SOUTHAMPTON MP Alan Whitehead has urged the Chancellor to clamp down on rogue letting agents after two Southampton firms were banned from trading.

The Labour veteran called for better tenant protection in rented properties, who he said were being held to ransom and being unfairly treated by landlords.

It comes after the property watchdog struck off city agent Andrew Whitehead for "dishonest and deceitful" treatment of customers.

Two of his companies, Property Vibe and The Flat Agency & Michael Browns (TFAMB), were expelled by the Property Ombudsman after dozens of complaints that they failed to repay deposits.

"Devastated" Mr Whitehead, from Shirley, said he had faced a "nightmare" with the taxman.

But addressing the House of Commons Mr Whitehead said: “A Southampton letting agency has recently been banned from trading for three years for not giving tenants their deposits back and using them for other purposes.

"The situation, however, as far as letting agents are concerned, is that they are almost completely unregulated and it’s pot luck whether Southampton residents actually get a fair deal from their letting agents or not.

"Is the chancellor intending to do anything about this?”

Mr Osborne, standing in for the PM in the session, said: “We are looking at what we can do to make sure that people who rent do have proper consumer protection including protection from landlords who unreasonably withhold deposits.”

Student agency Property Vibe is based in Portswood and describes itself as an 'independent, energetic, family run business'.

It shares an address and director with the second firm, which appears to be a merger of The Flat Agency, which filed for insolvency last year.

The Flat Agency and Michael Brown’s has a one-star rating from tenants on Google Reviews, with 10 complaints over failure to repay deposits.

Mr Whitehead, 42, from Rownhams, is director of seven dissolved property companies with two in liquidation, according to Companies House records.