Your Collection of Deliquent Rent May Violate the Vermont Consumer Fraud Act or the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Under authority granted by the Vermont Consumer Fraud Act, the Vermont Attorney General has adopted rules which limit the methods for collecting debts such as rent. These rules apply not only to debt collectors, but also to the creditor/landlords acting on their own. The rules also apply to agents of the landlord, such as management companies.

If a landlord or their agent violates the Consumer Fraud Act through improper debt collection methods, the tenant can sue the landlord for damages, reasonable attorney's fees, and exemplary damages not exceeding three times the value of the consideration provided by the tenant. This type of litigation is favored by tenant advocates since it provides that their fees (whether they are legal aid attorneys or not) get paid by the landlord if they win the case.