By Tony Booth

In a strange twist of fortune, while homeowner and first-time-buyer loans are becoming increasingly restricted, lenders are courting buy-to-let (BTL) investors and encouraging them to expand their portfolios.

In fact, experienced investors in the BTL market seem to be sailing the turbulent borrowing waters rather well and lenders are recognising it as currently perhaps the most stable customer base there is.

This perception is supported by recent statistics and performance figures released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), which triggered the Financial Times to conclude at the end of February that, rather than cutting back on borrowing, BTL landlords were actively engaged in expanding their investments.

CML figures show that the sector increased its share of the overall mortgage market in the last quarter of 2007, with almost 85,000 new advances made to BTL investors - a staggering £11.6bn - which was significantly higher when compared to the same period in 2006.