The editor of Property Hawk website, Chris Horne, has told landlords that they are unlikely to make money from their bricks and mortar investments in a short time span.

According to the industry expert, success in the buy-to-let sector needs to be judged over a substantial number of years.

"Really a landlord should be looking at the investment over a 15 to 20-year period and that is when they can measure whether the investment has paid off or not," Mr Horne explained.

He also suggested that it has been a tough last couple of years for buy-to-let landlords, although the low interest rate - it has dropped over the last 18 months to reach a current all-time low of 0.5 per cent - may have provided good news for them.

With this cost of borrowing in mind, the editor said rental profits have effectively gone up 500 per cent in the last two years.

Having a large property portfolio may mean landlords have an abundance of equipment and furniture. They could save some space by placing these items in safe storage.

Written by Graeme Pieterson