Co-Founder of SoloSuit
George Simons, JD/MBA

George Simons is the co-founder and CEO of SoloSuit. He has helped Americans protect over $1 billion from predatory debt lawsuits. George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD-MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: If Innovative Recovery has sued you, you have up to 35 days to respond before you lose by default. Use SoloSuit to draft and file your Answer in just 15 minutes.

When Innovative Recovery contacts you, it's an attempt to collect a debt you might owe to another party. Innovative Recovery is a third-party debt collector for several creditors, but its main focus is helping property managers collect late rent, fees, or penalties.

Innovative Recovery collectors may take you to court if they think you're refusing to pay your debts. If you have received debt collection calls or are facing a lawsuit from Innovative Recovery, here is what you need to know (and do).

Settle debt with Innovative Recovery

You can negotiate debt settlement at any stage of the collections process. SoloSettle makes it easy.

Settle with SoloSettle

Is Innovative Recovery legitimate? How does it operate?

Based in Dallas, Innovative Recovery is a legitimate debt collection agency that has been in business for over 14 years. Innovative Recovery was previously known as ResidentCollect, Inc. Innovative Recovery’s phone number is 844-419-0102, and its address is 5310 Harvest Hill Road, Dallas, TX.

Innovative Recovery’s staff may contact you by mail, phone, text, or social media.

Innovative Recovery maintains a “B” rating with the Better Business Bureau, although they are not accredited. Other consumer reviews are found at the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Innovative Recovery can contact you in error. Sometimes, it's a mistake on their part. However, if the debt is legitimate, you still have options to resolve the debt.

Who does Innovative Recovery collect for?

As mentioned earlier, Innovative Recovery (IR) primarily works for the property management industry. So, if the court ordered you to pay fines for cleaning or repairs at a former residence and you don't pay in time, your former landlord may hire Innovative Recovery to collect the money.

Property managers contract with Innovative Recovery to recoup losses from previous residents. IR specializes in multifamily bad debt recovery and recognizes that bad debt is an integral part of the overall resident credit life cycle. They use data analysis to identify trends to help property managers mitigate risks.

You have rights under the FDCPA.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was enacted in 1977 with the purpose of protecting consumers like you from unfair debt collection tactics. Under the FDCPA, debt collectors are forbidden from:

Contacting you after 9 p.m. or before 8 a.m.
Attempting to collect a debt that does not belong to you
Threatening legal action and arrest
Calling after you request them to stop
Lying and pretending to be lawyers
Contacting your family, friends, or coworkers about your debt

Informing Innovative Recovery ensures that all staff are thoroughly trained in FDCPA, which helps protect the corporate reputation of their clients by following the consumer protections outlined in federal law.

A debt validation letter can save you time and trouble

When Innovative Recovery first contacts you, the debt validation letter (sometimes called the debt dispute letter) should be your go-to first line of defense.

The letter ensures that Innovative Recovery proves that the account belongs to you and that the details are accurate. Once they receive the debt validation letter, the company must provide proof, including amounts, dates, repayment history, and how and when they acquired the account.

You should send the debt validation letter within thirty days of their initial contact, so you need to act fast.

Respond to an Innovative Recovery lawsuit.

You don't need an attorney to respond to a debt collection lawsuit. Aside from the fact that you can successfully defend yourself, hiring an attorney costs lots of money and takes a lot of time, which you may not have.

When you get sued by Innovative Recovery, you should receive a court Summons and Complaint in the mail or in person. These are the legal documents that initiate a lawsuit. The Summons notifies you of the case, while the Complaint lists the specific claims against you.

You must respond to the Summons and Complaint before your state’s deadline, or you will automatically lose the case with a default judgment. A default judgment gives Innovative Recovery the right to garnish your wages and seize your property.

You can prevent a default judgment by responding to the lawsuit with a written Answer. Here’s how.

Follow these three steps to respond to a debt collection lawsuit against Innovative Recovery:

Answer every Complaint.
Assert your affirmative defenses.
File the Answer in court and with Innovative Recovery’s attorney.
Continue to follow up on your case and attend all hearings until the case concludes.

Below, we explain each step in detail. Don’t like reading? Watch this video instead:

1. Answer every Complaint

The Complaint document is essentially a list of reasons why you’re being sued. In your Answer document, you should reply to each one. Choose one of these responses to answer each claim from the Complaint:

Admit. This is like saying, “This is true.”
Deny. This is like saying, “Prove it.”
Deny due to lack of knowledge. This is like saying, “I don’t know.”

Deny all the claims you dispute. Denying the claim places the burden on Innovative Recovery to prove their allegations. You can also deny a claim due to a lack of knowledge. It may be your best option if you don't understand any of the claims. If you agree with a claim, you can admit it. Admitting all complaints means you are guilty, and the court will likely issue a judgment against you.

2. Assert your affirmative defenses

After you’ve responded to the claims against you, you’re ready to assert your affirmative defenses. An affirmative defense is any legal reason that Innovative Recovery shouldn’t win the case.

According to the US Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 8(c) states:

“(c) Affirmative Defenses.

(1) In General. In responding to a pleading, a party must affirmatively state any avoidance or affirmative defense, including:

accord and satisfaction;
arbitration and award;
assumption of risk;
contributory negligence;
duress;
estoppel;
failure of consideration;
fraud;
illegality;
injury by a fellow servant;
laches;
license;
payment;
release;
res judicata;
statute of frauds;
statute of limitations, and
waiver.”

In other words, you must assert your affirmative responses in your Answer document because you won’t be able to bring them up later in the case. This list uses the fancy, legal terms used for affirmative defenses. Solo simplifies it by asking you some questions and translating your answers into the legal language needed in an Answer.

For example, here are some common affirmative defenses used in debt collection lawsuits:

The debt is not yours. It's the result of identity theft, which you have already reported to the FTC.
The amount stated in the Complaint is not accurate.
Innovative Recovery does not own the debt for which they are suing you.
It's too late for a lawsuit because the statute of limitations on the debt has passed (this one is very common).

The list of affirmative defenses is extensive, and you can use whichever ones are true for your case.

Make the right affirmative defense the right way with SoloSuit.

3. File the Answer in court and with Innovative Recovery’s attorney

After responding to each complaint and asserting your affirmative defenses, you’re ready for the most important part: filing.

Surprisingly, this is usually the most complicated step. Remember, you must file your Answer before the deadline, which is 14-35 days, depending on your state of residence.

To file your Answer in court, follow these steps:

Print the Answer and two copies.
File the Answer into the case at the courthouse or mail it in.
Mail a copy to Innovative Recovery’s attorneys.
Keep a copy for your own records.

The opposing attorney’s address should be listed on the Summons and Complaint. The courthouse address isn’t always as easy to find. It’s usually easiest to send your Answer to the court via USPS-certified mail with a return receipt requested. However, some courts require electronic filing or have other special filing rules.

Luckily, SoloSuit does all the filing research for you, so you don’t have to.

4. Keep track of your lawsuit.

Filing an Answer is the first step to letting Innovative Recovery know that you intend to remain involved in the lawsuit until it reaches a resolution, but it’s not the end of the line. You are still responsible for responding to correspondence through the court and attending hearings until the case is dropped or reaches its conclusion.

Let SoloSuit file your Answer for you in all 50 states.

How to settle a debt with Innovative Recovery

You can initiate debt settlement at any time during the debt collection process, even after a lawsuit has been filed. Use the following step-by-step guide to learn how to settle debt with Innovative Recovery.

1. Understand your financial situation

It is essential that you closely evaluate your finances to determine how much you can offer as a lump-sum settlement. Consider offering less than the maximum you can pay because you should expect a counter-offer and you will have room to continue negotiations.

2. Submit a debt settlement offer

Contact Innovative Recovery and make a settlement offer. Typically, you will want to be able to offer at least 50% of the amount owed, if possible. However, if the debt has been sold to a debt collector, you may be able to negotiate for a lower percentage.

3. Get a the agreement in writing

It is crucial that you memorialize the agreement with a written and signed debt settlement agreement. The agreement should contain language that indicates this settles the debt in full.

4. Pay the settlement amount

It is important to make a timely lump sum payment if that is what you and Innovative Recovery have agreed to. If you’ve negotiated a payment plan, make sure you make the payments in full and on time.

Ready to settle your debt? Use SoloSettle to make an offer and negotiate with Innovative Recovery.

The following video shares more tips and tricks on how to negotiate debt to settle it for less:

How to Answer a Summons for debt collection in all 50 states

Here's a list of guides on how to respond to a debt collection lawsuit in each state:

The Ultimate 50 State Guide

Debt collector guides

Are you being contacted by a debt collector? We’re making guides on how to resolve debt with each one.

Arbitration

If the thought of going to court stresses you out, you’re not alone. Many Americans who are sued for credit card debt utilize a Motion to Compel Arbitration to push their case out of court and into arbitration.

Below are some resources on how to use an arbitration clause to your advantage and win a debt lawsuit.

Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a great way to legally resolve debt, but it's usually best to consider it as a last resort. Here are some bankruptcy guides to help you decide which debt resolution option is best for you.

Check your case status

Don’t have time to go to your local courthouse to check the status of your case? We’ve created state guides on how to check the status of your case throughout the US, complete with online search tools and court directories.

Credit

Debt has a big impact on your credit. Below is a list of guides on how to repair and improve your credit, even while managing major debt, along with other credit-related resources.

Debt collection FAQs

Find answers to some of our the most commonly-asked questions about debt collection below.

Debt collection documents and templates

If you're dealing with debt, these documents and templates will help you respond, protect your rights, negotiate, and resolve your debts.

Debt relief

We’ve created a specialized guide on how to find debt relief in all 50 states, complete with steps to take to find relief, state-specific resources, and more.

Debt settlement

Debt settlement is one of the most effective ways to resolve a debt and save money. We’ve created state guides on debt settlement. Find out how to settle in your state with a simple click and explore other debt settlement resources below.

Eviction

Facing an eviction? The following guides will help you navigate your situation with confidence.

Federal debt collection laws

Knowing your rights makes it easier to stand up for your rights. Below, we’ve compiled all our articles on federal debt collection laws that protect you from unfair practices.

Legal aid

Helping people find access to justice is at the heart of Solo's misison. If you're dealing with a legal debt issue, the following guides will help you through it.

Medical debt

Having a health challenge is stressful, but dealing with medical debt on top of it is overwhelming. Here are some resources on how to manage medical debt.

Personal finance

Learn how to manage your finances and overcome crushing debt. Check out our personal finance guides below.

State debt collection laws

Debt collection laws vary by state, so we have compiled a guide to each state’s debt collection laws to make it easier for you to stand up for your rights—no matter where you live.

Statute of limitations on debt

Like all debt collection laws, the statute of limitations on debt varies by state. So, we wrote guides on each state’s statutes and more.

Stop collection calls

Do you keep getting calls from an unknown number, only to realize that it’s a debt collector on the other line? If you’ve been called by any of the following numbers, chances are you have collectors coming after you, and we’ll tell you how to stop them.

Wage garnishment

Forgot to respond to your debt lawsuit? The judge may have ordered a default judgment against you, and with a default judgment, debt collectors can garnish your wages. Here are our guides on how to stop wage garnishment in your state, plus other wage garnishment resources.

The Debt Hotline

Hosted by Team Solo, The Debt Hotline breaks down debt and personal finance topics with help from attorneys, financial experts, and industry pros. We respond to real questions to help you navigate debt with knowledge and courage.

How to Resolve a Debt With Innovative Recovery

Co-Founder of SoloSuitGeorge Simons, JD/MBA

Editor at SoloSuitHannah Locklear, BA