As anyone trying to sell a house will know, the sales market is currently painfully slow, with buyers reluctant to pay full asking prices and many biding their time until house prices stabilise or come down further.

There is no doubt it is now a buyers’ market, and unless sellers are willing to drop their asking prices, they could be stuck for some time trying to get a sale.

But there is another option – one that could make you money, enable you to move home, and allow you hang on to your property until a more favourable sales market. That option is letting.

According to Leaders, the independent letting agency, demand for rental property in the UK, and the South East in particular, is very high, with more young people and families choosing to rent - either because they cannot afford to buy or because they are waiting to see what happens to house prices.

Over the last year there has been a particularly high demand from tenants in the 17 towns and cities across Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire covered by Leaders. Demand remains strong for all types of property, from one bedroom flats to large family homes.

Leaders’ Worthing managing director, Paul Weller said: "We believe that the strong demand for rented property is set to continue for the foreseeable future. A recent survey of all our new tenants showed that the majority plan to continue renting after their current tenancy ends - many for several more years - until they can afford to buy their own home."

"Many also said they prefer renting to home ownership because it is more flexible and suits their lifestyle."

"The option of letting your property until you are able to sell works well, even for people who need mortgages. A number of mortgage lenders offer ‘Let To Buy’ mortgages, an alternative to the well-known ‘Buy To Let’ option, which works by allowing you to borrow money to buy a new home to move into, while your existing residence is let out to tenants."

As Mr Weller explains: "A ‘Let To Buy’ mortgage enables you to hold on to your original property whilst benefiting from the mortgage being paid by your tenant. The rules of ‘Let To Buy’ differ from ‘Buy To Let’ in that you may be able to borrow a higher proportion of the property value, which means you may need a smaller deposit or, if you have plenty of equity in your current property, possibly no deposit at all."

"You would of course need to speak to an independent financial adviser to find out if this is a suitable option for you, but if it is, it could mean a way for you to avoid delaying your move while waiting for a buyer, plus all the disappointment and frustration that entails, and to make some money at the same time!"