Consumer complaint received 2025-12-05 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Rental debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: OK

Complaint narrative:
Consumer : XXXX XXXX Furnisher : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 
Original Creditor : XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 
Equifax Information Services LLC XXXX XXXX  Related CFPB Case Number ( XXXX XXXX Response ) : XXXX XXXX Data Internal Reference : XXXX Date of XXXX XXXX Written Response : XX/XX/year> NATURE OF COMPLAINT Failure to conduct a reasonable reinvestigation and continued reporting of a debt that is unverified, incomplete, and legally unenforceable under the terms of my lease and state mitigation-of-damages law, in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ). 



BACKGROUND AND KEY FACTS I previously filed a CFPB complaint against XXXX XXXX XXXX for reporting an unlawful and inaccurate accelerated rent balance. My lease explicitly states that I am only responsible for rent until the unit is re-rented. The property re-rented the unit before my lease term ended, which legally eliminates the majority of the amount XXXX XXXX is attempting to collect. 

In that complaint, I requested the following required validation : A full and itemized statement A copy of the original lease A complete tenant ledger Proof of when the unit was placed back on the market Proof of the new tenants move-in date Documentation showing XXXX XXXX legal right to collect A calculation reflecting mitigation of damages XXXX XXXX WRITTEN ADMISSIONS ( XX/XX/year> ) In response to my CFPB complaint, XXXX XXXX admitted in writing : 1. The account was assigned to them in XX/XX/year>. 
2. The balance includes accelerated rent. 
3. XXXX XXXX does not know whether the unit was re-rented. 
4. XXXX XXXX has requested confirmation from the landlord regarding re-rental. 
5. XXXX XXXX admits the balance will be revised if re-rental is confirmed. 
6. The account is marked as disputed. 
7. Validation has not yet been provided and will allegedly be mailed. 
8. XXXX XXXX nonetheless states the full accelerated balance remains due and collectible. 

These admissions prove the balance being reported is not verified, not finalized, and not legally confirmed as accurate. 



FCRA VIOLATIONS BY XXXX, EQUIFAX, XXXX XXXXXXXX  1. 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) Reporting Inaccurate and Legally Invalid Information The credit bureaus are reporting a balance that : Is subject to mandatory mitigation under my lease Is subject to mandatory mitigation under state law Is admitted by the furnisher to be pending revision Is therefore not accurate or complete Reporting an accelerated rent balance that is legally extinguished by re-rental violates the requirement to ensure maximum possible accuracy.

2. 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) Failure to Conduct a Reasonable Reinvestigation Each bureau failed to perform a lawful reinvestigation by relying on a furnisher that : Admits validation has not been completed Admits the balance may be reduced Admits re-rental has not been confirmed Admits the account is formally disputed A reinvestigation that relies on a provisionally admitted, unverified balance is per se unreasonable under federal law.

3. 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 Publication of Unverified Furnished Data By continuing to publish this tradeline as verified, the bureaus are actively publishing : An incomplete debt amount A legally disputed balance A speculative accelerated rent figure A balance that may already be legally extinguished This creates direct, unlawful consumer harm.

LEASE & MITIGATION VIOLATION BEING PUBLISHED AS FACT My lease explicitly limits liability to rent owed only until re-rental occurs. XXXX XXXX admits it does not yet know the re-rental date. Therefore : The true amount owed is unknown The reported amount is legally inflated The credit bureaus are publishing a balance that violates the lease itself CONSUMER HARM As a direct result of the unlawful reporting : My credit profile has been damaged I face potential credit denials and higher interest rates I have suffered emotional distress My creditworthiness has been falsely impaired using an unlawfully inflated balance FORMAL DEMAND FOR REGULATORY RELIEF I formally request that the CFPB require XXXX, Equifax, and XXXX  to : 1. Immediately delete the XXXX XXXX tradeline due to lack of lawful verification 2. Cease reporting any balance for this account 3. Provide written verification of how each reinvestigation was conducted 4. Identify exactly what documents were used to verify the balance 5. Certify compliance with 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) and 1681i 6. Correct my credit file immediately CLOSING STATEMENT XXXX XXXX own words confirm that the balance being reported is not fully verified, is subject to required lease-based mitigation, and may already be legally invalid. Any credit bureau that continues to report this account as accurate is engaging in the publication of unverified and unlawful information. This constitutes willful noncompliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and requires immediate deletion and regulatory correction.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation