property

November 10, 2018

Property Partner: My Review of This Property Crowdfunding Platform

Nick Investing property, crowdfunding 0 Comments

Today I am spotlighting Property Partner, a property crowdfunding platform I have been investing with since 2015.

As I have noted before on Pounds and Sense, I am something of an enthusiast for property investment (and specifically property crowdfunding). Among other things, I like the fact that you can make money from both rental income and capital growth. And investing in property can be a good way of spreading risk when you have equity-based investments.

Property Partner

Launched in January 2015, Property Partner has swiftly become the UK’s largest property crowdfunding website. They have over 11,500 investors, who between them have invested over £122.7 million in properties across the UK. Non-UK investors are welcome to join Property Partner too, so long as the legal system in their country permits it. Unfortunately US residents cannot invest via Property Partner at this time.

Property Partner offer shares in a wide range of properties. They include commercial buildings and residential ones, including PBSA (purpose built student accommodation). The properties tend to be on the larger side, so you won’t generally find single flats or terraced houses here. Neither do they sell shares in development or bridging loans, as offered by several other property crowdfunding platforms. This is what you might call ‘traditional’ property crowdfunding, where a property is bought on behalf of investors, who then receive a share of the rental income and any capital gains when the property (or their share in it) is sold. Here is a sample listing from their website…

One big attraction of Property Partner is that they have an active secondary market. That means investors can offer part or all of their portfolio for sale at any time. Obviously, to sell your shares in a property you will need a buyer, but Property Partner say that so long as they are priced reasonably (i.e. at or below the current official price) shares normally sell within 72 hours. By contrast, other property crowdfunding platforms such as The House Crowd and CrowdLords do not run formal secondary markets, though they say they will always help would-be sellers find a buyer if required.

Another attraction of Property Partner is that dividends are paid monthly, unlike other platforms which typically pay quarterly, biannually or annually. Money from dividends builds up in your account, and you can either withdraw it or reinvest it in other properties. When you add that you can get started on Property Partner for as little as £250, it is not all that surprising to me that they have enjoyed such success.

For legal reasons explained on the website, you can’t currently invest on Property Partner through a tax-efficient ISA or a SIPP. That means rental income will be liable for tax at your highest marginal rate, and any profits on selling will be subject to Capital Gains Tax (though there is quite a generous annual CGT allowance).

On the positive side, for anyone investing £5000 or more, you can opt for one of three managed plans: income focused, growth focused, or balanced. Your investments in them will be managed on your behalf to ensure good diversification of assets. Property Partner say that the net annual return (capital growth plus rental income) of the dividend plan should be at least 6.5%, the balanced plan at least 7.5% and the growth plan at least 8.5%.

My Experience

I have been investing with Property Partner for three years now, and have shares in a total of 17 properties. My largest single holding is around £2,550 (St David’s Lodge in Hastings, pictured above) and the smallest is £27.90.

I have aimed to build a diversified portfolio within Property Partner. I hold shares in both residential and commercial properties, in London and across the English regions (Property Partner doesn’t have properties in Scotland or Northern Ireland, and they have just one in Wales). To diversify further, I also recently bought a share in some purpose-built student accommodation in Leicester. Although as Leicester is my old university city, sentimental reasons may also have played a part in this decision!

During all the time I have been with Property Partner there have been no defaults or delays, and dividends have arrived in my account every month like clockwork. I understand that is true of all the properties on their books.

All properties on Property Partner are purchased for an initial five years. After the five years are up, all investors will get the opportunity to sell their share (or part of it) at a market valuation made by an independent chartered surveyor. As the platform hasn’t yet been going for 5 years, that hasn’t happened yet. Alternatively, as mentioned above, you can put your share up for sale at any time on the secondary market.

Pros and Cons

Based on my experiences, here is my list of pros and cons for Property Partner.

Pros

1. Fast, easy sign-up.

2. Well-designed, intuitive website.

3. Low minimum investment of just £250.

4. Property Partner take care of all the work involved in buying and managing properties. You just choose which ones to invest in.

5. Possibility to access your money at any time by selling on secondary market (though this does depend on another investor being willing to buy your shares at a price you find acceptable).

6. Guaranteed opportunity to sell at a fair market price after five years.

7. Customer service (in my experience anyway) is fast, friendly and helpful.

8. Charges are reasonable, with an initial 2% fee. There is no charge for selling shares.

9. Potential to profit through both capital appreciation and rental income.

10. Rental income is paid into your account every month. You can either withdraw it or reinvest it.

11. Up to £750 cashback is available for new investors of £2,000 or more via my referral link (see below).

12. Managed investment plans are available for investors of £5,000 or more.

Cons

1. No tax-free ISA or SIPP option available.

2. Rates of return are competitive but not the highest.

3. No development or bridging loans.

4. Some properties are purchased with gearing (loan finance). This makes them riskier if the value of the property should fall.

Conclusion

Overall, I have been impressed by my experiences with Property Partner. There have never been any delays or defaults, which can’t be said of every crowdfunding platform I have invested with. Property Partner state that the returns generated across all their properties since 2015 average 7.3% a year, taking into account both rental income and capital appreciation. That obviously beats bank and building society accounts by a considerable margin.

As ever, it is important to note that investments with Property Partner do not enjoy the same level of protection as bank and building society savings, which are covered (up to £85,000) by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. All investments are secured against bricks and mortar, however, so even in a worst case scenario it is highly unlikely you would lose all your money.

The lack of liquidity with property investments generally means they should be regarded as medium- to long-term investments, and you should only invest money you are unlikely to need at short notice. The active secondary market on Property Partner does though mean that you should be able to recover your capital quickly if you need it, though there is no guarantee what price you will get.

Clearly, no-one should put all their spare cash into Property Partner (or any other investment platform). Nonetheless, it is certainly worth considering as part of a diversified portfolio. Not only are the rates of return significantly higher than those offered by banks and building societies, they are relatively unaffected by ups and downs in the stock market. Property investments aren’t a way of hedging your equity-based investments directly, but they do help spread the risk.

Welcome Offer

As an existing Property Partner investor, I can offer a special bonus for anyone joining via my link. If you click through this special invitation link, sign up and invest a minimum of £2,000 within 60 days, you will receive an extra bonus as follows (and so will I):

£2,000 – £30
£10,000 – £150
£20,000 – £300
£50,000 – £750

Not only that, once you are an investor with Property Partner, even if you only start with £250, you will be able to offer the same bonus to your friends and relatives and earn commission yourself. There is no limit to the number of people you can introduce through this scheme.

Obviously, this is a generous promotional offer by Property Partner and I assume it won’t be available forever. If you want to take advantage, therefore, don’t wait too long. I will remove this information if/when I hear the offer is no longer valid.

If you have any comments or questions about this review, as always, please do leave them below.

Disclosure: this post includes affiliate links. If you click through and make an investment at the website in question, I may receive a commission for introducing you. This has no effect on the terms or benefits you will receive. Please note also that I am not a professional financial adviser. You should do your own ‘due diligence’ before making any investment, and seek professional advice from a qualified financial adviser if in any doubt how best to proceed.

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April 3, 2018

Hands-off Ways to Invest in Property

Nick Investing property, sponsored post 0 Comments

As I said in this recent blog post, I am a fan of property investment, as part of a balanced portfolio.

Property investors typically get a double benefit: rental income from tenants for as long as they own the property, and – in most cases – a profit when the time comes to sell.

A further attraction of property investment is that it can be beneficial tax-wise. Any profit you make when selling property is likely to be subject to capital gains tax (CGT) but there are generous annual allowances you can take advantage of (£11,700 in the tax year 2018/19).

In addition, if you invest via a platform (see below), income from rent is typically paid as dividends, allowing you to take advantage of the separate dividends tax allowance (£2,000 in 2018/19). Even if your dividend income exceeds the annual allowance, most people will only pay 7.5% tax on dividend earnings up to £34,500 (2018/19 figure).

Property investment can also be a great way of diversifying a mainly equities-based portfolio.

One drawback with property investment is that managing a property and its tenants can involve a lot of work. So today I want to focus on a property investment platform that takes care of all this on investors’ behalf (for a fee, of course). This makes it truly a hands-off way to invest in property.

The platform in question is FJP Investments. They partner with experienced developers to offer a range of property investments suitable for high net worth individuals and “sophisticated investors”. I’ve listed some of the main investment options they offer below.

Buy-to-let

This is, of course, the traditional way to invest in property. FJP offer investment opportunities in the UK buy-to-let market as well as overseas.

Student Property

This is becoming a very popular investment opportunity. The market is growing rapidly thanks to a government policy change ensuring an additional 200,000 students will be seeking accommodation in the UK by the year 2020.

Hotel Rooms

This type of investment started in the USA and has since taken off across Europe. Investing in a hotel room is simple. You buy the hotel room and then sub-lease it to the hotel operator. They in turn manage the day to day running, along with generating bookings. All you have to do is sit back and collect your share of the profits.

Car Parking

This is another popular income-generating investment. Investors purchase one or more spots in a car park and then receive a share of the income generated via the operator, who manages it on investors’ behalf.

Car parks are typically at or near airports. This market is expanding rapidly, with passenger numbers set to increase by over 220% in most major airports in the next 20 years. A further attraction in some cases can be free parking at the car park in question.

Care Homes

This involves investing in care homes for the elderly and/or people with disabilities. It is an ethical option but nonetheless one that offers good potential returns. Britain has an ageing population and yet the number of care beds is on the decline. There has been a lack of investment in the care sector which has created a growing demand for nursing homes, and an acute shortfall in the number of available beds is expected by early 2020. There is therefore a huge need right now for care home investment. Investors can profit from this while contributing to the creation of more high-quality care home facilities.

Risk v Reward

The potential returns from property investment are a lot better than you would get from a bank savings account at present, with 10% and upward widely advertised. Clearly, though, there is a greater element of risk with these investments. For example, you are not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, which will refund up to £85,000 if a bank with which you have an account goes bust. On the other hand, your money is in bricks and mortar, so it’s unlikely you would ever lose it all.

In the case of FJP Investments, as mentioned earlier, they work in association with highly experienced property developers. They set great store by protecting their clients’ money, not least because their reputation – and indeed their business – depends on this. They take the time to get to know their clients personally and help them choose investment opportunities from the range on offer that will meet their specific needs and goals. These are all, needless to say, hands-off investments.

It is, of course, vital to be aware of the risks associated with investing in property and only to do so as part of a balanced portfolio with assets in a range of classes, including readily available cash. Property can be somewhat illiquid and should therefore normally be regarded as a medium- to long-term investment.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for which I am receiving a fee. Please note also that I am not a financial adviser and nothing in this post should be construed as personal financial advice. Before making any investment it is important to do your own due diligence, and seek advice from a qualified financial adviser if you are in any doubt how best to proceed.

If you have any comments or questions about FJP Investments, or property investment in general, as always, please do post them below.

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October 4, 2017

Earn a Sideline Income as a Viewing Agent with Viewber

Nick Making Money property 10 Comments

Today I want to share a sideline-earning opportunity that may be of interest if you have a bit of time available during the week or at weekends.

A company called Viewber is recruiting people to conduct property viewings on behalf of local estate agents who don’t have any staff free to do it themselves.

As a Viewber (the name is also used by the company to describe its viewing agents) you will be asked to attend a property at a specified date and time to show a potential buyer or tenant round.

You will therefore need to obtain the key beforehand (or get it from a key safe), welcome viewers when they arrive, and let them in. You then follow at a discreet distance while they look round, answer any questions they may have (or refer them to the estate agent), show them out, and secure the property again.

You are also asked to report in writing to the estate agent afterwards with any information you have gleaned about the viewers that might be useful to them, e.g. if they are cash buyers or have looked at a lot of other properties already.

Who Can Do It?

In principle anyone can be a Viewber. You need to be reasonably smart and professional looking (as with estate agents generally). And, of course, you will need a polite and friendly manner and good communication skills.

The job is popular with retired and semi-retired individuals (like many readers of this blog) who are looking to supplement their income. It also attracts quite a few people who are ex-military or police, as well as former teachers, estate agents and other professionals. But any experience working with the public will be relevant and should assist your application.

Having your own transport is clearly desirable (though you can specify how far from home you are willing to travel). You will also need a mobile phone to contact the estate agents when required.

How To Apply

Initially this is just a matter of filling in a short online application form.

Although this asks about experience and qualifications in the property field, this is definitely not a requirement (I had neither but was accepted without quibble).

You are also required to upload a photograph of yourself so that the company can see you don’t look like an escaped convict.

You can expect to receive a reply to your application within a few days. Mine came by email. I was accepted on the basis of my application and photo, without any need for an interview.

You will then have to go through the company’s vetting procedure. This involves providing a copy of your driving licence or passport and a recent utility bill or bank statement showing your name and address. You will also need to provide bank details, so they can pay you.

Once you’re fully approved, you will be able to log in to your personal dashboard on the Viewber website. Here you will be able to view a range of information, including details of any jobs you have completed so far. You can also enter on a calendar any periods you are unavailable (e.g. on holiday).

Then it’s simply a matter of waiting for invitations to arrive by email. You aren’t under any obligation to accept these if you’re otherwise engaged – but if you do want to accept, you will need to do so quickly, before the job gets taken by someone else.

What It Pays

The basic pay is £20 for a single viewing of up to 30 minutes. Additionally if you have to travel by car there is a mileage allowance of 25p a mile, or £4 travel allowance in London.

If you are conducting multiple viewings at the same time or an ‘open house’ you will be paid more, up to £135 for a full day.

Additional fees are payable for taking (non-professional) photos of the property if requested and other services such as performing a property inspection.

Top Tips

Here are a few more tips on making the most of this opportunity.

Both viewers and agents can rate Viewbers, and this can affect the type and number of opportunities you are offered. It’s important to provide the best service you possibly can, therefore.
You will be sent information about the property concerned beforehand, so read this carefully and make a note of any particular things a viewer might want to know about.
There is also an online manual for Viewbers, so again read this carefully. It’s only a few pages long but covers most of the things you need to be aware of.
Greet viewers by name and be prepared to answer any general questions they may have, e.g. about the area if you’re familiar with it. For more detailed questions about the property, though, refer them to the estate agent. If possible, phone the agent there and then on the number provided.
Take sensible precautions to ensure your personal safety, e.g. always let someone know where you’re going and how long you expect to be out. The Suzy Lamplugh Trust has a web page listing safety devices, apps and services for lone workers.

Viewber is still new, which means there are currently more opportunities in some areas than in others. However, that does mean now is a great time to apply and start gaining experience, with the prospect of more work in the coming months as the service gains traction among estate agents.

In my view, if you want an interesting and varied sideline income stream – and enjoy meeting people and looking round houses – applying to be a Viewber has a lot to recommend it!

Note: This blog post is adapted from an article I originally wrote for the Creating Wealth newsletter.

House image © Copyright Roger Cornfoot and licensed for re-use under this Creative Commons Licence

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August 7, 2017

Some Unusual Ways to Profit From Your Garden

Nick Making Money property, food 7 Comments

Some older folk have a modest income but are lucky enough to have a decent-sized garden (and yes, that includes me).

If that applies to you too, there are a few ways you could profit from your garden, either directly or indirectly. One possibility would be to rent all or part of it as an allotment.

There is a big demand for allotments in many areas, a situation which has been exacerbated by councils selling off land to developers. Of course, that then creates demand from people who would otherwise have to wait years for a plot to come up.

You won’t make a fortune this way. On average, council allotments in Britain cost around £30 a year, so you won’t be able to charge much more than that. Nevertheless, if you can divide your garden into three or four plots, that would be £90 a year or more for no effort. What’s more, your garden will be tended on your behalf, and you’re quite likely to be offered produce your tenants can’t consume themselves.

If you’re not bothered about making money directly but would be willing to let someone grow crops on your land in exchange for a share of the produce (and maybe doing a few chores), the non-profit Lend and Tend organization may be able to help you. They put people with land in touch with others who might like to grow fruit and vegetables on it. They don’t allow landowners to charge fees, but plenty of other arrangements are possible. Here’s what they say on their site:

Got space to spare? Can’t garden? Find out who can!

Is your garden going to waste? 1000s of people are on waiting lists for an allotment and many people live in flats without a garden who are keen to garden. So, if your garden is looking unloved and you’ve no time or can’t garden, let someone else love it instead.

Share your garden so a Tender can grow some produce, you may end up with an abundance of edibles where weeds are currently thriving. Share your skills with a keen garden Tender and teach them how to get your garden blooming again. Share the burden of garden work with a Tender so they can benefit from enjoying a garden too. Lend and Tend, make gardening friends.

It sounds a great idea and you can register as a would-be garden lender (or tender) via the website. There is no charge for using the service, but as they have some operating costs, the organization does say that donations are appreciated. If money is tight, however, they are happy to accept help publicizing the service as well!

Another possibility if you live in an area attractive to tourists – or near festival sites, racecourses, and so on – is offering your garden as a campsite.

Campinmygarden.com claims to be the world’s first website advertising private gardens as “micro-campsites”. They operate world-wide. You can advertise your garden for free on the site, including pictures and a description. You can also set a fee of your choice. Around £10 a night is typical, though if you can offer additional services (e.g. bed and breakfast) you could charge more.

The website has various interactive features, including a link allowing would-be campers to ask landowners any questions they may have. There is also an eBay-style reviews and ratings system.

Here’s an example listing for ‘Vic’s Place’ in Camborne, Cornwall:

We live between Camborne and Helston in a peaceful rural location. Our camping area is rustic and basic, in a lovely secluded setting which has a magnetic, soothing quality! A standard camper van can access our place but the gates are not wide so best check the width if you plan to come in a van.

Well behaved dogs and children are welcome. There are several water sources on the property so families with younger children must take extreme care. We only accept parties of four or fewer, in the interests of peace.

Just up the road there is a natural spring from which you can get water (or we will supply tap water) and there is a shared composting toilet available. A delightful stream runs by the camping ground. There is a fire pit and you are welcome to collect kindling and small amounts of wood from around and about.

The nearest pub is a mile and a half away by road or a twenty-five minute walk across fields. There is a small shop selling basic supplies in the same location.

Hope to see you soon!

For more information visit Campinmygarden.com

More Ideas

A few other possibilities include…

Sell produce from your garden (you may need a permit from your local council for this).
Offer your garden as a venue for weddings and photo shoots (see also my earlier post about making money offering your home as a TV /movie location).
Host an open garden event (the National Garden Scheme can help with this) or even open your garden to the public.
Offer your garden as a venue for parties (to avoid hassle, stick to alcohol-free children’s parties).
Hire out your garden to local art groups.

There are still more ideas in this article on the Money Magpie website.

If you know any other good ways to profit from your garden, please do share them below.

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The Alternative Guide to Property Investment - Review

April 25, 2017

Review: The Alternative Guide to Property Investment by Frazer Fearnhead

Nick Investing property, crowdfunding 3 Comments

Today I’m reviewing a guide to property crowdfunding that has just been published by Frazer Fearnhead. The full title is The Alternative Guide to Property Investment: How to Build Your Property Portfolio via the New Property Crowdfunding Platforms.

The book is available in both hard copy and Kindle e-book form. I bought the e-book version, partly because (I admit it) I’m a cheapskate, but also because I wanted to get my hands on it as quickly as possible.

For those who may not know, Frazer is the founder and managing director of The House Crowd, one of the UK’s leading property crowdfunding platforms. In his book, he explains what property crowdfunding is and the pros and cons compared with other forms of investment. The book is organized in twenty-three main chapters (most of them quite short), as follows:

Why Invest in Property at All?
How Much Diversification is Sensible?
Why Property Investment is the Best Vehicle to Supplement Your Pension
Establishing Your Own Investment Criteria
Capital Growth vs Cash Flow
Residential vs Commercial
How to Beat the Averages and Give Yourself the Best Chance of Making a Successful Property Investment
The UK Property Market – 2017 and Beyond
Passive Property Investment
A Brief History of the Alternative Finance Industry
All About Equity Crowdfunding
How Does Property Crowdfunding Compare with Traditional Property Investment?
All About Peer-to-Peer Secured Lending
Commonly Asked Questions About Property Crowdfunding
Comparison: Equity Crowdfunding vs Peer-to-Peer
What Returns Can You Expect?
Taxation
How to Decide Whether Crowdfunding is Right for You
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Property Crowdfunding Platform
Using Your Pension to Invest via Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding Your Own Property Deals
FCA Regulated Companies
In Conclusion

My Review

The Alternative Guide to Property Investment is well written and neatly presented, with illustrations where relevant. It covers most things someone new to property crowdfunding would want to know. As I have been investing this way for several years (using The House Crowd and other platforms such as Property Partner and Crowdlords) quite a lot of the information was familiar to me already. Nonetheless, it is valuable to get Frazer’s perspective as one of the pioneers of property crowdfunding, and there is plenty of food for thought even for seasoned property investors.

Clearly, as the MD of The House Crowd, Frazer has a vested interest in promoting the attractions of property crowdfunding. Nonetheless, he gives a balanced view of the pros and cons and is not afraid to state that it does carry a degree of risk. I agree though with his view that people should not automatically rule it out because of this. While property crowdfunding is not as safe as putting your money in a bank savings account, the potential returns are much higher. And a variety of safeguards exist, including the fact that most property crowdfunding (except for the most speculative development projects) is secured by bricks and mortar. But of course, you should only invest in property crowdfunding as part of a balanced portfolio.

Another aspect of this book I liked is that it explains the range of investment opportunities now available in property crowdfunding. These include equity crowdfunding – the original and most familiar form of property crowdfunding – where investors purchase shares in a property and receive a proportion of the rent paid as well as capital appreciation when the property is sold. But the book also covers secured lending – an increasingly popular option – where investors provide cash to property owners and get the capital and interest back at the end of the loan period (typically 6 to 12 months). And finally, the book discusses property development projects, which offer greater potential profits but also involve bigger risks.

Another important topic covered in the book is taxation, and specifically how property crowdfunding can be used to make the most of your tax-free allowances. The latter include savings interest, dividends, and capital gains. This is a feature of property crowdfunding that can be highly advantageous for investors.

If you are new to property crowdfunding, The Alternative Guide to Property Investment will provide a concise and easily digestible introduction to this field, from someone who really does know this business inside and out. The asking price is modest, and all profits from sales are going to the charity Lifeshare who work with the homeless and vulnerable in Manchester (where Frazer was born).

If you have any comments about The Alternative Guide to Property Investment (or property crowdfunding more generally) please feel free to post them below and I will do my best to answer them. You might also enjoy reading my earlier post How to Profit from Property Crowdfunding, which sets out the basics of how property crowdfunding works.

Disclosure: I have a range of investments with The House Crowd and other property crowdfunding platforms, including development loans, secured lending and equity crowdfunding. I am also a shareholder in The House Crowd. I firmly believe that property crowdfunding can be a worthwhile addition to any investor’s portfolio, and have put my own money where my mouth is!

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January 31, 2017

How to Profit from Property Crowdfunding

Nick Investing property, crowdfunding 8 Comments

Updated November 2018: Crowdfunding and crowdlending are opportunities I particularly wanted to discuss on Pounds and Sense, so I thought I would kick off by looking at the investment possibilities offered by property crowdfunding.

As ever, I have to start with a disclaimer that I am not a qualified financial adviser. I am simply talking about this topic as an interested individual who has invested this way himself. You should do your own ‘due diligence’ before investing, and never risk money you cannot afford to lose in a worst-case scenario.

Why Property Crowdfunding?

Investing in bricks and mortar has long been a favourite strategy of the wealthy. Property owners get a double benefit: rent from tenants for as long as they own the property, and – in most cases – a profit if they choose to sell.

Of course, property doesn’t come cheap. And even if you can stretch to buying a modest house or flat for investment purposes, you are taking the risk of putting all your eggs in one basket. As a result, many people of more modest means have concluded that property investment is not for them.

Crowdfunding is changing all that, however. A growing number of platforms now exist that allow ordinary folk the chance to buy a share in an investment property for as little as £50. Investors then receive a proportion of the rental income generated, and also get a share of the profit when and if the property is sold.

I now have investments via three different property crowdfunding platforms – a block of flats in Torquay in which I own a small share is pictured above – but in this post I want to focus on one platform in particular, the UK-based Property Partner. This was only launched in January 2015, and has swiftly become the UK’s largest property crowdfunding website. They have over 9,060 investors, who between them have invested over £44 million in properties across the UK. Non-UK investors are welcome to join Property Partner too, so long as the legal system in their country permits it. Unfortunately, US residents are not able to invest this way at the moment.

One big attraction of Property Partner is that they have an active secondary market. That means investors can offer part or all of their portfolio for sale at any time.

Obviously, to sell your shares in a property you will need a buyer, but Property Partner say that so long as they are priced reasonably (i.e. at or below the current official price) shares normally sell within 72 hours. By contrast, other property crowdfunding platforms such as The House Crowd and CrowdLords do not run formal secondary markets, though they say they will always help would-be sellers find a buyer if required.

Another attraction of Property Partner is that dividends are paid monthly, unlike other platforms which typically pay annually. Money from dividends builds up in your account, and you can either withdraw it or reinvest it in other properties. When you add that you can get started on Property Partner for as little as £50, it is not all that surprising to me that they have enjoyed such success.

Understanding the Risks

With all property crowdfunding platforms, it is important to understand that there is an element of risk. Clearly, your returns may be affected if occupancy falls or there is a major issue affecting the property (e.g. a fire). Your money is not as safe as with a UK bank savings account (although of course the potential returns are much better).

It is therefore important not to put all your eggs in one basket. As mentioned, I have investments with three different property crowdfunding platforms, and within each platform I am invested in several different properties as well. I have only had one investment fail – a highly speculative development venture – and fortunately I only had the minimum amount invested in that.

On the positive side, I have made several thousand pounds profit from my property crowdfunding investments to date, and have been pleased with the net rate of return. With Property Partner alone I have around £5000 invested and made £500 profit in the last year or about a 10% return (allowing for both rental income and capital appreciation).

Clearly, I’m not saying that everyone should invest in Property Partner – that depends on your personal circumstances and investment goals, and you should always take professional advice if you have any doubts before investing. But if you are looking for a property crowdfunding platform to invest with, in my view they should definitely be at or near the top of your list.

Up to £750 Sign-up Bonus!

£2,000 – £30
£10,000 – £150
£20,000 – £300
£50,000 – £750

I do hope you have found this post on property crowdfunding of interest. As I mentioned earlier, this subject (and crowdfunding/lending in general) is one I intend to return to on Pounds and Sense regularly in future.

Of course, property crowdfunding is just one type of investment opportunity. If you’d like to learn more about investing in stocks and shares, check out this post on the excellent Financial Expert website.

Good luck, and if you have any comments or questions about property crowdfunding and/or Property Partner, please do post them below.

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