Consumer complaint received 2024-03-26
Product: Debt collection — Rental debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: T.S. Holdings (OH)

In the spring of XXXX, I went to the office of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, OR XXXX to formally hand off my non-renewal notice to the property manager. She received it, and no further move-out actions were communicated to me. 

Before we moved out of the apartment ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX ), in good faith, I verbally communicated to the property manager in their office on two occasions in XX/XX/XXXX, that the keys to the apartment would be left inside the unit upon our departure on XX/XX/XXXX. Our moving schedule did not allow us to hand over the keys in person, which is why I let them know where they would find it in the apartment. 

I've lived in a couple of apartments in Oregon, and this has never been an issue at any other apartment complex. 

In XXXX of XXXX, my wife and I found an email from XXXX XXXX XXXX stating that we owed them {$8200.00} for a final move-out balance. The email did not even come with an itemized list of what they were billing for. I called, and they stated that the balance was for things I might expectoutstanding costs for trash and sewer, some cleaning fees, etc, but then they stated that I owed them {$3500.00} for an early termination fee, and also two months of unpaid rent. Given that we did not do an early lease termination and we paid our rent on time every time, I was very confused. I asked them for what months they were charging us for, and they said that it was for XXXX and XXXX of XXXX. We were not living there in XXXX or XXXX of XXXX. Our lease ended in XXXX, the month we moved out. As mentioned above, all move-out procedures had been properly completed and no issue had been mentioned before this. 

I promptly asked for an itemized list of the charges, and they provided it on XX/XX/XXXX. Curiously, they had reduced the charges to {$5000.00}. There was now an early-lease termination fee credit as well as a security deposit credit. 

Later on XX/XX/XXXX, I received another email from XXXX XXXX XXXX stating that the amount owed was now {$4700.00}. This time there was no itemized list provided to explain their further reduction. 

I called them asking why they were charging us for the XXXX and XXXX rent, and they stated that it was because they did not receive the keys upon moving out, despite my aforementioned talks with the property manager that the keys would be waiting for them in the apartment. Again, this was shared twice in good faith. 

There was no instruction provided that required a specific method for key return, nor was there any mention of such a requirement within the lease agreement. 

This isn't the first time they have made mistakes with my billing. They once tried to charge me a late-rent payment fee, and I promptly called them and got it sorted out. 

Trying to get the bottom of things, I was able to get on the phone with XXXX XXXX, a billing specialist from XXXX. We had been communicating back and forth between XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX and he has been very helpful. 

In his investigations, he found that the charges they were making against me were unusual, and he noticed inconsistencies in what they were trying to bill me. When he asked them about it the first time, they reduced the bill somewhat. Then they changed it in such a way that made it look like they owed me money ( which of course they don'tI just want them to stop harassing me to pay these unwarranted move-out fees ). 

XXXX also saw that XXXX XXXX had sent an official eviction notice to my old XXXX XXXX XXXX apartment, and had mailed it on multiple occasions to try and notify me. Keep in mind that I had shared my forwarding address with the property manager before I left. Not once was I called about this, and not once did I receive an email about any official eviction procedures, all of which seemed unusual regardless given that we no longer lived at that apartment. 

I was called by a collections agent from IQ Data International , Inc ( XXXX XXXX, WA, XXXX ), on XX/XX/XXXX, stating that we owed them the original {$8200.00}. They said that we must pay on that day. The collections agent then threatened to flag our credit report to leave a derogatory mark on otherwise good credit. It appeared that things had not been resolved despite a dispute having been submitted by XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. Not only that, but for whatever reason they were now requesting the original amount XXXX XXXX asked for rather than the updated {$4700.00}. 

Because of XXXX efforts, I assumed that a proper investigation was being conducted to formally redact the unwarranted charges being levied against me. It now appeared that XXXX XXXX was simply being neglectful. XXXX suspects that my file had been automatically processed, and after a certain time period, was automatically forwarded to the collections agency. 

Never have I been so harassed by an apartment complex before. I have done my due justice to try to resolve this issue with XXXX XXXX. I am now filing a complaint in an attempt to resolve this issue.