The Credit Repair General

Validation Letters: Brief Synopsis

  • Validation letters are dispute letters which are sent to collection agencies.
  • These letters are also rooted in questions of accuracy and verifiability.
  • Time limits are crucial when writing validation letters.

 

Validation Letters: Full Explanation

Few credit repair companies send both bureau dispute letters and 623 letters. Fewer still go even further than that, and Credit Repair Army is proud to be one of them. The two steps mentioned previously send letters to the three bureaus and to original creditors. However, using just these two letters leaves out an important section of your credit report: collection agencies. In addition to the original credit accounts, your credit report also lists collection accounts. With validation letters, we write directly to any collection agencies who are appearing on your credit report.

Validation letters are very similar in nature to 623 letters. As described in the 623 letter section, these letters are rooted in a question about an item on your report. This question can either be in accuracy, or in verifiability. That is, you could question an account for having incorrect information, such as a wrong account number. Or, this account could be unsubstantiated by statements or contracts. Either way, you are disputing this account with the collection agency who is collecting for it.

Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), a consumer has the right to challenge the validity of a debt. The 3rd party collector has 30 days under the law to verify its authority to collect. Certified mail is crucial when it comes to validation letters. Think about it: if you can’t PROVE when a collection company received your validation letter how can you PROVE their 30 days to validate the debt has expired? You would be surprised at how many Collection Companies have terrible records and can not sufficiently prove the debts they are attempting to collect. However, it should be noted that if you sent a debt collector your own validation letter, they just don’t take you as seriously as they do when the validation letter comes in from a third party. I have spent almost a decade and a half perfecting our process of validation letters and I have not seen another company that can match our success rate.