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Settle Debt With Southern Management Systems

Sarah Edwards | May 23, 2024

Sarah Edwards
Legal Expert
Sarah Edwards, BS

Sarah Harris is a professional researcher and writer specializing in legal content. An Emerson College alumna, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the prestigious Boston institution.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

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: Southern Management Systems is a debt collector that works with multifamily and student housing property managers. If you’ve been sued by SMS, respond quickly by using SoloSuit to draft an Answer. And to resolve debt permanently, use SoloSettle to negotiate a lower payment amount.

How long can you keep dodging debt collectors? If you’ve been contacted by Southern Management Systems (SMS), you’ll need a strategy that lets you resolve your debt once and for all. The following guide can help you respond to a debt collection lawsuit and settle your debt for a fraction of the original amount.

If you’ve been sued by SMS, use SoloSuit to respond in minutes..

Is Southern Management Systems a scam?

It’s easy to dismiss debt collectors as a scam. But Southern Management Systems is a legitimate debt collection company that focuses on collecting debts owed by residents of multifamily units and student housing. If you’ve been contacted by SMS, the company is likely seeking to collect on past-due rent or other fees.

Southern Management Systems website: www.sms-collects.com/

Southern Management Systems reviews

It’s important to know that Southern Management Systems has a history of consumer complaints. SMS has received hundreds of complaints between its BBB profile and the CFPB consumer complaint database.

Similarly, SMS only has an average 1.6-star rating out of 5 stars from nearly 200 Google reviews. Below is a photo of a some recent Southern Management Systems reviews:

Many complaints allege that Southern Management Systems failed to produce evidence of their debt by providing them with a copy of the original contract. This shows the importance of verifying your debt before proceeding further.

Submit disputes in writing

While the company website lists a toll-free contact number (1-800-229-4531), it also makes clear that debt disputes must be submitted in writing. You may reach the company by mail at P.O. Box 149966, Orlando, FL 32814.

As an additional reference, the photo below is of Southern Management Systems’ office building in Orlando:

Don’t be intimidated by debt collectors

Regardless of whether the debt is legitimate or not, consumers are protected from aggressive or misleading debt collection practices by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCA). According to this federal law, collection agencies may not engage in any of the following:

  • Calling you several times per day.
  • Calling you early in the morning or late at night.
  • Failing to identify themselves as a debt collector.
  • Contacting you after receiving a Cease and Desist Letter.
  • Refusing to validate your debt.
  • Speaking with your friends, coworkers, or family members about your debt.
  • Threatening you with arrest for not paying your debt.
  • Using offensive or vulgar language.

Has a representative from SMS violated any of these regulations? If so, report violations to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) online or by calling 877-382-4357. The CFPB also accepts complaints through its website or at 855-411-2372.

Don’t ignore a lawsuit

Even if you don’t believe the debt is legitimate, don’t ignore a Summons for a debt collection lawsuit. Failing to respond with an Answer can cause you to lose the case, and the judge may render a default judgment in favor of SMS.

This default judgment may include legal and debt collection fees, and it will eliminate the possibility for you to negotiate a lower settlement.

In some cases, you’ll have as little as two weeks to file an Answer, which is a document indicating your willingness to fight the lawsuit. SoloSuit makes it easy to draft an Answer and prevent a default judgment.

Still have questions about how to respond to a lawsuit? Check out this video on how to respond to a debt Summons:

Verify your debt before proceeding

Some debt collectors may attempt to pressure you into making a so-called good faith payment. Under no circumstances should you do this until you’re able to verify that the debt is yours. Instead, ask SMS to provide you with proof that the debt is legitimate. This should include information such as:

  • The name of your original creditor.
  • The amount of the original debt.
  • The date the debt was incurred.
  • The amount of debt remaining.
  • The date of your last payment (if applicable).
  • Documentation that ties you to the debt.

Since Southern Management Systems focuses on debt collection for the housing industry, it may be important to identify specific dates for past-due rent payments or similar expenses.

If SMS is unable to prove that the debt is yours, it may drop the debt collection lawsuit altogether. Otherwise, you may stand a stronger chance of winning the lawsuit. However, if the debt is genuinely yours, your better option is to resolve your debt by negotiating a settlement.

Settle your debt with Southern Management Systems

Debt collectors are usually willing to accept a lower settlement offer and avoid a time-consuming legal process. Use this to your advantage by negotiating a lower settlement amount. SoloSettle makes it easy to negotiate with debt collectors like SMS, and by using this platform, you never have to deal directly with the company.

SoloSettle helps you and SMS come to a mutual agreement about how much to settle for. Your initial offer should be to pay 60% of the original debt. SMS may reject this, but SoloSettle helps you engage in a negotiation process that’s beneficial to both you and Southern Management Systems. Pay online through SoloSettle only after you arrange an agreement.

Let’s look at an example.

Example: Ryan had moved nearly a year ago. So why was he receiving notices from a company called Southern Management Systems? It turns out that his former landlord was using this debt collector to recover past rent that Ryan had supposedly forgotten about. And when Ryan received a legal summons for a lawsuit, he started to panic. Thankfully, he found SoloSuit. Within mere minutes, Ryan was able to draft an Answer and have SoloSuit file it with the court. Then, he requested that SMS provide him with debt validation information to ensure that the debt was really his. As it turns out, he’d forgotten a few rent payments. But SoloSettle also gave Ryan a way to negotiate a lower settlement amount. As a result, Ryan settled the debt for less than the original amount, allowing him to move on quickly and easily.


Negotiate a debt settlement with SMS today.

Don’t run from debt

Never run from debt. Instead, settle your debt for less. Settling for a lower amount will save you money and help you escape debt faster so you can get on with life.

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