By Tony Booth

While everything around us seems to be falling apart, some investor landlords have devised their own 'survival package' and are actually doing rather nicely, thank you very much.

According to the best sources, the crisis causing havoc in the housing market and financial institutions probably won't hit the bottom until sometime (and possibly late) next year.

That implies things are set to get a whole lot worse, before they have much chance of getting even slightly better. Doom and gloom weighs heavy in the air like a dose of old-fashioned London smog, choking the last gasps of hope from even the most optimistic of investor.

But amidst the turmoil and cries of desperation, there is a group of property stalwarts that seem to have found their own personal way of winning against the odds. These plucky few have found a way of making handsome profits by bending the standard rules of buy-to-let engagement.