I lived in Tanasbourne Terrace from July 2002 to July 2003. I lived in two units during this time, a one bedroom, and a two bedroom. The apartments are very unique, and have a very nice floor plan. While I lived there, I had very few problems, other than the assistant manager who couldn't seem to do ANYTHING right. The troubles, however started 6 years after I moved out!
Let me explain.. In June of 2003 I received a notice that my lease was expiring, I chose not to renew it and gave them my 30 day notice. I moved out, and turned my keys in on the day that I said I would in my 30 day notice, and gave them my forwarding address. A few days after I moved out, I received a call from the new manger, she wanted to discuss some problems that I had with the assistant manager while I was living there, problems that were a big part of my decision to move out. I ended up moving into Centerpointe Apartments in Beaverton (which is also owned by Equity Residential). I was pleased that the new manger cared enough to call me and discuss some of the problems, and overall felt like living there was a good experience.
Six years later (yes, SIX years) in March of 2009, I had a collections account placed on my credit report for $56 from a place called 'Fair Collections & Oursourcing'. I had no knowledge of this account, and call them to find out what it was. They advised me the $56 was from Tansbourne Terrace from 2003, they were unable to tell me what the amount was for. I called Tanasbourne Terrace and requested that they pull my records from 2003, they did and were still unable to tell me what this amount was for and referred me to their collections department. I called their collections department and spoke to the rudest women I have ever spoken to and she refused to give me any information and told me that I had to deal directly with their third party collection agency, which of course is completely unable to help me and hangs up on me every time I asked them a question that they don't want to answer, I did however get out of one of them that the address that Equity provided them when they placed my account with them was the address of the apartment that I lived in at Tanasbourne Terrace, and that is where they sent the collections notice, so I obviously did not get it, and due to the fact that whomever lives in that apartment now did not mark the letter 'return to sender' and place it back in the mail, they had no idea that I did not receive it (even though the address they sent it to was the same address they had on file for the proprty they are attempting to collect on). Long story short due to the fact that I did not dispute it within 30 days of them sending the notice, they assumed that the debt was valid, placed it on my credit report and I no longer have any recourse to dispute it.
Equity Residential is an extremely unethcial company. They sat on a $56 debt for 6 years, with zero contact. I have the same cell phone number, and the same work number that I had when I lived there. I provided them with my forwarding address, and as stated before I even lived in another complex owned by Equity for over a year after I moved out of this one, and they never made one attempt to alert me that I owed them money. Instead, they just send it to a collections agency and gives them the address of the apartment I lived in there.
Equity has seriously screwed up my life right now, this stupid little $56 has dropped my credit score from 749 to 671, and made me ineligible to refinance my house. Don't get duped into moving into ANY of Equity's properties, they will SCREW you. Even if you do everything right, and everything they ask you to do, they can come back to you YEARS later. If you get duped into moving into one of their properties, they will never really give up their hold on you.

I really hope that anyone who is considering moving into this complex, or any complex owned by Equity Residential in the area, thinks long and hard about this situation, and realizes that they can do this to anyone. Doing everything right does not matter. There is no way to protect yourself from negligence such as this.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/21/2009
You are ridiculous. Just pay the stupid $56 balance and get it over with. You obviously owe it or they would not have waited that long to collect it.
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/21/2009
How exactly would waiting that long PROVE that this money was owed? That doesn't make any sense.
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/21/2009
This is a scam, a racket. I have heard of this. Be very careful. I would go to the Washington County DA over this and let them know about it. Ghost debts are very real. And they can adversely affect your credit, and with the economy like it is, this is getting much worse. You bought a house it wasn't there. This long after the fact. Big red flag.
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/21/2009
Uhhhhh to the person that wrote "You are ridiculous. Just pay the stupid $56 balance and get it over with. You obviously owe it or they would not have waited that long to collect it." Not true. You are a obviously an employee of the apartment complex. Did you not read how this small amount of money has effected a credit score? Let's say you own a $500,000 house (not you of course but someone successful). Refinancing for a lower rate can, over the course of a 30 year loan, mean saving over $100,000. That plus the fact that paying the $56 does NOT remove it from your credit score for 7 years. Your company receives a small fraction of what a collection agency receives. You screwed up this poor persons credit for less than $50 (possibly less than $20). You (not because you did it but because you think it's OK) should feel really bad.
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/23/2009
Yes, it is very obvious that the first person to comment is some how affiliated with this company. Only an employee with defend such actions by a company. Your ignorace amuses me. Do you honestly think that waiting this long to attempt to collect proves that they owe it? That doesn't make any sense. It really doesn't suprise me that an employee of Equity would post such non-sense. Anyone who has ever lived in an Equity property can attest to the fact that they only hire people who aren't high functioning enough to work at Goodwill.
From: Nicci02kmb	Date: 06/21/2009
I think the people responding are ridiculouse. Why should the poster have to pay the money when no one can even tell them why it is owed. Ya pay it to get it off yourcredit score but how would everyone feel if it was $400 would you still say pay it? This appartment sucks I lived there and it was awfull.
From: Anonymous	Date: 10/22/2009
It doesn't get taken off your score if you pay the money people! Not for 7 years- understand this! He got screwed and this information is great to know since I was planning on moving into an equity apartment from out of state. It's unfortunate that this happened though

Your thoughts? Post a response to this review. Display my response: with my username anonymously Responses appear below reviews and one response per user is permitted.

   Free estimates on moving trucks      Find apartment share/roommates