How to Write a Documentation Letter to a Collection Agency

If you have received a notice or letter in the mail from a collection agency that is trying to collect on a past due debt, you may not know what the agency is referring to in the letter. If you want to dispute the claims or just get additional information, you can send the collection agency a documentation request letter. This will mean that the collection agency must stop collection efforts until it can gather the proper documentation for you.

Instructions

1. Check the date on the initial letter or notice from the collection agency to make sure 30 days have not passed. This is important because you only have 30 days to respond to the collection agency letter with your documentation letter.

2. Use a piece of paper for your letter or prepare to type it on a computer using a word processing program. You can use Microsoft Word, Open Office, Notepad or TextEdit on your PC or Mac computer to write your documentation letter.

3. Get the collection agency address from the notice. Write a letter to the collection agency that includes your name, the alleged creditor, account number and disputed amount. Request an explanation of the debt including documentation in the form of copies of contracts or other documents to prove your liability. Also request that further collection efforts cease until you are given the documents and ample time to review them. A sample debt dispute letter is on the Debt-N-Credit Letters website (see Resources).

4. Take your letter to your post office to mail via certified mail service. This will require the collection agency to sign for the letter and you will get a receipt by mail showing that it was signed for by the agency. Remember to make sure the letter is postmarked within the 30-day period.

References

• Expert Law: What If You Dispute The Debt?
• Maximizing Money: Responding to Initial Debt Collection Letters

Resources

• Debt-N-Credit Letters: Debt Dispute Letter