Since the property sales downturn at the end of 2008 the lettings market has seen continuous growth as people are choosing to rent rather than buy. The uncertainty in the sales market has only benefited the rental segment seeing tenant demand for quality properties to take on long term lets increase. In fact a recent ARLA survey reported that the average tenancy lasts over 18 months and across their members tenant enquires rise by almost 25% in the first quarter of 2009. This desire to remain in properties coupled with a dip inbuy-to-let sales at the end of 2008 has left rental property inhigh demand. Latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders showed 21,600 new buy-to-let loans were advanced in the three months to the end of June, encouraging signs that the buy-tolet market is beginning to find its feet. "This is confirmation that things are starting to pick up for buy to-let investors," said Ian Potter, Operations Manager ofthe Association of Residential Letting Agents. First-time buyers remain constrained by a lack of mortgage options and by an inability tosave a deposit quickly enough -this again leads to high demand for rental property. However, Hometrack estimates that there are at least eight million households that have either no mortgage, or one that is less than 50 per cent of the value of their home - and it is such low-debt individuals who are now investing in property. Chief investment officer Ian Whittock at ING Real Estate UK,said: ‘It is the perfect time to invest, though it might not feel like it, there is less risk in the market now than there was 18months ago.' Calling it ‘..theopportunity of the decade' Whittock also believes that government intervention has broken the back of the credit crunch. ‘I think that the worst of the credit crisis is over - but unfortunately, not in time to save the economy.‘The real market should steady improve mid-2010. ‘