Proplend – reviews, analysis and fees

Proplend is a peer-to-peer business lender that specialises in commercial mortgages – but does it have good reviews?

Customers that register with Proplend can apply for a loan to purchase a building they will base their business within, repaying an external investor for the loan plus interest.

This is a model you could turn to it seeking a commercial mortgage without involving a bank or building society, but be warned that Proplend is not the easiest lender to obtain funding from – you’ll need a pretty substantial deposit and face a thorough examination of your finances.

Proplend property loans and commercial mortgages

• Pros and cons
• Commercial mortgages
• Business loans
• Asset finance
• Invoice finance
• Merchant cash advance
• Business vehicle finance
• Business credit cards
• Proplend key information
• Proplend reviews
• Business eligibility criteria
• Business finance alternatives
• Additional considerations
• FAQ

Pros and cons of Proplend for business finance 

Pros	Cons
✓ Reasonable interest rates on commercial mortgages	✗ Strict lending criteria – most mortgage borrowing is capped at 50% of the property’s value
✓ Comparatively fast payouts in successful applications	✗ Most online reviews are from investors, not borrowers
✓ Interest rates are in line with the rest of the industry	✗ Peer-to-peer lending is not for everybody – you may prefer a loan from a central vault

Commercial mortgages

Mortgages and property finance are the core offering of Proplend. These products come in three forms:

• Commercial property mortgages
• Commercial bridging loans
• Commercial property VAT loans

Commercial property mortgages

Borrow up to £5,000,000 as a mortgage to purchase a commercial property. This could be a building that you plan to run your business from, or one that you will lease out to another paying business. 

On paper loans are available for up to 75% of the property value, but many applications will be restricted to 50% to protect investors. 

Interest rates on these mortgages start at 5.95%, and you’ll need a minimum rental yield of 1.25 times the monthly repayment if taking out the mortgages on a buy-to-let basis.

Commercial bridging loans

A short-term loan, issued on an interest-only basis, that will need to be repaid in full within 18 months. This loan is designed for a business that requires rapid funding but has a clear exit strategy, such as a situation where you need to lay down a deposit on a new property but will not complete the sale of another – and receive the proceeds – for several months.

Commercial property VAT loans

Borrow the funds required to settle the VAT bill attached to the purchase of a commercial property, plus a fee, which Proplend will recover from HMRC.

Business loans

✗ Not available through Proplend. See business loans.

Asset finance

✗ Not available through Proplend. See asset finance.

Invoice finance

✗ Not available through Proplend. See invoice factoring.

Merchant cash advance

✗ Not available through Proplend. See merchant cash advance.

Business vehicle finance

✗ Not available through Proplend. See business vehicle finance. 

Business credit cards

✗ Not available through Proplend. See best business credit cards. 

Proplend key information

Phone number	020 3637 8418
App downloads	N/A
Website	www.proplend.com
Number of branches	N/A
FSCS protected?	No
Founded	2003

Proplend reviews

Review platform	Score	Number of votes
TrustPilot	3.6/5	86
Feefo	Not reviewed	N/A
Reviews.io	Not reviewed	N/A
Smart Money People	3/5	3
Which?	Not reviewed	N/A
Average score	3.3/5	89

Business eligibility criteria

Proplend is quite restrictive on who it lends to in order to protect investors, which most mortgages only available at a 50% loan-to-value ratio. This means that you’ll need to pay at least half of the property’s value as a deposit before taking out a commercial mortgage.

Also be aware that all borrowers from Proplend will need to secure their commercial mortgage against a residential property as collateral.

Business finance alternatives

Not everybody will be comfortable with the idea of peer-to-peer borrowing for their commercial mortgage. If you prefer a more straightforward application, consider InterBay, Cambridge & Counties Bank, Assetz Capital, Mansfield Building Society, or Together Finance

Additional considerations

As Proplend is a comparatively young business, and peer-to-peer lending on mortgages is still a relatively new model, this business is yet to reach profitability. However, Proplend has confirmed that its first six VAT loans have now been repaid in full. This should ensure that investors feel safe with this business model, and will continue to pump money into Proplend – and, by extension, allow more SMEs to obtain a commercial mortgage this way.

FAQ