the maintenance portal during the time that I rented there because tenants had to submit pictures as documentation of the problem. So, with every maintenance request I would submit pictures. Once XXXX the maintenance supervisor sent someone, I am guessing a XXXX who replaced a couple of planks only to have the floors shift again literally days later. XXXX the maintenance man came to my apartment a few times personally and told me that they are aware of the floors but that there is nothing they can do and rest assured that you won't be charged XXXX XXXX. 

Which is why I feel that these are XXXX  collections claims of damaged floors and actually is a bullying attempted by the property management company. I submitted my XXXX  days notice to the company citing that I was leaving because the buildings arent cleaned daily, the gates are often broke and don't work, maintenance is a joke and don't fix anything and Macgyvers instead of repairs maintenance problems. 

I further stated the XXXX tenants constantly receive notice of amenities being taken away and not replaced with something comparable and the amenities charges increased annually instead of decreasing to reflect the reduction in overall amenities. The lack of professionalism in the rental office was not good and that I could see the decline in the property 's up keep and that the property had potential but that the management staff was a reflection of the decline in the property 's up keep. Because of my complaints the prior property XXXX said I could leave if I wasnt happy living at the XXXX and said I would as soon as my lease permitted. She replied back that she has a wait list and is booked to 100 % capacity and didn't need to hold any tenant to their lease that wasn't happy with their unit. I said so you won't hold me to the lease she said no just submit your XXXX  days notice and you are free to go. So I did, soon after a enters a New Property XXXX of the XXXX and attempted to say I was breaking the lease and owed monies for breaking the lease and myself as well as a the accounts XXXX said no that the prior XXXX had gave her blessing I also had the move out settlement sheet to prove it. So we backed down from that angle and now here is a new angle. I as well as my husband had spoke with the assistant account XXXX XXXX and the property XXXX XXXX and was assured that we dont owe for damages. So my husband and I were both shocked to receive a collections letter in the mail stating otherwise.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation