Housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland has warned that Scottish tenants continue to face having their rent deposits withheld by private landlords, as England prepares to launch a new rent deposit protection scheme this week.
Shelter said that action is needed soon to resolve the
inconsistency, as the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 gave a commitment to
rent deposits. While most landlords deal with their tenants' money
fairly, Shelter said that the problem of tenancy deposits being
withheld is likely to be just as much a problem for Scottish tenants as
for their English counterparts.
Archie Stoddart, the director of Shelter Scotland, said: “Having
your tenancy deposit withheld is every bit as much a problem for
Scottish tenants as for English tenants. We hope that the Scottish
ministers will act soon to resolve this inconsistency and make sure
that Scottish tenants have the same protection as in England.
“Unfair withholding of deposits by landlords causes hardship, misery
and insecurity to tenants. In some cases, having a deposit unfairly
withheld can create homelessness, as households cannot afford the
deposit on a new property.”
There are more than 173,000 households living in the private rented
sector in Scotland, which is seven per cent of all households. The
average rental deposit is around £550, usually one month's rent.
Research in England has shown that 70 per cent of households have paid
a deposit and, assuming the same level for Scotland, would mean almost
£50m of tenants' money being held as a deposit at any one time.
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