Federal Adjustment Bureau, Inc., known as FABCO, is a Columbus, Ohio company founded in 1943 that screens rental applicants and collects rental debts for landlords and property managers. If FABCO contacts you, it is usually about rent or charges a former landlord says you owe after moving out.
- Type
- Collection agency
- Also known as
- Federal Adjustment Bureau, Inc.; FABCO Tenant Screenings & Rental Collections; FABCO Group
- Headquarters
- Columbus, OH
- Collects
- unpaid rent, move-out charges and other rental debts
- Phone numbers it lists
- (614) 538-5600
- Website
- fabcogroup.com
122 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Federal Adjustment Bureau, Inc. from November 13, 2023 to November 12, 2026. A complaint is a consumer's account, not a finding that the company broke the law. Read the complaints in the CFPB database.
Who Is FABCO?
Federal Adjustment Bureau, Inc. does business as FABCO Tenant Screenings & Rental Collections. Its offices are at 4640 Executive Drive in Columbus, Ohio. The company says it began in 1943 as a small rental collection agency, and the Better Business Bureau lists August 12, 1943 as its start and incorporation date. FABCO has two lines of business: it screens rental applicants for landlords, and it collects rental debts. Its website says it specializes exclusively in rental debt collections and serves landlords and property managers nationwide. We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against FABCO.
Why FABCO May Be Contacting You
A letter or call from FABCO almost always concerns a lease. FABCO's collections page explains that a landlord typically places an account about 30 days after the tenant moves out, sending the signed lease, the rental application and the security deposit statement. FABCO then sends a first notice letter and follows up with calls and skip tracing. It says it accepts accounts up to six years old.
FABCO also says that, at the end of the second month, it reports the account to the national credit bureaus and adds it to its own FAB Rental Report, which landlords who use its screening service can see. That is why an old move-out balance can resurface when you apply for a new apartment. FABCO's page also says it may recommend a lawsuit, but the landlord decides whether to sue.
How to Check a Debt FABCO Says You Owe
Rental balances are often built from many separate charges, so go through them one by one.
- Get the validation notice. FABCO must give you the name of the landlord, the balance and an itemization of how it was calculated (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
- Dispute in writing within the validation period if any charge is wrong. Ask for the lease, the move-out inspection, photos, repair invoices and the deposit accounting. FABCO must pause collection until it sends verification. See how to dispute a debt with a collector.
- Check the deposit credit. Make sure the landlord applied your security deposit and did not charge you for normal wear and tear or for months after a new tenant moved in.
- Confirm who holds the account. Ask whether FABCO is collecting for the landlord or whether the account has been transferred.
- Watch the dates. In Texas, most suits on a debt must be filed within four years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and a debt buyer cannot sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Since FABCO accepts accounts up to six years old, compare the move-out date carefully. Ohio and other states have their own limitation periods.
What FABCO Can and Can't Do
When it collects rent owed to landlords, FABCO is a third-party "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). Rent for a home is a consumer debt, so the FDCPA applies.
- It may not report information it knows or should know is false, and it must report a debt you have disputed as disputed (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(8)).
- It may not add fees or interest that the lease or state law does not allow (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)). See can a collector add fees to my debt?
- It may not threaten a lawsuit the landlord does not actually intend to file (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(5)).
- It may not call more than seven times in seven days about the same debt (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
Even if a landlord gets a judgment, Texas does not allow wage garnishment for ordinary consumer debts such as unpaid rent (Tex. Const. art. XVI, § 28). If FABCO's collection seemed improper, see our Texas FDCPA attorneys page.
We Sue Debt Collectors That Break the FDCPA
Texas Debt Law files Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits against debt collectors in federal court for consumers in Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia and Colorado. If FABCO (Federal Adjustment Bureau) or anyone collecting for it harassed you, misstated what you owe, threatened action it could not take, or told others about your debt, you may have a claim. A court can order a collector that violated the FDCPA to pay your actual damages, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages, and your attorney's fees and costs (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)). An FDCPA claim generally must be filed within one year of the violation (§ 1692k(d)), so keep your letters, call logs, voicemails and screenshots, and talk to us early. Texas residents may also have claims under the Texas Debt Collection Act. Learn more from our FDCPA attorneys.
Free FDCPA Case Review(214) 851-2250
Or start your free case evaluation online. No lawyer can promise a result; every claim depends on its facts and proof.
Sources
- FABCO: home page
- FABCO: Collections
- BBB business profile: Federal Adjustment Bureau, Inc.
- CFPB enforcement actions search: Federal Adjustment
- CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Federal Adjustment Bureau, Inc., debt collection
This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that FABCO (Federal Adjustment Bureau) has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.