Help for a young guy just starting

Hi, I just stumbled upon this website a few days ago and read the faq and all of the stickies. I'm hoping you guys will be able to help me. I have very bad credit (my equifax score is 504) and have been sent to collections more times than I care to count for my young age (24). My dad helped me out in giving me some money to pay off a lot of my debts that were in collections, but I still have an account with my old apartment building of $7,633 and $1500 that's in collections right now for college. I have had three credit cards, all of them cancelled by the bank for excessive late payments, all with many past due notices, some as high as 120 days. I am completely overwhelmed and do not know where to start. I do believe in paying debts that I know I have accrued because it is my moral obligation, but I can't afford the 7k for the apartment (I also don't agree with the amount either). Any direction would be greatly appreciated, especially specific tactics to use (nutcase, etc) with the different creditors. I will answer any questions you have on this to thye best of my abilities. Thanks a bundle.
Smiley (not so smiley after reading my credit reports...)

 

Thanks for responding so quickly. The debt for the apartment is very new, dating from january I believe. It is still with the OC, equity residential properties (a huge nationwide apartment company). I assume they have a big internal collections department, but I'm sure as usual they will forward it on to those pesky CAs. The interesting thing about this debt is that they have not once contacted me besides the first bill, but it is in my credit report, but only experian. Oh, I am in Oregon, and I believe the SOL here is 6 years. Not that that would help much seeing as my credit problems started the past two years or so.

 

Actually, I was wrong, it was Equifax that had it, not experian. and my experian credit score is now apparently 620 (I just joined credit expert). So that's better already

 

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Well the whole apartment thing was an insufficient notice of move out, so there was two month's rent plus re carpeting costs even though the stains were just in one room (my dog) they recarpeted the whole place for 2K+. Plus a huge cleaning fee. Also I forgot to put the power in my name, so there is a huge power bill tacked onto that too They even charged me to take pictures of the place. I don't know if I should just leave it alone and wait until it goes to collections and then try to get the CA to admit they aren't authorized and remove the tradeline, or maybe work something out with the OC (in writing of course) that I will pay it off in installments if it is removed from my credit report. I suppose I have the leverage (hopefully).

But besides the apartment, I have all of my late pays on my closed CC acounts, collections notations on there for other things, like late utility payments, four charge offs, etc. It just seems extremely overwhelming to me (I'm sure most of you can relate from when you were starting out). I have no idea where to start, and from who to start with and what techniques to use.

 

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