National Credit Systems: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

National Credit Systems, Inc.; NCS

Headquarters

Atlanta, GA

Collects

apartment lease balances, past-due rent and move-out charges

Phone numbers it lists

(800) 367-1050

Website

nationalcreditsystems.com

11,973 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about National Credit Systems,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 National Credit Systems?

National Credit Systems, Inc. (NCS) is a debt collection agency in the Atlanta area. Its Better Business Bureau profile lists a start date of August 1991 and alternate names including NCS and National Credit Services, with a mailing address in Marietta, Georgia, and other locations in Atlanta, Utah and California. A 2023 Minnesota regulatory order addressed the company at 1775 The Exchange SE in Atlanta and identified it as a licensed collection agency in that state (license no. 20400930).

The company's own website identifies NCS as a debt collector and gives consumers a toll-free number, (800) 367-1050, a Marietta post office box, and an online portal for former residents.

Why National Credit Systems May Be Contacting You

NCS focuses on one kind of debt: money a landlord says you still owed when you moved out. Its site describes collecting past-due lease balances from former residents, including balances from broken leases, and it offers a separate portal for property managers. A letter, call or text from NCS is most likely about:

• rent for months after you left, or a lease-break or early-termination fee;
• cleaning, repair or carpet charges assessed at move-out;
• utility bills the property billed back to you; or
• late fees added to any of those.

How to Check a Debt National Credit Systems Says You Owe

Apartment balances are often built from a final account statement that you may never have seen. Before you pay, rebuild the math yourself.

• Read the validation notice. NCS must send a notice that names the apartment company as the creditor and itemizes the balance from an itemization date forward (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34). See what a validation notice must say.
• Dispute in writing within the validation period. Ask for the signed lease, any lease addenda that set fees, the move-out inspection and photos, the ledger, and the final statement. NCS must stop collecting until it sends verification.
• Confirm the security deposit was applied. Texas landlords generally must refund the deposit or give a written list of deductions within 30 days after you surrender the unit (Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.103–92.104). A balance that ignores your deposit deserves a second look.
• Ask whether the unit was re-rented. Rent charged to you for months a new tenant was paying is worth questioning.
• Check the dates. Texas generally allows four years to sue on a consumer debt (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and a debt buyer cannot sue on a time-barred one (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Other states have their own limits.

What National Credit Systems Can and Can't Do

A third-party agency that collects rent owed to landlords is a "debt collector" under the FDCPA (15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6)), and rent on a home is a consumer debt. In practice:

• It may not add fees or interest unless your lease or the law allows them (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)).
• It may not report the balance to a credit bureau before it has communicated with you about it (12 C.F.R. § 1006.30(a)), and it must mark a reported debt as disputed once you dispute it (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(8)).
• It may not call more than seven times in seven days about the same balance (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)). You can also tell a collector to stop calling.
• It may not discuss the debt with your new landlord, employer or neighbors, except to ask for your location (15 U.S.C. §§ 1692b, 1692c(b)).
• It may not threaten wage garnishment it cannot carry out. Texas does not allow wage garnishment for ordinary consumer debts like unpaid rent (Tex. Const. art. XVI, § 28).

If a rental-debt collection crossed these lines, see our Texas FDCPA attorneys page.

Government Actions on the Public Record

• Minnesota Department of Commerce consent order (alleged attempts to collect amounts not authorized by the agreement or by law, and incomplete responses to information requests; $10,000 civil penalty, $4,000 stayed; neither admitted nor denied) (2023-08-25)

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 National Credit Systems 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

• National Credit Systems: home page
• BBB business profile: National Credit Systems, Inc. (founding date, locations, alternate names)
• Minnesota Department of Commerce consent order, In re National Credit Systems, Inc. (Aug. 25, 2023), copy posted by AccountsRecovery.net
• Texas Property Code ch. 92 (residential tenancies)
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: National Credit Systems,Inc., debt collection

This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that National Credit Systems has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date. Lea este perfil en español.