SoloSuit

I signed a 14 month lease with an MAA corporation apartment unit in Huntsville, Alabama from Feb 22 and I abandoned the lease in July 2022. This happened because they NEVER fixed my A/C unit and my apartment was usually 90 degrees for several months straight. I nearly died in there and was going out to my car to cool off. So I abandoned the lease because I couldn't live with it, especially since i work from home so am home all the time. MAA properties doesn't offer a favorable early lease termination plan.

In September 2022, they put the remainder of my lease in the sum of $6,000 on my credit report and the collector is Hunter Warfield, and interest is being added on monthly. They emailed me a debt validation letter, they don't have my new address. 

What can I do? I already disputed it with TransUnion and Experian, but since they emailed me  the validation letter can I even do anything?

Can I say I wasn't living there and I let someone else use my name to live in the apartment?

Would a better idea be to offer them $1000 a fraction of the debt?

I'm freaking out, as I'm assuming I can't rent another apartment nor get a mortgage till this is off my report.