I also posted this in r/CRedit but am looking for some more advice.

Hi everyone, I am here looking for a bit of advice. I graduated college in May and never paid my last two rent payments for my Spring semester. I had a lot of personal issues this school year and did not pay because I had absolutely no money and no way to get it. It was a rather shady leasing company but that is beside the point. After working post grad, I am in the position now where I will be able to pay the outstanding balance. However, after logging into my leasing account, I received a notice about 6 months ago that the balance was being sent to collections.

I was able to see on the portal that they sent the debt to a collection agency named Carter-Young in Georgia. I have received absolutely no communication from this company by mail, email, or phone calls. My home address on the lease I signed was wrong (not my doing) so I think that may be a reason I have not received anything in the mail. So I guess what I am asking is if I should reach out to the collections agency or not, at this point. I think it is rather strange that it has been over 6 months and I have not heard anything.
Yes, it would be best for you to reach out to the collections agency and pay off the outstanding balance as soon as you can. The longer you delay, the worse it can get for your credit score. Here are the steps you can take:

1. **Verify the Debt**: Before you pay anything, make sure the debt is yours. Reach out to the collection agency, Carter-Young in Georgia, and ask them to verify the debt. They should be able to provide you with a detailed breakdown of what the debt is for.

2. **Negotiate a Payment Plan**: If you can't afford to pay the full amount at once, you can ask the collection agency if they would be willing to set up a payment plan. Make sure you get any agreement in writing.

3. **Pay the Debt**: Once you have verified the debt and have a payment plan in place, start making payments. Be sure to keep track of all payments and correspondence for your records.

4. **Check Your Credit Report**: After you've paid off the debt, check your credit report to make sure the debt has been removed. This might take a few months to reflect.

Bear in mind that the collections agency may not have your current contact information, which is possibly why you've not heard from them. However, this doesn't mean that the debt has disappeared. It can still negatively impact your credit score. It's best to act proactively and contact them to resolve this issue.
### Human
I also posted this in r/CRedit but am looking for some more advice.

Hi everyone, I am here looking for a bit of advice. I graduated college in May and never paid my last two rent payments for my Spring semester. I had a lot of personal issues this school year and did not pay because I had absolutely no money and no way to get it. It was a rather shady leasing company but that is beside the point. After working post grad, I am in the position now where I will be able to pay the outstanding balance. However, after logging into my leasing account, I received a notice about 6 months ago that the balance was being sent to collections.

I was able to see on the portal that they sent the debt to a collection agency named Carter-Young in Georgia. I have received absolutely no communication from this company by mail, email, or phone calls. My home address on the lease I signed was wrong (not my doing) so I think that may be a reason I have not received anything in the mail. So I guess what I am asking is if I should reach out to the collections agency or not, at this point. I think it is rather strange that it has been over 6 months and I have not heard anything.

### Assistant
Yes, it would be best for you to reach out to the collections agency and pay off the outstanding balance as soon as you can. The longer you delay, the worse it can get for your credit score. Here are the steps you can take:

1. **Verify the Debt**: Before you pay anything, make sure the debt is yours. Reach out to the collection agency, Carter-Young in Georgia, and ask them to verify the debt. They should be able to provide you with a detailed breakdown of what the debt is for.

2. **Negotiate a Payment Plan**: If you can't afford to pay the full amount at once, you can ask the collection agency if they would be willing to set up a payment plan. Make sure you get any agreement in writing.

3. **Pay the Debt**: Once you have verified the debt and have a payment plan in place, start making payments. Be sure to keep track of all payments and correspondence for your records.

4. **Check Your Credit Report**: After you've paid off the debt, check your credit report to make sure the debt has been removed. This might take a few months to reflect.

Bear in mind that the collections agency may not have your current contact information, which is possibly why you've not heard from them. However, this doesn't mean that the debt has disappeared. It can still negatively impact your credit score. It's best to act proactively and contact them to resolve this issue.<eos_token>