Consumer complaint received 2026-01-22 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Rental debt
Issue: Written notification about debt — Didn't receive enough information to verify debt
Company: The Law Offices of Jennifer McCoy, PC
State: IL

Complaint narrative:
This was our most recent response TO the debt collector and property manager : Retention Rights of Security Deposit ( Tenn. Code Ann . 66-28-301 ) : We provided over 30 days ' notice of our vacancy due to out-of-state job placement as a XXXX XXXX, XXXX. We explicitly requested a copy of the inspection/ exit form and provided a forwarding address. XXXX XXXX XXXX did not provide the inspection/ exit form within 30 days. Photographs or lists provided months after our request are legally insufficient. Post-Hoc Documentation, photos taken after our vacancy, does not satisfy the requirements of XXXX. We do not accept these as valid evidence of our liability. We accept the forfeiture of our {$1400.00} security deposit for interior painting and cleaning fees. 

Bad Faith Rejection of Mitigation : We offered a settlement totaling {$4400.00} ( the equivalent of three months ' rent via {$2900.00} cash plus forfeiture of our {$1400.00} deposit ). The landlord 's rejection of this 90-day rent equivalent constitutes a failure to mitigate damages under Tenn. Code Ann. 66-28-507. We demand proof of the date a new tenant took possession, as we believe this collection attempt constitutes a " double recovery '' windfall. Furthermore, we contest the inclusion of monthly pet fees in any penalty calculation ; these are service fees and do not constitute " actual damages. '' FDCPA Violations/Violation of Notice Requirements : Despite having our forwarding address as provided in the exit notice that was required by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX you failed to provide the primary account holder, XXXX XXXX XXXX with proper and required validation notice, instead sending correspondence to a third-party family residence ( the secondary holders elderly parent ) while bypassing the provided address is a bad-faith tactic that denied us the opportunity to resolve this before " fees '' were added. Once the secondary holder, XXXX, received the notice, an email response was immediately sent to The Law Offices of Jennifer McCoy disputing the debt amount. The dispute followed the format and timeline as stated on the Law Office form. A follow up phone conversation with XXXX of The Law Offices of Jennifer McCoy affirmed that the forwarding address, the exit form, or proof of damages were never provided to the Law Office/ Debt Collector to ensure proper and timely notice. XXXX received the itemized listing on XX/XX/year> and indicated she would send a copy via postal mail to the address provided. Furthermore, the primary account holder, XXXX, left multiple voicemails without a return response from the property management in an effort to proactively address the early termination. As of today, XX/XX/year>, we have still not received the comprehensive list of damages. 

Improper Inclusion of Attorney Fees The balance of {$5000.00} improperly includes attorney and service fees. These fees were not incurred through a judicial proceeding and could have been avoided entirely had XXXX XXXX XXXX followed proper and reasonable communication protocols and/or responded to the primary account holder. Under FDCPA 1692f ( 1 ), it is an unfair practice to collect any amount ( including fees ) unless authorized by the agreement or permitted by law. Because we provided a forwarding address and proactively offered a settlement of {$4400.00} ( 2 months of rent equivalent and security deposit ), any " legal fees '' added to this account are unreasonable, unearned, and disputed.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation