“Co-operation” is a rarely heard phrase in the dog-eat-dog world of property sales. But in today's sluggish housing market, some buyers are shelling out thousands of pounds to strangers just to stop housing chains from collapsing.

Prices have not increased since December last year, according to the latest FT house price index published on Friday. The annual rate of inflation has declined from 15.2 per cent in August 2004 to 3 per cent after another small drop of 0.1 per cent last month.