Speculators and fraudsters saw easy money in buying city-centre buy to let flats with borrowed money

The cost of renting a home fell during the third quarter of the year as the market was flooded

 Property repossessions must be a 'last resort'

Bradford & Bingley's demise will be a blow for buy-to-let investors.

It's a gloomy picture, but will it get any brighter?

Property prices have shrunk but with the high level of stock, now is it good time to buy?

Tighter lending criteria has made it tough for buy-to-let investors, prompting a 15% drop in the number of new mortgages taken out in the first half of 2008.

There are many bargains in university areas but mortgage brokers warn that a 25% deposit has become mandatory unless landlords can secure high rental prices.

An estimated 10,000 buy-to-let landlords are more than three months behind with their mortgage, according to research from independent financial adviser Hargreaves Lansdown.

Skandia Research, suggests that landlords will be driven from property investment by falling house prices, higher mortgage rates and sluggish rental growth.