Foreign home buyers 'easing housing crisis' However, rather than fuelling the capital's housing crisis they are helping to ease the problems, according to property group Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). Foreign buyers pumped £3bn into the London residential market last year - up a quarter on 2011 - research from JLL found. But it's a misconception that these are multi-millionaire absentees who leave properties empty, according to Adam Challis, JLL's head of residential research. "Developments like One Hyde Park give the mistaken impression that properties are under-occupied when sold to investors; this couldn't be further from the truth," he said. In fact, they are providing a vital source of private rental supply. Mr Challis said his research showed 85pc of international buyers purchase properties - generally in the £400,000 to £600,000 range - as an investment and let them out. These buyers tend to the middle-classes, he added, and without them new developments would not get off the drawing board. "Post-credit crunch it's much harder to get bank debt but with 30pc to 40pc of units sold 'off plan" to foreign buyers, that triggers work on the development," Mr Challis said. Without international investors most residential developments in London wouldn't happen and the housing crisis in the capital would be even greater.