A debt validation letter is used when an alleged debt collector has contacted you regarding an outstanding amount owed. As is required by law, debt collectors must provide explicit details of the debt owed, and their authority to collect it. If you don’t think you owe anything, use this debt validation letter template to request more information before agreeing to any payment.
Re: DEBT VALIDATION LETTER
(Reference your account number here, if applicable)
If you have a direct contact, who may have signed off the original letter you received, use this instead of Sir/Madam.
This letter is in response to a letter/call I received from you on (date).
While this is not a refusal to pay the debts I owe, I hereby request you promptly validate the debt at issue.
Depending on which country or state you’re based in, you may find different legislations available for you to refer to. Below is a template for a U.S. debt validation letter and a U.K. debt validation letter for you to choose from based on your location.
As per the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. 1692g, I kindly request your offices provide detailed evidence of the legal obligations that require me to pay the amount you claim is owed.
Be advised that if it is found your offices have made a report with false information to Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion, this may constitute fraud in both Federal and State Law. As such, if this dispute leaves a negative mark on my credit report, I will be within my right to bring legal action against you or the client company you represent.
This legal action will be filed under the following: Violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Defamation of Character, and Violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
As per the Financial Conduct Authority for Consumer Credit, I kindly request your offices provide detailed evidence of the legal obligations that require me to pay.
As stated by the FCA:
A firm should neither ignore nor disregard a customer’s claim that his debt has been settled and/or is disputed and must stop making demands for payment without providing the customer with clear justification and/or evidence as to why the claim is not valid. (7.5.3)
If a customer disputes the debt on valid grounds or on what may be considered valid grounds, the firm must re-examine the dispute and provide details of the customer’s debt to the customer in a reasonably timely manner. (7.14.3)
If there is a dispute regarding the identity of the borrower or the amount of the debt, it is for the firm (not the customer) to establish that the customer is indeed the correct person/identity in regard to the debt owed or that the amount is correct under the agreement. (7.14.4)
A collection firm must provide the customer with information regarding the outcome of its investigations about a debt that the customer disputed or has settled on valid grounds. (7.14.5)
Please provide me with the correct documentation/information requested below. I have attached a form for you to fill in with the following information:
Company Name & Address of the original creditor The account number for the account on which the debt is owed How much is owed (including the age of the debt and the last billing statement) A detailed breakdown of any interest incurred on this debt Proof of verification that I am required to pay The date on which the original creditor claims the debt was owedIf you are working on behalf of the original creditor, you will also need to provide:
Details of your company, and your license of authority The date of your license agreement The name on the license, License number, Registered address and telephone number of the license providerIf you have contacted me from outside my jurisdiction, please provide detailed information regarding your license and the correct contact for the provider.
As part of this dispute, you are required to respond within 30 days of receiving this letter. Failure to respond will require all references and data regarding this account to be deleted and removed from my credit file. Copies of such deletion and removal requests should also be sent to me immediately.
Once I have received the requested documentation, I legally have a minimum of 30 days to investigate. Within this period, any collection activity must be stopped, and no detrimental marks can be added to my credit report.
Please provide the requested documentation (see details attached) or send confirmation that you will not contact me further with regard to this debt.
Your continued chasing of me without evidence will be considered harassment, and I am within my right to take legal action.
MM / DD / YYYYDebt collectors can be aggressive and it’s best to request that all correspondence is done in writing as early as possible. Include this simple Cease and Desist page in your letter to request that all further communications are done in writing. Alternatively, you can use PandaDoc’s full Cease and Desist template.
Further to my letter, please cease and desist all calls with me immediately. I am requesting that all communication between us is hereby done in writing. No further telephone contact should be made, either at home or at my place of work. Continued attempts to contact me via telephone will lead to legal action.
Please send all future communication in writing to this address:
[Sender.City] , [Sender.State] [Sender.PostalCode]
Please ensure all records are up to date with this information.