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With many borrowers coming to the end of the term of their mortgage deal experiencing payment shock, you could be forgiven for thinking that those who are renting are sitting pretty at the moment.

But an Axa survey conducted recently showed it is not just homeowners facing losing the roof above their heads as rental arrears are also on the increase.

An online survey conducted on Axa's behalf by YouGov between 22 and 29 July revealed 13 per cent of renters had gone into arrears in the last 12 months, with more than half of these doing so in the three months leading up to the poll.

But the Ministry of Justice figures also revealed there was a downward trend in landlord possesssions.

Simon Gordon, head of communications for the National Landlords Association, said: "The facts speak for themselves. Fewer and fewer landlords are going to court to issue possession claims against their tenants and even fewer are being granted possession orders.

"This downward trend since 2002 could indicate a number of things but what is clear is fewer landlords are having to take the final course of action resulting in the eviction of their current tenants.

"It supports the NLA's view that the vast majority of tenancies operate with no issues and that relationships between landlord and tenant, for the most part, are positive."

So are renters significantly struggling with their monthly commitments? If they are, what impact is this likely to have on the buy-to-let market and what can landlords do to avoid any potential problems?

John Heron, managing director of buy-to-let specialist Paragon Mortgages, said he did not think there was massive cause for concern.

While he acknowledged inflationary pressures have had as much of an impact on renters as homeowners he did not think this would have a knock on effect with landlords.

As far as he was aware there was not any evidence to suggest there was a growing problem in the sector and felt other data demonstrated there was not an issue with rental arrears.

He said: "The obvious observation to make is arrears on buy-to-let mortgages are very low compared with the rest of the mortgage market. It is counter intuitive to think you have got high rental arrears and low arrears on buy-to-let mortgages. The two things do not add up."

Phil Rickards, head of sales for BM Solutions, said research conducted by the HBoS-owned lender had not suggested there was a problem with those renting.

He said: "Whenever we are talking to landlords or advisers who specialise in buy-to-let there is still a demand for rented property and we are certainly not hearing any stories about landlords who are getting into trouble with increasing arrears."

This was an argument also put forward by Jeremy Law, head of buy-to-let for Mortgage Express.

He said: "We have seen arrears increase across the mortgage industry but buy-to-let still remains the lowest level of arrears across the mortgage sector."

One of the reasons why landlords would remain unaffected by renters feeling the pinch is due to the various options available to them.

Paragon's Mr Heron pointed out the situation regarding a tenant who falls into arrears was vastly different to that of a homeowner.

For a start tenants can apply for income support to pay their rent if they find themselves out of a job.

Also, he said the landlord can opt to remove the tenant if they do not have the funds to pay for their accomodation.

Mortgage Express' Mr Law agreed an increase in rental arrears should not strike fear into the hearts of buy-to-let investors.

He said: "From the perspective of the landlord they have a lot more flexibility. They can change their tenant, the government provides benefits for people who are renting so if their income disappears that is easily accessible."

BM Solutions' Mr Rickards said while there was the safety net of income support for tenants at the end of the day the landlord could always find another tenant given the level of demand that exists.

He said: "It is always the landlord's right to exercise the tenancy agreement and there is a demand for rented property out there."

Paragon's Mr Heron said: "Clearly removing a non-paying tenant is more straightforward and obviously less dramatic than removing a homeowner."

However while lenders state repossession is a last resort when dealing with mortgage arrears, Mr Heron said this was equally applicable to the rented sector and should be avoided if at all possible.

He said: "Clearly rental arrears are nothing new. It is part and parcel of the market and landlords and letting agents are well versed in the process of dealing with it.

"Part of that process is trying to reach an accommodation with your tenant. Everybody would prefer to have a successful tenancy."

Mortgage Express' Mr Law said while nobody could never guarantee the perfect tenant there were steps that could be taken to avoid rental arrears and minimise void periods in the event of having to remove one.

He said landlords who have not done their research and have minimal understanding about who their rental customers are likely to be and do not know what the demand is in the area could suffer.

Mr Law said: "If they are in that position then they could find it more difficult than someone who is experienced, knows the local rental market, knows who he is coping and knows how he is finding them."

Paragon's Mr Heron said even those who had entered the buy-to-let market as speculative investors could minimise problems by using professional letting agents.

He said: "Part of their job is selecting the right tenant to put in the property in the first place.

"Carrying out a professional credit assessment of the tenant is very important before you let them in the property."

David Pawsey is a reporter for Financial Adviser.