BOBO LING / SHUTTERSTOCK News Landmark prosecution of Scottish letting agent A letting agent has become the rst in Scotland to be sanctioned for breaching rules that secure tenants deposits. The landmark ruling against Colvin Houston at Kilmarnock Sherriff Court in July triggered by North Ayrshire Trading Standards could have a massive impact for people renting properties across Scotland. It was the rst prosecution of a letting agent since the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011 were introduced ve years ago. The legislation was brought in to ensure deposits were ring-fenced in independent tenancy deposit schemes and protected by third parties until they were due to be repaid. The successful prosecution follows that of Martin Marcus, 52, of Bushey, who was jailed for four and a half years at Harrow Crown Court in June after admitting ve counts of fraud. Bushey scammed dozens of tenants and landlords out of more than 220,000 worth of rents and deposits. His sentencing followed a complex four-year investigation by Barnet Trading Standards. The court heard how Marcus fronted a string of letting agencies and used numerous aliases between 2009 and 2015, to con 221,000 from more than 60 people. He had repeatedly offered tenants properties that he had no right to let, took deposits from multiple people for the same property, moved in different tenants to those promised to the landlord, and used a variety of excuses to hold on to deposits and rents. Victims told the court that they had been left out of pocket, with some made homeless and others unable to care for sick relatives. Tenants and landlords had been assured by Marcus that their money was held in a ring-fenced client account, but trading standards investigators found numerous transactions from the account, which included payments to Virgin Active, Easyjet, mobile phone companies and Marcuss son. Debt priorities may put people at risk Islington Council has prosecuted a letting agent that advertised rental flats that were not on the market, a practice known as ghost-listing. Down2Town, of Kings Cross, London, and its director, Ilshad Ali Sumum, were each fined 2,000, each ordered to pay costs of 1,250, and to pay a victim surcharge of 100. A concerned resident contacted the trading standards team after noticing their home advertised for rent on the Zoopla property website. The investigation revealed that the letting agent had listed various properties for rent in the block of flats to keep the location near the top of the Zoopla search and help rent out a different home in the same block. CMA warns websites to be more transparent over car-hire costs The Competition and Markets Authority has told car-hire websites they must provide transparent prices so motorists are aware of the true cost of hiring a vehicle. Around half of all leisure rentals begin on comparison websites. The action by the CMA is expected to ensure consumers get transparent costs, whether or not they book directly with a leading firm. Car hire comparison websites sometimes referred to as brokers or meta-search websites have been sent letters by the CMA, which explain consumer protection law and ask for customers to be provided with easy-to-access information in seven key areas: G Young driver surcharges G One-way fees G Fuel charges G Excesses and the cost of reducing them G Pre-authorisations or deposits G Collision damage waiver exclusions G Warnings about the need for snow chains (a legal requirement in some countries in winter) The businesses have until January 2017 to make the changes and write to the CMA to explain what actions they have taken. ANDREA OBZEROVA / SHUTTERSTOCK Citizens Advice has warned that people are placing themselves at greater risk of losing their home by paying off consumer credit debts before other priority debts. The national charity revealed that 28 per cent of people would prioritise credit card bills, personal loans or overdraft repayments ahead of household bills. It found that 15 per cent would stop paying their rent or mortgage, and 27 per cent their council tax, before credit card payments. Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: Huge numbers of people are unsure of what debts they should prioritise which underlines how important it is to be able to access free, independent help to manage their finances. Property ghost-listing investigation leads to fine for London firm Edinburgh legal highs crackdown a success A ban on so-called legal highs in Edinburgh has resulted in a drop in crime and health problems, a new report has revealed. The city implemented a voluntary crackdown almost a year before the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 was introduced, after Police Scotland became concerned about an increase in bizarre anti-social behaviour and extreme violence involving people under the inuence of a stimulant drug. The most serious cases involved an ofcer being stabbed, a siege and suicide. A report by Rob McCulloch-Graham, chief ofcer of the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, went before the City of Edinburgh Council in June and showed that the action taken had resulted in a reduction in a range of health and criminal harms relating to drug use. The initiative by Edinburgh City Council involved introducing a temporary banning order for a particular substance ethylphenidate in April 2015. This was followed by a Forfeiture Order, and a ban on the sale of dangerous novel psychoactive substances (NPS) using the General Products Safety Regulations came into force across Edinburgh in October 2015. When trading standards ofcers, supported by Police Scotland, used the Forfeiture Orders to target 13 stores known to be selling NPS in 2015, eight voluntarily handed over their supplies. The products, with a retail value of up to 50,000, were destroyed. The multifaceted response incorporated education, with conferences aimed at making schoolchildren aware of the dangers of NPS held in early 2015 and March 2016. The Royal Edinburgh Hospital had also reported an increase in admissions related to NPS, and noted some patients signicant challenging behaviour once admitted. Much of this challenging behaviour was among a group of already injecting drug users. While the temporary banning order for ethylphenidate had a signicant impact on the availability of the drug and led to a reduction of harms relating to its use the risks of injecting NPS remained a challenge as users switched to other drugs. The Psychoactive Substances Act came into effect in May 2016, and superseded the City of Edinburgh Councils ban on the sale of NPS. British cars among best maintained in the world UK motorists spend a total of 21.1bn a year on servicing and repairing their cars, according to a new report from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Research shows that UK consumers spend an average of 695.39 on vehicle maintenance every year 12% higher than the average global spend per car. Compared with other markets, the UK also has fewer cars in disrepair, generating excess pollution or requiring new brakes. The SMMT report reveals that the sector delivers an annual 12.2bn into the UK economy and supports more than 345,000 jobs. Within Europe, the UK has the largest share of work carried out by independently owned businesses, at 64 per cent. The report, entitled The Importance of the Aftermarket to the UK Economy, is the first official industry analysis of the UK automotive aftermarket.