Don\u2019t like the sound of a conventional mortgage? Neither do we. If you want to purchase a home, there are some great alternatives out there to secure funding.<\/p>\n
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In this article, we\u2019ll cover three alternatives<\/strong> to a mortgage<\/strong> and six different places<\/strong> where you can find them.<\/p>\n The three alternative categories to a traditional mortgage we\u2019ll cover are:<\/p>\n Muslim or non-Muslim <\/strong>\u2013 these are certainly worth taking a look at. But first, why look for an alternative?<\/p>\n Don\u2019t get me wrong, a conventional mortgage could be great, and you could find a good deal. However, consider the following points:<\/p>\n We have a full table comparing the pros and cons of an Islamic mortgage<\/strong><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n Ok, now let\u2019s get into the first of our three alternatives \u2013 the HPP.<\/p>\n An HPP is a type of mortgage product designed to prevent the mortgagee from paying interest.<\/p>\n There are three different types of HPPs:<\/p>\n Check out our <\/em>detailed article<\/em><\/a> on the HPP, I\u2019ve made a few summary points below. For a deeper explanation of all three<\/strong> in more detail, see Islamic Mortgages Guide<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n the most common HPP is the Diminishing Musharaka<\/strong><\/p>\n There are two places to find an HPP:<\/p>\n You can find a HPP plan at any Islamic bank. These are banks that do not believe in dealing in interest. Rather, everything is equity-based. That means, a lot of the dodgy credit card and extortionate activities that some elements of the mainstream lending world engage in \u2013 are avoided.<\/p>\n The two main Islamic banks are Al Rayan and Gatehouse. You can compare between them here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Strideup is the new kid on the block and we expect it to go live in the first half of 2021. We don\u2019t know what their pricing will be like but we expect it to be competitive with the Islamic banks.<\/p>\n Strideup is regulated and we\u2019ve known the guys behind it for a number of years now. A reliable, quality outfit.<\/p>\n Now let\u2019s move to our second alternative of a conventional mortgage \u2013 shared ownership.<\/p>\n Many people can\u2019t afford to buy a home on the open market. It\u2019s an expensive commitment.<\/p>\n A \u2018shared ownership\u2019 scheme means you buy a share of a property and pay rent to a not-for-profit organisation for the remaining share. There are also for-profit organisations that do this, as discussed next.<\/p>\n This is a great option for those on a low income, little capital or no help from The Bank of Mum and Dad.<\/p>\n There are a number of ways to own a house through a shared ownership scheme, including through the government.<\/p>\n Note on the below options: Heylo Housing is only live approximately once a year. Wayhome and Primary Finance are not live yet. The government schemes require you to meet their criteria which is discussed below. <\/em><\/p>\n Heylo Housing<\/a> is an alternative to a mortgage. It provides a shared-ownership model where you can buy back as much (or as little) of your house as you like.<\/p>\n Generally, they are most suitable for those who are otherwise struggling to get an Islamic mortgage with a mainstream Islamic bank \u2013 because Heylo\u2019s rates tend to be more expensive and not worth it if you can go for an Islamic bank instead.<\/p>\n From a sharia perspective they\u2019re great, as they don\u2019t lock you into buying back the Heylo portion of the house, and as such there isn\u2019t a \u201cdebt-like\u201d element to the structure like there arguably is with a standard HPP.<\/p>\n Wayhome<\/a>, formerly Unmortgage, provides a shared-ownership model. They\u2019re well-funded like Heylo and we\u2019re excited to see what they come up with when they finally launch.<\/p>\n Primary Finance<\/a> is a start-up that is still going through the FCA regulatory process. We\u2019re very excited about them \u2013 provided they secure the financing they need to be able to execute on their vision. Check out our podcast with them here<\/strong><\/a>. In a nutshell, they too are an alternative to a mortgage and provide a shared ownership structure \u2013 but they believe that they can offer such a structure at Islamic bank (or lower) rates. Big aims \u2013 but if they achieve it, I\u2019ll be switching for sure!<\/p>\n You may be able to get financial help from the government<\/strong> to buy a home. This is through shared ownership of a home through a housing association. You buy a share of your home (between 25% and 75%) and pay rent on the rest.<\/p>\n Criteria<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n You can buy a home through shared ownership if your household earns \u00a380,000 a year or less (or \u00a390,000 a year or less in London) and any of the following apply:<\/p>\n For more info, check the Gov website<\/a>.<\/p>\n A quick search and you will find properties that are on the market under shared ownership schemes.<\/p>\n Now for our final alternative to a traditional mortgage \u2013 crowdfunding.<\/p>\n This is similar to the shared ownership scheme, but with some key differences.<\/p>\n Here the buyer<\/strong> purchases his share of the property. The investors<\/strong> who are a number of people that come from the public have crowdfunded money to also own a share. The investors will receive rent for the part they own from the buyer.<\/p>\n In contrast, in the Shared Ownership scheme, you\u2019ll just have a buyer and one developer\/council.<\/p>\n CrowdToLive<\/a> is a property crowdfunding platform that does exactly this. They are FCA regulated.<\/p>\n A Shared Ownership scheme typically requires a minimum purchase of a 25% share of the property. This will still be too high for many people. CrowdToLive allows the buyer to invest with only a 5% share, making it much easier for people to get on the property ladder.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to invest with CrowdtoLive \u2013 they offer around 5% yields per annum and you can register here<\/a>.<\/p>\n They are still very early in their journey so probably one to keep a tab on \u2013 but what they\u2019re doing is very intriguing and interesting.<\/p>\n For a big investment like a house purchase, you should look at every avenue. Hopefully some of the above will give you food for thought.<\/p>\n If you are hungry, we\u2019ve got plenty of further reading on our website.<\/p>\n To summarise, the three alternative categories to a traditional mortgage we covered were:<\/p>\n The six places where you can find them are StrideUp, Wayhome, Primary Finance, Heylo, an Islamic mortgage and CrowdToLive.<\/p>\n We at IFG have our own Islamic mortgage comparison<\/strong> here<\/a> where you can compare all the available providers. Combine your research by looking here<\/a> for the best Islamic mortgage calculators.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, you can follow me on Twitter<\/strong><\/a> or LinkedIn.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Don\u2019t like the sound of a conventional mortgage? Neither do we. 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Why not a conventional mortgage?<\/h1>\n
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1) Home Purchase Plan (HPP)<\/h1>\n
What is an HPP?<\/h2>\n
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How does an HPP work?<\/h2>\n
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Where can I get an HPP?<\/h2>\n
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Islamic bank<\/h3>\n
StrideUp<\/h3>\n
2) Shared Ownership<\/h1>\n
What is shared ownership?<\/h2>\n
Where can I get this?<\/h2>\n
Heylo Housing<\/h3>\n
Wayhome<\/h3>\n
Primary Finance<\/h3>\n
Local Council or Developers<\/h3>\n
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3) Crowdfunding<\/h1>\n
What is it?<\/h2>\n
Where can I get this?<\/h2>\n
Conclusion<\/h1>\n
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