Thrice- not as nice for Scottish landlord

Landlord Andrew Meehan was ordered to pay his tenants Ross Fraser and Alison Pease  a whopping £3,450 after he failed to secure their £1,150 deposit.

The cash deposit was not returned to the tenant as as it should have been. All deposits are now set to be paid into a specialist fund to protect tenants against this kind of situation. A prevention into deposits being lost or kept back from the rightful recipient  is crucial. Mr Meehan proved that the system can sometimes be abused by landlords and that if this is the case , then there is a hefty price to pay.

This is one of the first cases to be brought to light by tenants, under the new government regulation scheme put in place in 2012 in Scotland.

It is a rule and warning that landlords will be ordered to pay up to three times the deposit owed to their tennant in the instance that they cannot return the original deposit amount upon leave of the rental residence.

The winning tenants - Ross Fraser and Alison Pease, said: "We are delighted with the sheriff's decision in this case.

"We believe it serves as a warning to other landlords about the necessity of complying with the tenancy deposit regulations, which remove the need for tenants to take rogue landlords to court to ensure the fair return of their deposits."

This is a major breakthrough in property law, lets hope it travels from city to city - reassuring landlords and tenants that there are rules and they are there to protect and serve, whatever you position.