Southern Management Systems (SMS) is an Orlando, Florida collection agency that serves the multifamily and student housing industry. A letter from SMS usually concerns a balance a former landlord or property manager says you owe after moving out.
- Type
- Collection agency
- Also known as
- Southern Management Systems Inc.; SMS
- Headquarters
- Orlando, FL
- Collects
- apartment move-out balances, student housing balances
- Phone numbers it lists
- (800) 229-4531, (407) 895-7100
- Website
- sms-collects.com
357 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Southern Management 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 Southern Management Systems?
Southern Management Systems, often shortened to SMS, is a collection agency whose stated mission is "to be the best collection agency serving the multi-housing industry." Its website says it serves some of the largest property management companies in the nation, and it lists memberships in ACA International and the National Apartment Association. Correspondence goes to P.O. Box 149966, Orlando, Florida 32814.
The company's Debtors page lists two phone numbers, (800) 229-4531 and (407) 895-7100, and says that disputes and inquiries must be sent in writing to the Orlando post office box. Its site identifies the company as a debt collector.
Why Southern Management Systems May Be Contacting You
SMS works for apartment owners and managers, including student housing operators. A notice from SMS usually involves a former rental, for example unpaid rent, a lease-break or early-termination charge, cleaning or damage charges after move-out, or utility charges the property billed back to you. A guarantor who co-signed a lease, such as a parent of a student tenant, can also receive notices.
Rental collections often reach people months after they move, sometimes at a new address, and the amounts are based on the landlord's move-out statement. That statement, and your lease, are the documents that decide whether the balance is right.
How to Check a Debt Southern Management Systems Says You Owe
Move-out disputes turn on paperwork, so gather yours before you call.
- Read the validation notice. It must name the property owner or manager as the creditor and itemize the balance (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
- Dispute in writing, by mail. SMS asks for written disputes at its Orlando P.O. box. Send yours within the validation period, keep a copy, and use a trackable method. Ask for the lease, the move-out inspection, the itemized final account statement and photos supporting any damage charge.
- Check the deposit. In Texas, a landlord generally must refund the security deposit or give a written list of deductions within 30 days after you surrender the unit and give a forwarding address (Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.103, 92.104, 92.107). Make sure your deposit was credited.
- Ask who owns the debt. Confirm whether the property still owns the account or sold it.
- Consider the age. Texas generally gives four years to sue on a debt (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers cannot sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Other states' limits differ.
What Southern Management Systems Can and Can't Do
An agency collecting rent-related balances for landlords is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6), and residential rent is a consumer debt. Limits that matter for former tenants:
- It may not collect charges your lease or the law does not allow, such as unsupported damage fees or added collection fees (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)).
- It may not contact your new landlord, employer or family about the debt except to find your location (15 U.S.C. §§ 1692b, 1692c(b)).
- It may not report a debt to a credit bureau before communicating with you about it (12 C.F.R. § 1006.30(a)), and it must report a disputed debt as disputed if it reports it at all (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(8)).
- More than seven calls in seven days about one debt is presumed harassing (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
Learn whether a collector can add fees, or visit our 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 Southern Management 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
- Southern Management Systems: home page
- Southern Management Systems: Debtors page
- Southern Management Systems: About Us
- CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Southern Management Systems Inc., debt collection
This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Southern Management Systems has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.