A Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme for Scotland

The motion

That the Parliament is concerned that the withholding of deposits unreasonably continues to be a problem for tenants in the private rented sector; notes that the private rented sector provides over 230,000 homes to households in Scotland, some 8% of all households, including families, students, migrant workers and young professionals; further notes that many tenants, on leaving a tenancy, rely on the return of their deposit to pay the upfront deposit and rent for their new property and that withholding a deposit unfairly can lead to hardship, debt and ultimately homelessness; highlights recent research by St Andrews University Students’ Association that found that 24% of students there have had unjustified deductions made from their deposits and 28% have faced unreasonable delays of more than 28 days in returning their deposits; acknowledges the successful introduction of the tenancy deposit protection scheme in operation in England and Wales which ensures protection for both landlords and tenants, and believes that powers already on statute in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 could be used to further a deposit protection scheme for Scotland, building on landlord registration and accreditation initiatives already in place.


No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

Lab 26 LD 7 Green 2 SNP 1 Ind 1

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

No contribution in the Official Report cites S3M-01865 by reference.