A landlord has warned others to make more regular checks on their rental properties after falling foul of Scotland's ongoing eviction ban.

Speaking to LandlordZONE, Diane Gilmore is trying to evict nightmare tenants who have trashed her flat in Stranraer but could potentially be forced to wait until the ban ends on 30^th September to get them out.

She served three months' notice on the tenants last November but hadn't realised the ban had been extended.

This week, they called to tell her a ceiling had collapsed in the living room but when she went round to check, she was shocked to discover scenes of devastation in her home, with rubbish strewn across every room, and a filthy bathroom and kitchen - in stark contrast to the immaculate property which was rented to them in 2020 (see before and after pix, above).

Courts backlog

Gilmore is now waiting to see if a tribunal will accept her submission for an early eviction on the grounds of needing the property back to sell it, after serving a Section 11 notice.

'Even if it goes to tribunal, no doubt it will be months before a court date because of the backlog,'� she says.

While she waits, Gilmore is living in a static caravan on a holiday park until she's able to reclaim the house, and is legally obliged to fix the damage so the temporarily rehoused tenants can move back in.

'This is a warning to every landlord,'� Gilmore tells LandlordZONE. 'I hadn't been round to check on the place since I rented it out as these people are acquaintances and I didn't want to be intrusive '� I should have done it more regularly.

"Instead, it's going to cost a fair bit of money to decorate, the carpets will need to be burnt and they've damaged the new kitchen. I am so sick.'�