Buy-to-let 'remains a good investment'

Date:Monday 29th December 2008
Author: Max Freedman

Buy-to-let property investment remains a good way for people to make money, the Association of Residential Lettings Agents (Arla) has suggested.

Making its predictions for 2009, Arla stated that 2008 has been a generally good year for the residential lettings market despite the financial downturn and implied it will continue to be a "sound" area for investment in the future.

It claimed that investor landlords will begin to return to the marketplace by the end of 2009 and that rental demand will continue to be strong, although in the short-term returns may vary depending on the location of the property.

Ian Potter, a spokesman for Arla, suggested that investors choose where to buy their properties carefully.

"Try to identify areas where a property can be let out more easily - those areas with high employment and a greater proportion of people looking for short term rents," he remarked.

According to the Young Group, 28 per cent of people would like a wider choice of mortgages next year.