Zoopla opens property investment portal

Online property hub Zoopla is entering the alternative finance space, announcing partnerships with Landbay and Bricklane.com.

Property website Zoopla has opened up a new “Invest” channel, allowing investors to gain exposure to the UK property market for as little as £100. Landbay is the partner-of-choice on the buy-to-let mortgage side. The platform, which has lent a cumulative total of close to £43m (according to the Liberum AltFi Volume Index UK), is now prominently displayed on Zoopla’s newly launched “Invest” page, where investors can sign up to the platform directly.

The partnership could be a real boon to Landbay. Zoopla, launched back in 2008, now generates upwards of 40 million visits each month as one of the UK’s leading property sites.

“This partnership with Zoopla Invest is a natural next step for us at Landbay,” said Landbay CEO John Goodall. “Investors haven’t had the smoothest of rides this year, and with interest rates falling to record lows last month, many people are understandably just looking for a reliable and rewarding place to put their money. Landbay was the fastest growing peer to peer lending platform last year, giving investors stable returns on their investments, from a tried and trusted underlying asset class, the buy-to-let mortgage market.”

On the equity side, Zoopla has partnered with Bricklane.com, an ISA-wrapped property investment channel, again with a barrier to investment of just £100 a pop. Bricklane, which is effectively an online real estate investment trust (REIT), describes itself as the “first online property ISA”. The product is covered by the FSCS for up to £50k.

“We are delighted to be launching this great opportunity for anyone to invest in the UK property market from as little as £100,” said Zoopla founder and CEO Alex Chesterman (pictured above). “Property investment has never been available to the masses before in this way and for those looking to get onto the property ladder or saving towards a property purchase, the ability to ensure that their investments keep pace with the property market is essential.”