The schemes intended to protect the rental deposits of tenants in Scotland are only catching around half of all deposits, it has emerged.
The Herald reported a fortnight ago that at least 20 per cent of deposits were still not lodged with the three deposit protection schemes.
The Scottish Government told us last month: "Tenancy Deposit Schemes were introduced to deal with the problems relating to landlords and letting agents who unfairly withhold deposits from tenants. Between their introduction and August 2014, 274,055 deposits with a total value of £181.8 million had been lodged with the approved schemes."
Around 330,000 properties are in the rented market, though not all will be holding tenant deposits.
But last week the Scottish Government provided a more relevant figure, that for live deposits.
A spokesperson said: "At the end of August this year 141,749 deposits were protected with the approved schemes at a value of around £103 million.
"It is not possible to provide an accurate figure on the proportion of deposits lodged as it is at a private landlords' discretion whether they take a tenancy deposit and not all landlords choose to do so.
"A tenant can take a landlord to court if they have not lodged a tenancy deposit in an approved scheme where, if proven, a sheriff can award the tenant up to three times the amount of the deposit.
"This can happen during or after the tenancy has ended."
Kevin Firth, director of the Letting Protection Service Scotland, said: "Although it's very positive to see the sheer volume of deposits that have been protected in Scotland, we share concerns that too many tenancies are undertaken without deposit protection.
"There will be many landlords and agents who have decided not to take deposits anymore, as has happened in England and Wales.
"Landlords are breaking the law if they do not protect deposits within 30 working days of the beginning of the tenancy.
"Tenants can check whether their deposit is protected by LPS Scotland by visiting our website, which also features general advice for those renting and for landlords themselves."
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