Buy-to-let property remains robust

Here's a report from the UK:

Sentiment in the buy-to-let sector remains buoyant despite growing concerns for the wider property market.

That is according to the latest research from the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), which finds 90 per cent of landlords have no desire to sell property during the next two decades.

Furthermore, up to 40 per cent of landlords are seeking to buy further properties during 2008.

"This is good news for the whole of the private rented sector and for the housing market, particularly as it comes from surveys carried out well after the credit crunch had begun to bite," commented ARLA's head of operations, Ian Potter.

"The rental sector is the lynchpin for all our housing requirements and needs continual investment from private individuals as it still suffers from a lack of investment from the institutions."

According to ARLA buy-to-let landlords borrowed an average of 70 per cent of the value of a property when setting up a new investment during the final quarter of 2007, down from 74 per cent in the previous quarter.