More good news for landlords.  According to research from Paragon, average rents have risen by four per cent in the last three months and by 12 per cent in the last six months.  No wonder then that property fulfilment web site, i-PropertyAssets, is reporting that as many as 70 per cent of Landlords view the current market as an opportunity to increase the size of their property portfolio.

The news comes just a week after the RICS revealed the results of a survey which showed that the number of landlords planning to sell some or all of their properties had fallen significantly.

In a weaker property market with more expensive buy-to-let mortgages and new tax rules which mean that landlords keep more of any increase in the value of their portfolio, commentators had predicted that many buy-to-let investors would try to sell up, increasing the number of homes coming on to the market and so depressing prices.

So far, however, the reverse seems to be true.  Higher demand for rental properties as would be buyers delay their purchase and falling interest rates are working to the advantage of existing landlords.  A third of landlords told Paragon that tenant demand is expanding rapidly (the highest figure for almost four years), while a further 58% said it is strong and stable.  John Heron, Paragon's director of mortgages, says: "The professional end of the market remains committed to buy-to-let over the long term.  They typically hold their investments for a decade or more, they are not intending to sell following the CGT changes and they are not experiencing pressure on their finances as a result of the credit crunch, as they borrow an average of less than 40% of the value of their portfolios".

Of those landlords who are planning to expand, 40 per cent are looking at property in need of refurbishment for their next purchase, one in three have their eye on auctions and a smaller number, 12 per cent, would prefer to buy new build property.