Peer to peer lending has become a popular funding source for individuals and businesses of almost all sectors. It also matches real estate investors looking for funds to complete their projects with those who are willing to invest money in property loans. In the beginning, peer-to-peer platforms offered only personal loans, but now you can get a variety of loans such as personal loans, business loans, and property or bridging loans. It allows borrowers to bypass traditional financial institutions and get quick access to funds with p2p loans. Meanwhile, it allows inventors to earn higher interest rates and keep up with inflation.
You may have heard about this type of financing but do not have an understanding of real estate p2p lending. In this article, we are going to describe everything you need to know about it.
Peer to Peer Property Lending
P2p real estate or property lending is a beneficial funding source for landlords and property investors. P2p platforms offer loans to individuals and businesses needing funding for projects such as property development, construction, house flipping, or renovation of a property. You do not need to go to a traditional lender or bank and can apply for a loan online through a p2p platform. Some benefits of p2p bridging loans are that they are short-term, flexible, and offer lower interest rates.
From an investors’ point of view, it not only offers higher returns compared to other investments but also has lower risks. Moreover, the risk is low because the loan is secured against the property of the borrower.
How Does Real Estate P2p Lending Work?
Property or real estate investors traditionally depend on a bank to get funds to complete a project. However, banks have strict requirements, and if the borrower does not meet these requirements, these funding sources dent the loan application. You may look for alternative funding sources other than friends, family, and credit cards in such situations. Thanks to peer-to-peer lending, you can now apply for property loans and get quick access to funds.
There are several p2p platforms offering bridging loans. You can make an online application, and the platform reviews your application and underwrites the loan. These platforms give grading to the borrowers based on their creditworthiness and affordability. After grading, these loans are available for investors to grant funds. Investors choose the borrowers according to their risk tolerance and grant funds. Then the borrowers repay the loan along with interest in monthly installments or as a lump sum at the end of loan terms.
A number of real estates p2p lending platforms are present in the UK, offering different loan sizes, terms, and rates. So it is essential for you to do research, shop around and make price comparisons to find the right platform and the best loan deals. To take out a property loan, you have to use your property as a security against the loan. In addition, the approval of a loan highly depends on your exit strategy. If you have a strong exit strategy, a lender is more likely to offer loans. Usually, the exit strategy consists of the sale of the property or refinancing.
Advantages Of Real Estate P2p Lending
Peer to peer lending UK platforms offers benefits to both the investors and borrowers
Investors can not only conveniently invest money but also earn attractive returns to keep up with inflation in this low-interest-rate environment. You have low risks when you invest in property loans because these are secured loans. If a borrower defaults, you can get your money back by selling the security property. Moreover, you can diversify your portfolio by investing money in multiple loans and can also choose borrowers according to your risk tolerance.
Borrowers can make online applications without any lengthy paperwork. For example, when you want to take out a traditional mortgage, you have to meet strict eligibility criteria and wait for weeks or months to get approval. In contrast, p2p bridging finance offers you an easy to meet eligibility criteria and quick access to funds. You do not need to wait for weeks or months and complete the purchase of a property and fulfill other requirements quickly.
Risks In P2p Property Lending
Although using p2p platforms for getting finance or a real estate project allows you to get quick funds, it also has several drawbacks. P2p bridging finance has short repayment terms. So if property investors run into a lengthy project delay, they could default on a loan, and it can result in losing the entire investment in the project.
Borrower default is a risk for both the investors and borrowers. Investors can lose the money they invest in a loan while the borrowers have a risk of repossession. When a borrower defaults, the security property is repossessed by the platform. And the lender has the right to sell the property to get the money back. The default rates of those platforms are high, which tend to grant loans to borrowers with bad credit scores. Moreover, some platforms do not use collateral which increases the risks for investors.
Another risk associated with p2p platforms for both the borrowers and investors is that the platform goes out of business or goes bankrupt. If it happens, an investor might lose the entire investment in the worst case, while the borrower may not be able to complete a project as the funding source is lost. In order to reduce such a risk, investors should limit the amount they invest in p2p loans and diversify their portfolios with other asset classes.
On the other hand, borrowers should always choose a well reputed, experienced, and FCA-authorised platform to avoid any inconvenience.
Bottom Line
Peer to peer lending or social lending has emerged to fill the gap. Between loan demands from individuals and businesses and traditional bank sectors. It also matches borrowers with bad credit scores and high risks to investors willing to lend money in return for high-interest rates. P2p real estate lending brings the same model to the property sector, offering flexibility and ease for property investors and developers. Investors lend money to property developers and earn high returns with low risk as the properties of borrowers are used as collateral against the loan. This sector is growing continuously and playing a vital role. In providing quick access to funds and growth opportunities for real estate investors.
