ByWhat You Must Know About PA Debt Collection Laws
Even in Pennsylvania debt collectors will stop at nothing to collect the fees they are paid to collect. All debt collection agencies are hard to negotiate with, especially when you don't know the statute of limitations, how long they can pursue the debt, or if they can take your stimulus check.
DoNotPay can help you deal with debt collection agencies and give you peace at last. DoNotPay is familiar with dealing with companies like ERC who are trying to collect loans and medical debts and keep you out of court. DoNotPay can even help you with false dispute claims and guide you on how to deal with .
Pennsylvania Debt Collection Laws
Debt collectors in all states must follow FDCPA standards. However, debt collectors in Pennsylvania must . These are:
- A collection agency may accept an assignment of a creditor's claim to collect or enforce payment if all the following requirements are met:
- Each party signs a written assignment.
- The original creditor-debtor agreement allows assignment.
- We follow the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act (P.L. 1224, No. 387) and its guidelines.
- The threat of legal action against a debtor is illegal. It is also illegal for a collection agency to compel or intimidate any debtor.
- A collection agency cannot tell a debtor that if a claim is not paid, it will be sent to an attorney for further action without naming the attorney.
- 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. § 7311. Unlawful collection agency practices
You can also check their information here:
| Company | JUSTIA |
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| Phone Number | (888) 587-8421 |
| Email or Contact Form | Contact Portal |
| Fax | none |
Statute of Limitations of Debt Collection in Pennsylvania
Understanding is very important as well as the statute of limitations for Pennsylvania- or the time the debt collection agency has to collect the debt- is as follows:
- Open Accounts: 4 years
- Written Contract: 4 years
- Domestic Judgment: 5 years
- Foreign Judgment: 4 years
- Lien against the real estate: 5 years
- Personal property: 20 years
What Is the FDCPA?
The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act is a consumer protection measure that protects consumers from unfair debt collection practices. The statute's stated objectives are to prohibit abusive debt collection techniques, to encourage fair debt collection, and to provide consumers with a mechanism for contesting and validating debt information to assure its correctness. The Act establishes standards for debt collectors' behavior, outlines the rights of customers who deal with debt collectors, and sets penalties and remedies for Act breaches.
You can read the PDF of the FDCPA here.
Do I Need to Respond to Debt Collections Letters?
Yes. Ignoring debt collection letters can harm your credit and set you up for a lawsuit, even if you do not owe the debt! Always respond and verify the debt before the situation gets out of hand, and you're facing a court date and wage garnishments.
How to respond to Pennsylvania debt collectors on your own
First, answer the very first debt collection letter you receive. Craft a debt verification letter to send via certified letter to the debt collection agency. Then you can request a cease and desist of the annoying phone calls, again in writing sent by certified mail. If they ignore the letters, you can report them to the proper authorities.
Then you can sign in to their website, email them, or send letters proposing a resolution to the debt if you are not able to pay the full value at the time. Then you continue negotiations until the matter is set. Keep all the documentation. After the resolution of the debt, you can craft a dispute letter to clean up your credit report.
That is a lot of letters, mailing, time, and money to spend to resolve debt by yourself. You owe a debt, you can't afford to take off work to deal with it.
Get rid of Pennsylvania debt collectors with the help of DoNotPay
Tired of trying to talk or write some sense into the debt collectors' agents? Stop dealing with them on your own and get some assistance!
Here’s How It Works:
- Search “debt collection” on DoNotPay.
- Answer a series of questions about the debt collectors, including when you were contacted and how you were contacted, so we can determine if they have violated any debt collection laws.
- Decide which course of action you want to take based on our guidance, such as filing a debt verification request, demanding for the collectors to stop contacting you, or reporting them to the CFPB.
And that's it! Once you choose the course of action you want to take, DoNotPay will handle the rest. We'll deliver your request directly to the debt collectors via first-class mail, or file your complaint automatically with the CFPB so that they're no longer able to use unfair debt collection practices.
You can also check out our other credit products, including Credit Limit Increase and Clean Credit Report!
Why Use DoNotPay to Deal With Debt Collectors?
Why waste more time and money dealing with difficult debt collectors that demand you do something "NOW!"? Save yourself the headache and allow DoNotPay to legally contact them on your behalf, request a cease to the annoying and embarrassing calls, and get the negation process started. Pennsylvania's debt collector victims will find DoNotPay is easier, faster, and more successful than trying to deal with them on their own!
DoNotPay Works Across All Companies in Every State With the Click of a Button!
No matter where you live or the collection company that is harassing you, DoNotPay can help get them to stop calling and negotiate your debt. Trust DoNotPay to quickly, efficiently, and lawfully craft the perfect documents to send to the debt collection agency. They will even mail them to you!
What Else Can DoNotPay Do?
Aside from assisting with the ever-present and disruptive debt collectors of Pennsylvania, DoNotPay has much more to offer! Here are three more services you might love:
- Craft a financial aid appeal letter
- Learn how to increase your credit limit
- Learn how to get your credit cleaned up
DoNotPay can help with those, and much more.