When it comes to money, the word ‘Collections’ can be pretty scary – but here at Kuflink, our cheerful Head of Collections Nattalie is anything but! Take a glimpse at how her department operates in our latest ‘Meet the Team’…

What is your role at Kuflink?

In short, we are here to ensure our borrowers repay their loan! In the collections team we keep track of all loan payments, chase payments and recover debt if need be.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day usually consists of checking on any incoming payments, adding or updating the borrowers loan profile on our system, chasing delayed payments and liaising with solicitors.

I’m also one of the Directors here, so I’m a part of the credit committee and have responsibility for helping to vet and approve new loan applications.

Which teams do you work with the most?

I’m in regular contact with almost all other teams, and I don’t think there is one internal team we work with more than another. We work alongside different teams for different reasons, such as passing information to marketing so that they can update our investors or speaking with cases to keep track of new loans.

I also keep a great relationship with solicitors, who help us and our borrowers to communicate more effectively.

What skills do you need to make a good collections officer?

We deal with numbers all day, so you’d have to be good at maths. You also need to understand risk and be able to look at new enquiries with a ‘common sense’ approach – if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Collections can obviously be quite a sensitive job, so I think it’s also important to be firm but fair.

What is the biggest challenge you face in your role?

I’m sure we’re all tired of hearing it, but Brexit uncertainty really is the biggest factor weighing on the housing market right now. Buyers and sellers are hesitant to act until we know more about what’s going on, so we have to factor that in to all our decisions.

What do you love about your job?

That’s easy: when a loan repays in full, the satisfaction that my job has been done!

Get to know the people behind your investments with our new weekly ‘Meet the Team’ posts. Have a question you’d like us to ask? Email your suggestions to hello@wp1www.kuflink.com 

Each time you lend to a deal on the Kuflink platform, you’re not only earning fantastic returns but also helping to fund an exciting business project somewhere in the UK.

Since we released the first tranche of Warwick Crescent way back in January 2018, you guys have been eagerly supporting our borrower each step of the way. We’re now just a few months away from completion, and wanted to share the amazing progress your funds have facilitated so far…

Let us refresh your memory

Warwick Crescent is a brand-new waterfront housing development of 9 high spec, 4-bedroom homes, all complete with their very own private garage, driveway and garden. It is based in the historic Kentish town of Rochester and has an anticipated gross development value of £5,075,000.00.

From hard work, to house, to home

As of 15^th January 2019, independent valuers certified that works to the value of circa £2,291,000.00 have taken place on site. So, what does a little over two million pounds get you when you’re constructing a brand new housing development?

• We started with a vacant site, that had been cleared ready for works to start
• First up, the access road was resurfaced, drainage installed and foundations laid for all nine properties
• Structural brickwork was then completed and roof structures added for all nine properties
• Next, the houses were made wind and water tight
• The builders then set about finishing the first fix of electrics and plumbing
• In February 2019, the homes were finally listed for sale!

No stopping us now!

Thanks to a bout of bad weather, our clients had to adjust their construction program with a slightly later completion date. However, after a lot of hard work, they are now approximately 3 weeks in front of their adjusted program!

Like this development as much as we do? Keep your eyes peeled for more exclusive opportunities to invest in Warwick Crescent, coming soon

Even the simplest of investments can be a lot to get your head around at first – we understand that.

Most of us focus on learning the risks and rewards on offer and, whilst that’s a great place to start, it’s really important that you don’t forget about tax. As with all income, you may have to pay tax on the returns you earn from your investments.

Thankfully, it’s not as difficult as you might think!

Here’s our quick guide to managing tax for your Kuflink investments…

You Have A Personal Allowance

Thanks to your Personal Savings Allowance, you may not need to pay any tax at all on your investment income. The amount of allowance you have depends on your income tax bracket:

Basic rate tax payer – £1,000

Higher rate tax payer – £500

Additional rate tax payer – £0

This means that if you are a basic rate tax payer, you could earn up to £1,000 in interest from your Kuflink investments before you need to start paying tax.

Earned More Than Your Allowance?

Clever you! For the income you do need to pay tax on, the following amounts will apply:

20% income tax if you are a basic rate taxpayer

40% income tax if you are a higher rate taxpayer

45% income tax if you are an additional rate taxpayer

Our Innovative Finance ISA Pays Tax-Free Returns!

Kuflink’s IF-ISA lets you use your annual ISA allowance to invest in peer to peer opportunities and earn up to 7% interest pa*, completely tax free. For the 2019/20 tax year, that means you can invest up to £20,000 and keep every penny you earn!

Ultimately, your tax liabilities are dependent on your individual circumstances. All investments are subject to HMRC requirements and if you are in any doubt as to your responsibilities, you should seek independent advice.

*Capital is at risk, not covered by the FSCS.