Consumer complaint received 2025-02-03 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Rental debt
Issue: Communication tactics — You told them to stop contacting you, but they keep trying
Company: Rowland Avenue Management, Inc. A/KA Columbia Debt Recovery, LLC d/b/a Genesis
State: IL

Complaint narrative:
I am writing to formally file a complaint against XXXX XXXX  regarding a series of issues that have caused significant financial and emotional distress. The issues in question involve inflated and delayed charges related to my apartment lease, improper handling of my dispute, and aggressive debt collection practices. Below is a detailed account of the events and interactions that have occurred : XXXX XXXX  provide a backstory of the apartment issue where XXXX XXXX explain specific details about the XXXX complaint. 

1. Final Walkthrough and Lease Obligations On XX/XX/XXXX, I completed the final walkthrough of my apartment as per the terms of my lease agreement. During this walkthrough, I returned the apartment keys. The lease agreement explicitly stated that the keys were to be returned during the final walkthrough. 

XXXX. Final Payment On XX/XX/XXXX, I made my final prepaid bill payment, fulfilling all my obligations under the lease agreement and acting in good faith. 

XXXX. Delayed and Inflated Charges On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an itemized bill totaling {$950.00} for alleged damages. This bill was sent more than 30 days after my move-out date, which violates the reasonable timeframe for notifying tenants of charges as outlined in Illinois law XXXX The charges appeared inflated and included what seemed to be a full apartment renovation. However, no receipts or supporting documentation were provided to substantiate these claims. 

XXXX. Initial Dispute Upon receiving the bill, I contacted Ascend Apartments, who informed me that the matter had been transferred to their management company, XXXX XXXX XXXX. They claimed the move-out date and lease end date were the same, which I disputed, as I had returned the keys on XX/XX/XXXX, well before the lease ended on XX/XX/XXXX. 

5. Lack of Response I received no further communication until XX/XX/XXXX, when I received a voicemail from XXXX. I promptly returned the call and questioned the long delay in response. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email with receipts allegedly supporting the charges. However, the receipts raised concerns, as they included a charge of {$380.00} for carpet removal for the entire apartment, which seemed unnecessary. Additionally, the spreadsheet provided by XXXX included a charge of {$540.00} for carpet life, despite the carpet already being removed. I am currently filing a complaint to the FTC, but step XXXX goes into direct involvement with my complaint to XXXX. 

XXXX. XXXX XXXX Involvement On XX/XX/XXXX, the account was sent to XXXXXXXX XXXX. I was contacted by them on XX/XX/XXXX, and I provided proof of my key return as per the original lease contract. Despite this, XXXX insisted on receiving a receipt for the key return, which had not been mentioned as necessary in any prior communications. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a text message from XXXX demanding this receipt. Furthermore, the collection agency manager was rude and unprofessional, threatening to harm both my credit and my co-signers credit ( my mother ). 

XXXX. Formal Dispute Letter On XX/XX/XXXX, I sent a formal dispute letter via email to XXXXXXXX XXXX  outlining my concerns and requesting that all communication cease until they responded to my dispute. I set a deadline of XX/XX/XXXX for their response. However, no response was received by the deadline. Instead, on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX sent an automated email with added interest on the bill, which further aggravated the situation. 

XXXX. Lawyer Formal Dispute Letter On XX/XX/XXXX, my lawyer wrote a formal dispute letter to XXXX XXXX, but this letter was ignored. 

XXXX. Lawyer Calls XXXXXXXX XXXX On XX/XX/XXXX, my lawyer called XXXXXXXX XXXX as they continued to contact both my mother and me despite our numerous requests for communication to cease. The lawyer was put on hold but was never contacted again. 

XXXX. Interest Charges Despite the dispute, XXXX XXXX added the following interest charges to the debt : XX/XX/XXXX : {$0.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$5.00} ( bringing total interest to {$6.00} ) XX/XX/XXXX : {$1.00} ( bringing total interest to {$7.00} ) XX/XX/XXXX : {$0.00} ( bringing total interest to {$8.00} ) this was not disclosed until sent to credit report. 

11. Credit Reporting On XX/XX/XXXX, I was notified that the debt, now {$960.00}, was reported to both my and my co-signers credit reports with the added interest charges. This occurred while the matter was still being litigated, and both my mother and I have since disputed the credit entry. However, we have not received confirmation of the dispute. 

Conclusion The actions of XXXX XXXX  have been unprofessional, misleading, and financially harmful. They have failed to provide adequate documentation, ignored my formal dispute, and engaged in unlawful debt collection practices. I am requesting that the CFPB investigate this matter and take appropriate action against XXXXXXXX XXXX 

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I trust that the CFPB will handle this complaint with the seriousness it warrants. If you require any further information, I am available to provide additional documentation as needed.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief