Q: How do you get your mortgage paid while you're off trying to find

While growing numbers of professionals are defecting the rat race to back pack around the world, work or volunteer in remote locations, the property market is increasingly willing to provide the security for when they want to return. A thriving buy-to-let market in mortgages allows budding adventurers to buy their home before they take off and lease it through a letting agent, safe in the knowledge that their mortgage is being paid off and they have a nest egg for the future.

In the past, mortgage lenders were cautious about providing such packages, charging higher interest rates and placing more restrictions on the borrower. But as housing markets continue to rise they have stepped in with new and flexible packages. Interest rates are competitive with conventional mortgages, while other services, such as lawyer and survey fees can now be included.

"The banks have realised that there's money out there on buy-to- let and there's quite a lot of good ones for people to look at," notes Derrick Maguire, proprietor of Belvoir Property Management. Often his clients travel to work in Australia or the Middle East, usually for a year, but want to cash in on a growing housing market in Scotland.

To convince them of the investment value of putting money into property Maguire has a chart which indicates returns of 10-13% on their investment per year, compared to bank rates of between 5% and 7%. For those who already own their home he can help them to remortgage part of it to generate some cash for travelling, and then rent it out to pay off the debt.

Letting agents such as Belvoir will shoulder the responsibility of finding a suitable tenant, manage the property and deal with any troublesome inhabitants at a cost of 10-15% of the rent. Some letting agents provide rent and legal guarantees, which protect the owner if a tenant fails to pay rent, although if court action is required the owner will need to be present. So far, Maguire has managed to avoid such a scenario and nobody's travels have been cut short yet. "The usual ones are leaving marks all over the carpets and redecorating with horrendous colours when their lease says they can't," he says. But since the damage usually covers the sum already put down in a tenant's deposit, these are not difficulties which the owner will have to deal with.

Another problem, with no financial recompense, is that tenants can leave any time after the statutory minimum six-month lease. If the owner is away just for a year, the letting agent is legally unable to rent out the property for less than six months, so it will have to remain empty during the remaining time.

Graeme McCallum, associate director of DTZ Debenham Thorpe warns that although letting out whilst travelling the world may seem an attractive proposition, it is not necessarily an easy ride. "There is a risk attached. You can't guarantee that you will get tenants and if you were to buy-to-rent you are paying a loan but you have no income." In addition, while you may have set off in a rising market, it can quickly level off while you are away.

These are uncertainties Catriona Sked, 33, is prepared for. In two weeks she will take up a full-time job with an international consultancy firm in Sydney and has left her South Gyle flat in the hands of a letting agent. Although she was concerned about the property being damaged, the priority was to get the mortgage paid while she travels.

"I intend to come back here at some point, so it means I'll always have somewhere to come back to. I've always got a base here if I need it," she says. Making a profit doesn't particularly concern her: "As long as I break even then I'm happy."

A: Let your house while you're away. With lenders now providing attractive options and agents available to manage the details, Sarah Roe says it's an ideal time to travel While you're travelling the world, tenants could be paying off your mortgage Photograph: Rory Lowe

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