In Scotland they now want to make landlords responsible for anti-social behaviour by tenants in or near the property they are renting.

Most Scottish landlords should know how bad it is already, but if you are thinking of letting north of Hadrian's Wall, you really have to know your stuff because the man from the council is out to get you at every turn, writes David Lawrenson .

The latest wheeze of the Scottish Executive is the Antisocial Behaviour Order, (Scotland) Act 2004, which places responsibility for the behaviour of tenants on private landlords.

If the tenant is served with an antisocial behaviour order the landlord is, according to the Act, expected to "take quick and robust action" to curb the tenants' bad behaviour.

How exactly, we wonder?