When can a consumer dispute a debt or request validation?
A consumer can dispute a debt at any time, but only a written request sent within thirty days of the first written notice of the debt triggers validation rights under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. The Act spells out specific language which must be included in the first written notice to the consumer, most notably that the consumer has 30 days to dispute the debt and request validation. However, failure by the consumer to dispute the debt during this thirty day period does not constitute a legal admission of the debt. What if the debt collector does not respond? There is no deadline for the debt collector to provide a response to the request for validation. However, a debt collector must cease all attempts to collect the debt until they have sent a sufficient response. If a consumer makes a timely request for debt validation and a debt collector fails to provide proper validation or does not respond at all, the debt collector may not legally continue to pursue the debt. If co
