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The canny buy-to-let investor could be able to bag many a bargain in the coming months as more landlords succumb to the credit crunch.

According to Skandia, forecasts are that £18bn of cash will be pulled out of the buy-to-let market in the next few years as the mortgage-backed buy-to-let market retreats to its average size over the past decade.

It says, even in the face of falling house prices across the UK, new-build flats and apartments designed to be sold as investments for buy-to-let investors have been hit hardest and have become the least appetising investments.

So if Skandia is right, there could be many opportunities out there. It means being careful and it means doing a lot of homework, but there is no reason why money cannot be made from these homes.

Although the naysayers are putting the nails in the buy-to-let coffin, house price falls are always followed by house price rises. Buying now, when homes are cheap just means that in the long-term profits are surely likely.

So if you want to take advantage of a buyer’s market, talk to your adviser. There are still empty properties out there, there are still mortgages to buy them with and there are still a lot of people willing to pay plenty of rent to live in them.

To keep up with the latest News and comment on the UK buy to let market visit the Buy to Let Mortgage Blog