Consumer complaint received 2026-04-14 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Rental debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: FAIR COLLECTIONS & OUTSOURCING, INC.
State: MD

Complaint narrative:
I was charged rent for XX/XX/year> despite being unable to access or occupy the unit due to circumstances beyond my control. I was arrested on XX/XX/year>, after having already paid the full rent for XXXX. I did not reside in the unit for the remainder of that month and had no ability to return or manage the lease thereafter. Timeline of Events : XX/XX/year> : I was arrested. At that time, law enforcement confiscated my keys to the rental unit as evidence. XX/XX/year> : My mother contacted the property management company to explain the situation and requested access to remove my belongings before XXXX. She was denied access. Around this time, I also participated in a three-way call with my mother and the property, during which they stated that access to the unit would only be granted if the physical key was presenteddespite being informed that the key was in police custody. XX/XX/year> : My mother was advised to obtain power of attorney in order to act on my behalf. Due to jail procedures, I was not able to complete and send the power of attorney documentation until sometime in XXXX, and mailing delays caused additional time loss. After the property received the power of attorney, my mother was finally granted access to the unit. XX/XX/year> : My belongings were fully retrieved after the legal case concluded. Details of the Complaint : Despite being informed of my situation and the fact that neither I nor my authorized representative had access to the unit, the property management : Refused to provide reasonable access or alternative solutions to retrieve my belongings or surrender the unit Continued to charge rent for XX/XX/year> even though the unit was not occupied and could not be accessed Failed to accommodate a situation involving law enforcement holding the keys as evidence Required a power of attorney as the only solution, which caused unavoidable delays due to incarceration Sent the alleged balance to collections immediately without fairly considering the circumstances Supporting Information : Date of arrest : XX/XX/year> Date property was notified : XX/XX/year> Date belongings were retrieved : XXXX XXXX XXXX Month in dispute : XX/XX/year> rent Relevant documentation : Call records, proof of incarceration, power of attorney, and any correspondence with the property ( available upon request ) Resolution Requested : I am requesting that : The XX/XX/year> rent charge be removed Any associated collection account be withdrawn or deleted My account be corrected to reflect that I was unable to occupy or access the unit due to circumstances outside of my control Any negative credit reporting related to this matter be removed Additional Comments : I made reasonable efforts, through my mother and through direct communication, to resolve this situation promptly. However, the property management refused to provide any practical accommodation and instead continued to charge rent and escalate the matter to collections. Given that I had no access to the unit and no ability to return the keys, I do not believe I should be held financially responsible for this period.

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