How do I dispute a credit dispute concerning a lease that was broken 6 years ago?

in 2001 I was a student in southern Illinois. I could no longer afford my rent and was leaving school. I told my landlord that I was going back home and that he could have my deposit and the next months rent. I cleaned up and left. now six years later he is reporting me to the credit bureau saying i owe 8000 and is screwing my credit. What can I do?

Public Comments

1. Assuming that the issues were not taken care of properly when you left, such as; proper notices etc., short of a lawsuit here is where you might want to start your research: Credit Dispute Reporting forms: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html Once per year free credit report from all three credit reporting agencies: http://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp Free legal aid search for all states: http://www.lawhelp.org/ The Fair Debt Collection Practice Act: http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpa/fdcpact.htm Consumer Credit Protection US Federal Laws: http://uscode.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode15/usc_sup_01_15_10_41.html I wish you the best of luck on your research
2. Nothing, A Lease is a Binding contract. You owed more than the Deposit. You were in a Contract to be there for a specific amount of time. When you are under a contract you cannot tell your landlord your plans and just make the decision on your own. You should have gone to him and discuss it. Let him know that you have to move back home cause Rufus Died, Who is Rufus, Who cares, I am sure one day he died. AND you cant really Jinks him if you dont know him. But I wish it was more you could do, I hate that for you. What you can do is Dispute it by sending a Letter to Equifax, or TRansunion whomever is reporting it. Most of the time companies do not respond the despute. So then the Companies like Equifax have no choice but to remove it. Good Luck.
3. The Landlord claim is valid if you broke the lease (regardless of the reasons why). The question is what can you do about it. That depends on if your credit report says you owe it as a part of a judgment against you or if it is merely a derogatory report by the landlord. If it is a report by the landlord you could contact him and negotiate a settlement for you to pay and with proof of payment you can make the issue go away. But, if the claim is part of a judgment you have to pay the full amount. In some jurisdictions judgment accrue interest such that the $8,000 owed might actually be increasing in value each month it is not paid. You can often arrange a payment plan with the court.