A repossession of your car can have a drastic effect not only on your credit score, but on your ability to get future auto loans. If you are offered a car loan, you might find that a repo on your credit report will either mean you are paying far more than the car is worth, or will have astronomical interest rates. If there is incorrect information, or the repossession is not yours, it’s best to use a dispute letter to contest the entry. We have reprinted the dispute letter below for your convenience, changed specifically for a repossession.
Table of Contents
Repossession Dispute Letter Sample
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your City, State, Zip Code]
[Date]
Complaint Department
[Insert the bureau’s address]
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am writing to dispute the following information in my file. I have circled the repossession I dispute on the attached copy of the report I received.
This repossession is [inaccurate or incomplete] because [describe what is inaccurate or incomplete and why]. I am requesting that the item be removed [or request another specific change] to correct the information.
Enclosed are copies of [use this sentence if applicable and describe any enclosed documentation, such as payment records and court documents] supporting my position. Please reinvestigate this [these] matter[s] and [delete or correct] the disputed item[s] as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Enclosures: [List what you are enclosing.]
Downloadable Repossession Dispute Letter Templates
Repossession Dispute Letter Template
When You Can Send a Letter to Dispute a Repossession
Disputing Repossessions on Your Credit Report
The first reason to send this letter is to remove a repossession from your credit report. Before you dispute the entry, it’s important to know that if the repo entry is legitimate — that is, your car was, in fact, repossessed — and contains no errors, you will only waste your time sending this letter. Only send this if the entry is on your report in error, or there are errors in the entry. The repo entry will affect your credit score for seven years, legit or otherwise. You will want to send your letter to each of the three credit bureaus. Their addresses are as follows:
Equifax
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374-0256
Experian
P.O. Box 4500
Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion LLC
Consumer Dispute Center
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016
Alternatively, you can submit your dispute online:
- Equifax Disputes
- Experian Disputes
- TransUnion Disputes
Disputing Collection Activity
The second reason you might need to dispute a repossession is if your car was repossessed and sold. If it was sold at a lower cost than what your loan is worth, there is what is referred to as a deficiency. A collections agency will likely pursue you for the difference. In this case, you can both send a cease and desist letter to the collections agency, and a dispute letter to the credit bureaus. A debt validation letter can also be helpful. However, these will only be helpful if the deficiency shows a wrong number, which opens up an avenue for a dispute. You can also still be sued for the deficiency by the collections agency, which could result in a judgment on your credit report, as well.
Use a Credit Repair Company to Dispute Repossessions on Your Credit Report
You may not want to interact with a collections agency yourself. Instead, you can hire a professional credit repair company to do the hard work for you. They are experienced with dealing with the credit bureaus and collections agencies, and will write the letters on your behalf. They can also help you improve your credit score, fixing other mistakes, as well. Need more writing tips or other letter templates? Visit our credit and collections letter template resource center.
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