Stop Fair Collections & Outsourcings, Inc Phone Harassment!

Fair Collections & Outsourcing, widely known as FCO, is a Maryland agency that specializes in something most collectors do not: debt tied to where you live. Apartment communities, student housing, senior and assisted living facilities, military housing, and commercial landlords route unpaid lease balances to FCO, which then reports them and pursues payment. Because FCO collects for others, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act governs its conduct from the first call forward.

Consumer Rights Law Firm PLLC has been shielding consumers from collector misconduct since 2010, and we carry an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Reach our team at (877) 700-5790 or request a free case review. You will not be charged, because the law makes a lawbreaking collector cover our fees.

Quick Facts About Fair Collections & Outsourcing

Source: BBB Business Profile for Fair Collections & Outsourcings, Inc.

Why Is Fair Collections & Outsourcing After You?

FCO collects debt that landlords and property managers could not recover on their own. If you broke a lease early, disputed move-out charges, faced damage assessments, or left a balance when you relocated, a property company may have handed that account to FCO. The agency then reports the debt to the credit bureaus and works to collect it, often years after you moved on.

Rental debt carries a sting that ordinary collections do not, because it follows you straight into your next housing search. Tenant-screening services pull the very reports FCO furnishes, so a single disputed balance can turn into repeated rental denials. That is precisely why so many people first learn about an FCO account not from a letter, but from a leasing office rejecting their application.

Are the Calls From Fair Collections & Outsourcing Legal, and When Is It Harassment?

FCO may contact you about a legitimate lease debt, but the FDCPA restricts how far it can go. The behaviors that convert lawful collection into a violation include:

• Reaching you outside the permitted hours of 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. locally.
• Bombarding you with calls meant to intimidate rather than inform.
• Sharing details of your debt with family members, roommates, or an employer.
• Overstating the debt or threatening consequences the agency will not pursue.
• Continuing contact after you delivered a written request to stop.
• Furnishing a balance to the bureaus without a reasonable basis to believe you owe it.

That last point is not theoretical for FCO. Regulation F, found at 12 C.F.R. §1006.14, treats more than seven calls about a single debt in seven days as presumptively harassing, but with this agency the credit reporting conduct is often the bigger problem. When clients come to us about FCO, the injury is frequently a tradeline that will not budge, quietly sabotaging their ability to rent or borrow.

The Credit Report Trap That Defines FCO Complaints

The signature FCO problem is a rental collection that lingers on your credit file long after it should. Consumers report balances that were paid, settled, or never valid in the first place, yet keep reporting month after month and keep blocking housing approvals.

One thing consumers often misunderstand is that paying an FCO balance does not guarantee deletion, and FCO has told consumers directly that it will not remove a paid account from their reports. That leaves people in a painful bind, sometimes even displaced, while a paid collection continues to trigger automated rental rejections. Our attorneys examine whether FCO can actually prove ownership of the debt and whether its reporting is accurate, because a furnisher that cannot substantiate what it reports is exposed under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. You can start a challenge through our dispute a credit report guide.

BBB Complaints Against Fair Collections & Outsourcing

The Better Business Bureau logs 269 complaints against FCO over three years, with 54 closed in the last 12 months, and it assigns the company an F rating in part for failing to respond to 253 filings. The BBB has also posted a notice observing that FCO’s most recent complaint responses date back to late 2013, with a large volume of unanswered complaints since. The recurring grievances involve unverified debts, refusals to correct credit reporting, and settlement promises that did not translate into deletion. These are verified complaints from the live BBB page.

Source: BBB Complaints page for Fair Collections & Outsourcings, Inc.

Complaint 1: A disabled veteran told to pay “or else” (April 23, 2026): A consumer wrote that her husband, a 100 percent service-connected disabled veteran, received a notice for what appeared to be a housing rental debt of $2,930.83 that did not belong to him. She said the company refused to correct the wrong-person error, would not respond in writing, and kept insisting the balance be paid immediately.

Complaint 2: Homeless in a hotel over a paid collection (January 5, 2026): A consumer explained that a debt was settled and paid in full for $1,670.09 on September 30, 2025, yet the paid-collection status kept triggering automatic denials from rental screening systems. The consumer wrote that the family was living in a hotel and that FCO refused to delete the trade line despite the zero balance.

Complaint 3: A settlement acceptance, then a refusal to delete (March 1, 2026): A consumer described sending an offer to settle a $275.80 balance for $68.95 with removal from their credit reports, and receiving FCO’s written acceptance dated February 17, 2026. When the consumer called to pay, a senior collections manager insisted FCO would accept payment only after the consumer acknowledged the account would not be removed, which the consumer called a deceptive and strong-arm tactic.

Consumer Reviews of Fair Collections & Outsourcing

Reviews on the BBB describe large balances, identity theft, and relentless pursuit. Reviewer Lauren H recounted a years-long ordeal over a five-figure claim:

“Claiming we owe $60K FOR OVER 4 YEARS and they find our new address every time we move and harass us there. Weve filed police reports, even sending those reports to this company for identification verification that someone stole our identity.”

Reviewer Michael G pointed to a lease account he had already resolved:

“Fair [FCO] sent me a collection notice for $3,341.20 tied to an apartment account that was already paid in full back in 2022.”

What our clients tell us tracks these accounts: an apartment balance they dispute, a report that will not clear, and a company that is difficult to pin down in writing. When identity theft is involved, as Lauren H described, FCO’s duty to investigate and stop reporting an unverified debt becomes the center of gravity for a claim.

Lawsuits and Regulatory Action Against Fair Collections & Outsourcing

FCO stands apart from most collectors because a federal regulator, not just private plaintiffs, took action against it. This is verified from public records.

CFPB v. Fair Collections & Outsourcing, Inc.: The sued FCO and its owner in 2019, and in 2021 announced a settlement resolving the case. The Bureau alleged that FCO represented that consumers owed debts when it lacked a reasonable basis to assert them, failed to investigate identity-theft reports and consumer disputes, and did not maintain reasonable policies for the accuracy of the information it furnished to credit bureaus. The settlement required FCO to pay $850,000 and to overhaul its policies and procedures.

Source: CFPB action against Fair Collections & Outsourcing

Beyond that federal action, FCO has been named in numerous private FDCPA and FCRA suits over its collection and reporting of rental debt. In many of the cases we review, the throughline is the same conduct the CFPB flagged, which is why our attorneys look at whether the agency ever had solid proof of the debt it was chasing. A settlement is not an admission of ongoing liability, and each private claim turns on its own facts.

Your Legal Rights When Fair Collections & Outsourcing Contacts You

• FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act): The core shield against FCO. It bars misrepresenting a debt, harassing you, disclosing the debt to others, and continuing after a written stop request, and it requires validation. Recovery reaches $1,000 plus actual damages and attorney fees.
• FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act): Central to FCO disputes, it lets you challenge inaccurate rental tradelines and requires furnishers to investigate within 30 days.
• Identity theft protections: If the debt stems from stolen identity, you can compel the collector to investigate and stop reporting an unverified account. Learn more on our identity theft page.
• State collection and tenant law: Depending on where you rented and where you live, state statutes can layer additional protections onto the federal rules.

FDCPA and FCRA Violation Comparison for FCO

Can You Sue Fair Collections & Outsourcing?

Yes, and FCO’s own record shows these claims have teeth. If the agency violated the FDCPA or FCRA, you can seek damages and require FCO to pay your legal fees. The FDCPA authorizes up to $1,000 in statutory damages plus actual harm, and inaccurate reporting that costs you housing or credit can support additional FCRA recovery.

You do not need a giant balance or a courtroom-ready story. A tradeline that will not clear, a dispute the agency ignored, or a settlement it refused to honor can each carry a claim. Because these statutes shift fees to the offender, we take these cases with nothing owed by you upfront.

What To Do Next: Steps to Handle Fair Collections & Outsourcing

Step 1: Pull all three credit reports first. Because FCO’s harm usually shows up on your file, review each bureau for the account, the balance, the reporting dates, and the original property or creditor.

Step 2: Demand written validation and proof of ownership. Send FCO a debt validation letter by certified mail requiring the original creditor, the amount, and documentation that it holds the right to collect. Keep the receipt.

Step 3: Dispute the tradeline in writing. File disputes with the bureaus and with FCO directly. If the account is paid, settled, inaccurate, or tied to identity theft, the reporting must be corrected or removed after investigation.

Step 4: Send a cease-and-desist letter if the calls persist. Under FDCPA §805(c), once FCO receives your written cease-and-desist letter, its contact must stop except to confirm the halt or announce specific legal action.

Step 5: Report and get legal help. File with the CFPB and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, then contact Consumer Rights Law Firm PLLC at (877) 700-5790 for a free case review. If FCO broke the law, fee-shifting means you pay nothing.

Consumer Rights Law Firm PLLC

Consumer Rights Law Firm PLLC is a law firm that specializes in helping clients who are facing harassment from debt collectors in any form, including telephone communication. Our best-in-class service delivers proven results for clients seeking relief from debt collection harassment. Rather than suffer alone, contact our office to begin the process to stop the Fair Collections & Outsourcings, Inc harassment. Our office has been assisting consumers since 2010. We have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

To learn more about your options and how we can help you achieve the results you need, call us today for assistance. If you are interested in learning more about how to safeguard yourself and prevent even more harassment from Fair Collections & Outsourcings, Inc, call us at 877-700-5790.

Success Stories

• Consumer Rights Law Firm is amazing! Scott was A+ all the way! He helped get a debt collector to stop harassing me and calling nonstop. I honestly thought it wasn’t real at first when they said there’d be no out-of-pocket costs but Scott proved me wrong! He was so easy to talk to and really cared about helping me.
• The law firm is highly regarded for its dedication to safeguarding individuals’ rights and its personalized, genuine-care approach to legal support. Attorney Derek possesses exceptional skill and extensive experience in handling consumer rights cases, while Matthew and Scott approach their work with patience and attentiveness, carefully explaining each step of the legal process to clients. I strongly endorse this firm as a trusted and compassionate resource for those seeking assistance with consumer rights matters.
• Hands down worth all 5 stars! Everything that Scott said would happen, happened! He said the calls would stop, the calls stopped. He said no money out of pocket for their services and no money out of my pocket was spent. No more harassing calls, my credit report is being updated, and I’m getting money back! It’s a win-win! Highly recommend if you get a call from this firm, answer it! So worth it!