The Scottish Government is consulting on regulations to govern national tenancy deposit schemes aimed at preventing landlords from wrongly withholding cash from tenants.

Wrongly withheld tenancy deposits in Scotland may amount to nearly £3.6 million per annum, due to between 8,000 and 11,000 tenants.

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The consultation will seek views from key stakeholders and members of the public on the best framework for tenancy deposit schemes.

Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil said: "Landlords can legitimately withhold a tenant's deposit for a number of reasons.

"However, this Government shares the concerns about unfairly withheld tenancy deposits and I want to move quickly to resolve this issue.

"The consultation will help shape the regulations governing the approval of tenancy deposits schemes in Scotland so that tenants receive a better deal."

(GK)