More and more people are looking at ethical ways to invest their cash and make it work for them and others. Last year, investors placed more than £1bn into ethical investment funds. Now P2P lender, JustUs, is offering savers the opportunity to help build homes for some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.
JustUs has partnered with property developer, Mersten, to launch the Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) investment.
Initial funds will be used to renovate and develop a property in south-west London, which will help house residents with learning disabilities and those that require 24/7 care.
The IFISA aims to raise £367,500 and will offer a return up to of 6.5 percent to investors, whilst providing a bridging loan to Mersten for up to 50% of the property’s value to fund the renovation.
Mersten provides an integrated and human approach to property development. With extensive experience in property and social care, it has become a leading provider of bespoke homes for vulnerable people.
Founder and Chief Executive of JustUs, Lee Birkett, said: “We’re delighted to be working alongside Mersten to offer this unique investment opportunity. It will make a real difference to those people who require bespoke homes and 24-hour care.
“This project is an extremely attractive proposition for those savers who are looking for ethical projects where their money can work for them and others. Our aim is to fund 100 properties over the next two years, so it’s extremely exciting to launch the first of these projects.”
The IFISA opportunity will pay monthly interest and there are no fees attached. Loans are covered by a first legal charge over the security of the properties. All JustUs cash is held within the new ring-fenced Barclays Bank UK PLC.
JustUs is one of the few peer-to-peer lending platforms that has maintained full transparency with investors since its inception in 2016.
