Landlords who retain deposits face fine

LANDLORDS who illegally retain tenants deposits will face a fine under plans to be brought before Government.

The move by the Housing Minister, Michael Finneran, comes as a housing charity published figures showing an increase in the number of cases last year where tenants had their deposits withheld by landlords.

Threshold also criticised local authorities for failing to carry out inspections on sub-standard housing, claiming just three landlords were prosecuted last year despite thousands of complaints and a suspected 4,000 properties failing to comply with minimum standards.