It is no secret that the UK suffers from a structural under-supply of housing. The government has said it is committed to delivering 300,000 homes a year by the mid 2020s[i]. Yet this target is far from being reached. Covid-19 has introduced new challenges to this target: according to estimations by Savills published in June 2020[ii], last year (in 2020-21) 171,000 new homes will be built in England, 66% of the number built the previous year. A more recent report published in May[iii] suggests that despite new homes completions in England being unusually high at the start of this year, the number of homes delivered in the year to Q1 2021 in England was -13% below the previous year at 220,726, and that higher rates of delivery over the last three quarters have not made up for the disruption of the first lockdown in Q2 2020.
Amid this structural under-supply of housing, Blend Network is committed to help SME property developers unlock the funding they need to build more homes. For example, the loans we funded during the first seven months of the year will help fund the construction of nearly 160 residential units and over 100 HMOs across the UK. In Q2 alone, the loans we funded will help with the construction of 69 much-needed residential units and two 6-bed HMOs across the UK. Our lenders are glad to invest in 8-12% return p.a. loans but helping developers unlock funding to build more homes is also an important motivation for lenders.
If you are also interested in finding out more about how you can invest in property-secured loans with Blend Network, head to www.blendnetwork.com and register as a lender today.
Your capital is at risk if you lend to businesses. P2P lending is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Investments are illiquid (the inability to sell assets quickly or without substantial loss in value). Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
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[i] Government announces new housing measures – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
[iii] Source: https://www.savills.co.uk/research_articles/229130/314632-0
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