Credit Peers Revolutionizes Property Investment In The UK

Large property transactions were once a business only open to major institutions and banks. But with the launch of Credit Peers, a peer-to-business property platform, individuals can now lend to property companies investing in major commercial property acquisitions and developments.

In a press release, Credit Peers said it aims to dramatically speed up the process of property financing, allowing a lender to make loans within minutes, while giving a borrower access to money within weeks. The minimum loan amount is £500.

According to Credit Peers, the 2015 U.K. Alternative Finance report found that property is the fastest-growing and most popular form to loan money, garnering potentially high returns. Research shows that U.K. consumers are more open to property as an investment more than other options, with 65 percent saying they would like lenders to invest their money into property or real estate, almost double the next most popular avenues: stocks and shares (33 percent) and commodities (33 percent).

As a result, more than a million people have been quick to lend to those who want to borrow via the P2P route as an alternative method to saving. P2P has become increasingly popular as consumers lose faith in their banks. In fact, research undertaken by Credit Peers found that 59 percent of the 1,000 respondents said they trust their bank less than they did a year ago.

“The current economic environment of low interest rates, volatile stock markets and high house prices offers very little to the average consumer looking to make a better return on their money,” said Torsten Hartmann, CEO of Credit Peers. “Add to this the current distrust of traditional investment vehicles, and the situation is bleak. We are setting out to revolutionize and democratize property financing by focusing on quality, speed, control and transparency.”

Credit Peers only does business with professional real estate investors and developers as borrowers and implements strict lending criteria. The company only matches funds to projects that are verified and managed by experienced and professional real estate investors and developers with successful track records that offer significant security. In addition, the company was created by a team of five property financing experts with over 100 years combined experience in the sector within the top-tier lending and investment banking community, including Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs.

“Credit Peers deals with all types of property from multi-residential to office and retail and accepts individual lenders, but we only deal with a special type of borrower,” said Hartmann. “This is what sets us apart from the P2P lending market. We are passionate about the importance of P2B as a way to offer the public additional peace of mind that their loans are made to well-established borrowers in the property market.”