Landlord Fined £1,500 For Keeping Deposit In Tin At Mother's House

21st October 2020

This story should be of interest to landlords and tenants where deposits are involved in renting property.

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A landlord from Gourock has been ordered to pay his ex-tenant £1,500 after failing to protect her deposit with an approved deposit protection scheme.

On 4 September 2020, following a Case Management Discussion by the Housing and Property Chamber First-tier tribunal for Scotland, Mark Bradley was found to have not protected his tenant's deposit for five and a half years, when he should have protected it within 30 working days of the start of the tenancy.

In April 2014, Mr Bradley's tenant paid £600 to Mr Bradley's mother in instalments for a "rental bond". The money remained in her house in a tin until September 2019, when the tenant asked for £150 back from her deposit to pay for van removals at the end of the tenancy. The money was paid back by Mr Bradley’s mother in cash.

When the tenant asked for the remainder of her money back, Mr Bradley said he should keep the money due to rent arrears (which the tenant had agreed to pay out of the deposit) and damage to the property. Mr Bradley told the tribunal he still had the remaining £450 in cash as his mother had paid it back to him.

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