Why this company appears here
It's one of the most visible apartment and rental-housing collectors in the country, so renters with a balance often see its name.
Common account types
- Apartment balances
- Single-family rental balances
- HOA and condo accounts
- Commercial and small-business receivables
Check the company before you click or pay.
Match these details to the validation notice, credit report entry, and payment page before sharing account or bank information.
- Legal name
- Fair Collections & Outsourcing Inc.
- Known aliases
- FCO
- Official website
- https://fco.com/
- Consumer portal
- https://pay.fco.com/
- Phone - Collections department
- 877.324.7959
- Mailing address
- 14400 Sweitzer Ln #235, Laurel, MD 20707
- Last reviewed
- June 11, 2026
Match the official phone number against your caller ID before responding. If a call, text, email, or payment site uses different details, use the official website, portal, or mailing address before you respond.
Find out who actually owns the account.
A collector, servicer, and debt owner are not always the same company. That affects what proof you should ask for.
Possible role: Third-party multi-unit housing collector and consumer-reporting furnisher
FCO describes itself as a national collection agency that collects accounts and reports them to the credit bureaus. The CFPB has said FCO collected on behalf of large apartment complexes, student and military housing, and assisted-living facilities — so it generally collects for the housing provider rather than owning the debt.
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Do not assume FCO owns the debt; ask it to identify the current creditor or property client and the original creditor if different.
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Ask for validation and itemization of lease charges, move-out charges, fees, interest, payments, credits, and the property or client that placed the account.
What official records say.
Each note below comes from a dated government, regulator, court, or SEC record. Use it as background, not as proof about your specific account.
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The Connecticut Banking Commissioner entered a consent order alleging FCO acted as a Connecticut consumer collection agency without a license between at least 2015 and December 31, 2024; respondents consented to cease-and-desist terms, paid a $10,000 civil penalty, and FCO paid $2,000 in back licensing fees.
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The CFPB enforcement action was resolved by a settlement judgment requiring the defendants to pay an $850,000 civil money penalty and implement policies and procedures to prevent future violations.
Source:CFPB FCO enforcement action -
The Massachusetts Division of Banks entered a consent order with Fair Collections & Outsourcing of New England; without admitting violations, FCONE agreed to trust-account controls, contact-frequency controls, postdated-payment procedures, trade-name identification controls, anti-misleading-statement controls, quarterly progress reports, and a $2,500 administrative penalty.
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The CFPB filed a federal lawsuit against FCO entities and owner Michael E. Sobota alleging credit-reporting, dispute-investigation, and debt-collection misrepresentation violations.
Source:CFPB FCO enforcement action -
A D.C. Superior Court consent judgment resolved the District's case against FCO; FCO denied violating the law but agreed to restrictions on debt verification, voicemail/privacy practices, and collecting court fees absent a court award, plus restitution and up to $45,000 in District costs.
Source:D.C. FCO consent judgment
Start with the facts you can check.
- Rental-housing debts should be reviewed against the lease, move-out inspection, deposit accounting, and state notice rules.
- If you are applying for housing, ask whether the creditor can recall, update, or document the account status after resolution.
Confirm the account first.
Even a real collector can have the wrong person, wrong amount, old debt, duplicate placement, or incomplete records.
- The collector name, mailing address, phone number, and website on the letter you received.
- Who the original creditor was, who owns or placed the account now, the account number, balance, and date of last payment.
- Whether the debt may be too old for a lawsuit in your state before you pay or promise to pay.
- Whether the account appears on your official credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com.
- The final rent ledger, damage invoices, deposit accounting, and any move-out notices.
- Whether this looks like the kind of account Fair Collections & Outsourcing commonly handles: Apartment balances, Single-family rental balances, HOA and condo accounts, Commercial and small-business receivables.
Questions people ask about Fair Collections & Outsourcing.
Use these answers to sort out roles, names, portals, and account details before responding.
Why is FCO contacting me about an apartment or rental balance?
Fair Collections & Outsourcing says it is a national rental-housing debt collection agency. If FCO contacts you, the account may relate to unpaid rent, lease charges, move-out charges, utilities, fees, or another balance referred by a landlord or property manager.
Does FCO own the debt, or is it collecting for my former landlord?
Do not assume either way from the name alone. FCO identifies itself as a debt collection agency and refers to clients and property managers, so the validation notice should identify the current creditor and original creditor if different.
What should I ask for if the balance is from a final ledger, security deposit, or move-out charges?
Ask for validation showing the creditor, account number, current amount, and itemization of interest, fees, payments, and credits. For rental accounts, also request the lease, final ledger, security-deposit accounting, invoices, photos, and explanation of each move-out charge.
How do I contact FCO or verify the official payment portal?
FCO's contact page links online payments to its official payment portal and provides collection department contact information. Keep records of calls, letters, account numbers, and payment confirmations.
How do I dispute or request validation from FCO?
Debt collectors generally must provide validation information. If you dispute in writing within the validation period, the collector generally must pause collection on the disputed amount until it responds with verification. Send copies, not originals, and keep proof of delivery.
Is there CFPB enforcement history involving FCO?
Yes. The CFPB's FCO enforcement page says a 2021 stipulated final judgment required an $850,000 civil money penalty and policy changes after allegations involving credit reporting accuracy, dispute investigations, identity-theft-related furnishing, and representing debts without a reasonable basis. That history does not prove your account is wrong, but it supports checking documents carefully.
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