JUDGE OVERRULES LAW ON FINE FOR NON PROTECTION

Tenancy Deposits

A friend (of a friend) of mine recently attempted to sue his landlord (after the tenancy had ended and he had vacated the property) for not 'protecting his deposit. All 3 of the dps services and citizens advice assured him that as there had been 3 renewals since 06/04/07, and the landlord never protected the deposit, it was an open and shut case. The judge ruled that for the tenant to successfully claim that the landlord had failed to protect, the tenant would have had to receive his deposit back from the landlord prior to renewal and then give it to the landlord again upon signing the renewal. Has this judge now set a precedent and that the DPS rules are no longer recognised in law?