Ok i found this...not sure how old the pages are... my contact here and all the leasing agents are telling me this is standard (albeit a new) practice in today's market:

[well they will not let me post the link....]

"...For some properties, you may also be asked for a bank guarantee, which is essentially a sum of money (6 month's to a year's worth of rent) held in trust by your bank, which they will hand over to the Landlord if you break your side of the contract. They are best avoided."

Hoping to hear from others who have direct experience with this and how they managed to deal with it....seems like quite the hurdle for a renter...I mean if I had that kind of cash I would just buy a home...