Home ownership is a part of achieving the American dream. For many, the only thing standing between them and owning a home is a low credit score. Lenders rely heavily on FICO Scores when determining whether to fund a mortgage — low credit scores equate to high risk. Still, it isn’t impossible to get a mortgage with a low credit score.

If you have debt, chances are you’ll have to deal with a debt collector at some point, at least until you pay off the debt. Even if you’ve hired a debt settlement company to help you negotiate down your debt, debt collectors may still contact you for payment. Here are some tips for dealing with debt collectors, even when they get rude.