Ideal Collection Services, Inc. is a Tampa, Florida collection agency that has specialized for over 30 years in collecting leases and the fees tied to them for the apartment industry. If it contacts you, the account is almost always a former apartment's move-out balance.
- Type
- Collection agency
- Also known as
- Ideal Collection Services, Inc.; Ideal Recovery Services, Inc.
- Headquarters
- Tampa, FL
- Collects
- apartment lease balances, lease-related fees
- Phone numbers it lists
- (800) 959-0141, (813) 920-0141
- Website
- idealcollections.com
149 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Ideal Collection Services, 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 Ideal Collection Services?
Ideal Collection Services, Inc. is a collection agency in Tampa, Florida. The Better Business Bureau lists its office at 5223 Ehrlich Road and shows the corporation as started in May 1992 and incorporated in June 1992, with Ideal Recovery Services, Inc. as an alternate name. The company's site says it has specialized "for over 30 years" in "the collection of leases and the fees associated with them," and that its collectors are trained through ACA International. Its consumer mailing address is P.O. Box 272407, Tampa, FL 33688. We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Ideal Collection Services.
Why Ideal Collection Services May Be Contacting You
Ideal markets itself to apartment owners and managers and calls itself "The Clear Choice For Lease Collections." A letter or call from it is about an apartment lease: rent unpaid at move-out, a lease-break or early-termination charge, cleaning, carpet or damage charges, or unpaid utility reimbursements. Its site has a section for former residents.
Ideal lists (800) 959-0141 toll-free and (813) 920-0141 locally.
How to Check a Debt Ideal Collection Services Says You Owe
A lease balance is only as good as the landlord's records. Many disputes come down to whether a charge was allowed by the lease, and whether the deposit was properly applied.
- Get the validation notice. It must name the property or owner and itemize the balance since a stated date (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
- Dispute in writing within the validation period. Ask for the signed lease, any renewal, the move-out inspection, photos, invoices for repairs and the full resident ledger. Ideal must stop collecting until it verifies.
- Check reletting credits. If you left early, ask whether the unit was re-rented and whether the new rent was credited to you. A Texas landlord has a duty to mitigate damages when a tenant leaves early (Tex. Prop. Code § 91.006).
- Check the deposit. Texas landlords generally must refund the deposit or itemize deductions within 30 days after you surrender the unit and give a forwarding address (Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.103, 92.104).
- Note the move-out date. In Texas, suits on most debts must be filed within four years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers may not sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Florida and other states have their own limits.
What Ideal Collection Services Can and Can't Do
An agency that collects residential lease debts for apartment owners is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6).
- It may not collect fees the lease does not authorize (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)) or misstate the amount owed (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(2)(A)).
- If it reports the account and you dispute, the report must show the debt as disputed (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(8)).
- It may not contact your new landlord or employer about the debt (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(b)).
- Calls are capped at seven in seven days per debt (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)), and Texas does not allow wage garnishment for unpaid rent.
If its 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 Ideal Collection Services 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
- Ideal Collection Services: Our Services
- Ideal Collection Services: Contact Us
- BBB business profile: Ideal Collection Services, Inc.
- CFPB enforcement actions search: Ideal Collection
- CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Ideal Collection Services, Inc., debt collection
This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Ideal Collection Services has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.