The results of a recent study, which revealed a rise in the number of landlords experiencing rental arrears, are unsurprising, it has been suggested.

Editor at LandlordZONE Tom Entwistle said the difficulties are mainly owed to the "severity of this recession" as many buy-to-let investors entered the market with borrowed funds.

"Some are now finding that there’s a lot more to letting than an armchair investment and if they are paying for agency fees and a big mortgage, rent arrears are the last thing they need," Mr Entwistle claimed.

He also revealed that there has been an increase in demand for eviction specialists and advised those who are experiencing problems to seek guidance, which may include the expertise of a debt management agency.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) reported on June 22nd that it had decided to revise down its prediction for the number of repossessions in 2009 from 75,000 to 65,000.

It expects around 360,000 mortgages to be in arrears by the end of the year – equivalent to around 2.5 per cent of total mortgages.