Protect Lodgers Deposits across the country

There is a major problem in the housing and property market whereby landlords whom want to make extra money renting individual rooms are providing no agreements and are taking sizable deposits from lodgers offering no protection as there is no policy or law that says they should do, 1.7 million homeowners rented rooms to lodgers in 2016 according to Santander Mortgages Survey. This matters because alot of professionals including our emergency services sector are renting in this way and by not regulating this area means hundreds of thousands of pounds are not returned with no consequences.

I have a family member that decided to use a lodging platform for listings to find a room in London, she paid £1200 as a deposit, whilst living in the property the landlord began to infringe on her personal space and belongings and so she decided to give notice to leave, when she asked for the return of her deposit the landlord refused saying she missed payments and the room wasn't in the same condition he rented it to her in, she was devastated as there seemed to be nothing she could do but taking it to a claims court, she decided to walk away. I have heard thousands of stories just like this

I want a Lodger Deposit Guard to be backed by the Department of communities and local government and rolled out as a mandatory action when renting a room going hand in hand with background checking to stop unregulated renting.