An 86-year-old man fears he will become homeless after his landlord has given him notice to quit his home of 37 years.

James Turner has lived in the privately rented flat in the West End of Glasgow since 1986.

But now his landlord has said rising interest rates mean she can no longer afford to keep and maintain the flat.

The pensioner has been given written notice to vacate the flat by the end of May.

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Mr Turner said he doesn’t know where he will go and said he has been rejected by a local housing association.

The former shopkeeper has been living in the large four-bedroom home for decades after he moved in with his ex-wife, in the 1980s.

He said: “If I have to leave, I don’t know where I’ll go.”

Mr Turner said he has done a lot of maintenance in the flat and to the shared back garden over many years.

But he added: “The windows are rotted and let in water, I’ve no hot water just now and overall it needs a lot of work.

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“It has all been promised but has never been done.”

He said there have been several owners of the flat over the time he has lived there and his rent has been paid by housing benefit and is up to date.

An anxious Mr Turner said he is confused as to why the current landlord wants him to leave now.

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He added: “It is terrible they can just put me out like this.

“I’m a nervous wreck at the moment. I just want to be able to stay here.”

Currently, his 39-year-old son is living with him and he also has a cat, Bobby.

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Mr Turner’s passion is music and he has a collection of Elvis memorabilia which he has built up over the years and is prominently displayed in his home.

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Solicitors, Bannatyne Kirkwood France, acting for the landlord, Angela Main, sent the tenant a letter informing him of her intention.

It stated: “We hereby give you notice that you are required to remove from the property . . .  on or before May 28, 2024, in terms of the tenancy dated March 31, 1986.”

Ms Main said while she understands his predicament it is not sustainable for her to retain the property and intends to sell it.

She said: “I can’t afford to keep the flat.

“The mortgage rate is going through the roof and the rent doesn’t cover it.”

She said the situation was broached with Mr Turner previously before she moved to issue the notice to quit.

She said: “I know it is his home.

“There is a lot of work needing to be done in the flat, new windows, electrics and heating and I can’t afford to keep it going with the rent I get for it.

“What can a landlord do?

“If I had somewhere else for the level of rent I get from the tenant I would offer it to him but I don’t.

“It is happening to other landlords. It is sad times for everyone.”

She also suggested Mr Turner might be better in a smaller flat with fewer bedrooms.

The Scottish Association of Landlords said there are many others experiencing circumstances that are leading to them selling up.

John Blackwood, SAL chief executive, said: “This is a situation we are seeing replicated across Scotland where increased costs, harmful policies such as the rent freeze and anti-landlord rhetoric from the Scottish Government has made rented properties no longer viable for many landlords who have chosen to sell.” 

“This has decreased supply, with over 20,000 properties removed from the private rented sector in recent years, and driven up prices.”

“The Scottish Government must work with all partners to encourage investment in all parts of the housing sector in Scotland so we have more homes in the social sector, more owner-occupied and in the private rented sector so we can bring an end to Scotland's housing crisis.”

The Glasgow Times has given Mr Turner contact details for the relevant department at Glasgow City Council for housing advice.