Consumer complaint received 2025-11-20 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Rental debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: HW Holding, Inc
State: VA

Complaint narrative:
Summary of Issue : I am disputing a debt that Hunter Warfield is attempting to collect for my former apartment at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) in Washington XXXX DC. The debt is not valid, has not been validated, and includes unlawful interest and charges. The landlord also violated D.C. housing law during my tenancy, making the charges improper. Hunter Warfield has ignored a full FDCPA validation request I sent on XX/XX/XXXX, yet continues attempting to collect and adding interest. 

1. Failure to Validate the Debt ( FDCPA 1692g ) On XX/XX/XXXX, I sent Hunter Warfield a formal written dispute and debt-validation request, as permitted under the FDCPA. 
They have never validated the debt, never provided documentation, and never answered any of the required questions. 
Despite this, they have continued attempting to collect and have added interest and fees. 

Under 1692g ( b ), they are not allowed to collect or add charges while a debt is disputed. 

2. Illegal Interest and Fees Hunter Warfield added interest and late fees to the balance even though : Interest is not permitted on this type of residential rent debt under D.C. law unless explicitly authorized ( it was not ). 

Interest can not be added after a debt is formally disputed. 

A landlord can not charge late fees during periods of housing code violations. 

The interest they added caused the claimed balance to grow to nearly {$21000.00}, which is unlawful. 

3. Underlying Debt Is Invalid Due to D.C. Housing Code Violations From XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX, my building had severe, ongoing housing-code violations : Repeated break-ins into the buildings garage My car was broken into twice The garage door was broken for over a month ( confirmed by landlord ) Security failures allowing intruders to access residential floors Homeless individuals living and urinating in the stairwell Broken building cameras, and staff unable to retrieve footage Broken amenities ( grills, fire pit, pool, roof furniture, roof lighting, etc. ) Sanitation issues and lack of maintenance XXXX/short-term rental violations that further compromised safety I notified the landlord in writing on XX/XX/XXXX, then again on XX/XX/XXXX, and followed up on XX/XX/XXXX when they finally responded. 

In their XXXX response, the landlord admitted : The garage door had been broken 67 weeks and still not fixed Roof and pool areas were in disrepair Furniture and amenities were broken The fire pit and grills were nonfunctional Landscaping was dying Roof lighting and speakers were broken The pool required major construction They were aware of unauthorized short-term rentals These admissions confirm long-term violations of D.C. Housing Code, the Implied Warranty of Habitability, and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, meaning I am entitled to rent abatement and that full rent was not legally owed. 

4. Rent Abatement Calculation A standard D.C. rent-abatement analysis shows : Lawful rent owed : Approximately {$32000.00} Actual rent paid : Approximately {$50000.00} Overpayment : Over {$18000.00} Therefore, no balance is owed, and collection efforts are improper. 

5. Continued Collection Attempts Are Illegal Despite : The landlords admitted violations, My lawful rent-abatement rights, My written FDCPA dispute, and Their failure to validate the debt, Hunter Warfield is attempting to collect, adding interest, and reporting the account. This violates : FDCPA 1692g ( b ) FDCPA 1692e ( false representations of amount owed ) FDCPA 1692f ( unfair practices )

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation