Private Rental Deposits

EDM number 1491 in 1997-98, proposed by Geraint Davies on 30/06/1998.

That this House welcomes the publication of evidence on the non-return of rental deposits by the National Association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux in their report, Unsafe Deposit; notes that over 600,000 tenants taking up private tenancies in 1996-97 paid a deposit to their landlord, and that the average amount paid was ú409, indicating that some ú240 million was paid in rental deposits; and also notes that a NACAB survey in 82 local authorities showed that 48 per cent. of those having rented accommodation in the last five years had had their deposit unreasonably withheld and only one in six of those had been successful in getting their money back.

This motion has been signed by a total of 85 MPs.