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The downturn in the homes market has led to another rush of owners trying to rent out their properties, new figures have shown.
The number of surveyors reporting a rise in instructions to let shot up by 29% in the three months to April.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors points out that this is compared to a 2% drop in the period running up to the end of last year.
It is largely as a result of weakening demand to buy houses because of people's problems getting mortgages, says RICS.
At the same time people who cannot get onto the property ladder or are unwilling to buy while prices are falling are deciding to rent instead until tiimes get better.
RICS says: "The sales market's loss is the lettings market's gain.
"Some would-be sellers are retreating from selling and letting or re-letting their properties as they wait for mortgage lenders to offer buyers more favourable lending criteria."
The credit crunch has hit the ability - or willingness - of large numbers of mortgage firms to lend money.
They have upped their rates and withdrawn many of their better deals, particularly for would-be buyers without a large deposit.
This has made it more difficult to access a mortgage and a number of recent housing surveys have shown that lending is on a downward spiral, while prices are also falling.
The number of surveyors reporting a rise in instructions to let shot up by 29% in the three months to April.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors points out that this is compared to a 2% drop in the period running up to the end of last year.
It is largely as a result of weakening demand to buy houses because of people's problems getting mortgages, says RICS.
At the same time people who cannot get onto the property ladder or are unwilling to buy while prices are falling are deciding to rent instead until tiimes get better.
RICS says: "The sales market's loss is the lettings market's gain.
"Some would-be sellers are retreating from selling and letting or re-letting their properties as they wait for mortgage lenders to offer buyers more favourable lending criteria."
The credit crunch has hit the ability - or willingness - of large numbers of mortgage firms to lend money.
They have upped their rates and withdrawn many of their better deals, particularly for would-be buyers without a large deposit.
This has made it more difficult to access a mortgage and a number of recent housing surveys have shown that lending is on a downward spiral, while prices are also falling.
