What to do if a paid debt is not being reflected on my credit report?
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What to do if a paid debt is not being reflected on my credit report?
I had a debt at an apartment for $1277 because they said that I broke my lease (which I did not). It was in collections for 2 years and when I finally got the new manager at this apartment to deal with this, he said that the previous manager had made a mistake. I only owed $107. He told me that once I paid that amount the no balance should be sent to the debt collectors and it would be shown paid. But they said that since I waited so long they will not take it off my credit. I do not owe a debt for $1277; it was a mistake. I paid the $107 as soon as I knew about it. So I don’t see why it would stay on my credit report, especially since the the original debt was incorrectly listed.
Asked on April 19, 2011 under Bankruptcy Law, Louisiana
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
This is really outrageous. What you need to do is to challenge the entry on all three of your credit reports. You need to write to each of them and advise that the report is incorrect and that there is no money or debt owed. The credit reporting agencies have an obligation to write to the party that reported the debt to ask for verification. If the party that reported it can not verify the debt within 30 days the matter comes off your reporting history. And if you have something that verifies that the debt is incorrect - did you get anything in writing from the new manager? - then send that after you get a response to your original inquiry. Good luck.
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