Alhamdulillah, I purchased a halal home through Pfida and received the keys on 17/01/25. While I am grateful to avoid riba, my experience with Pfida’s service was frustrating due to delays, miscommunication, and hidden costs. The Issues I Faced: 1. Misleading Timelines – Pfida initially stated that the conveyancing process would take 2-4 months from the full application stage. However, both their underwriters and my solicitor indicated a 5-6 month timeframe. From my experience and speaking with other Pfida customers, the reality is 6-7 months, making their advertised timeline misleading. 2. Slow Underwriting Process – Getting a Decision in Principle (DiP) took 4 weeks, followed by another 4 weeks before they even started the full property application. They initially rejected my property before the full application process, due to high Radon level, without providing evidence. I purchased a £4 report to show that my property was fine. Pfida did not carry out an accurate check for my property and they checked the whole area instead. The document requirements were excessive, requiring months of payslips, bank statements for both DiP and full application stage, and even two years of P60s. They also asked about numerous transactions, including small ones. 3. Communication Issues – Pfida mainly communicates via email, which led to delays when other parties (estate agents, surveyors, solicitors) missed their messages. There is no phone support, meaning I often had to chase third parties myself, essentially doing Pfida’s job. My seller became frustrated and nearly pulled out due to the prolonged process, especially as their mortgage offer was expiring. In fact, the seller had to email Pfida’s CEO directly to speed things up. 4. Strict and Costly Survey Requirements – Pfida’s surveyor flagged numerous issues, some reasonable but others excessive. Initially, they insisted I demolish and rebuild my garage at a cost of 35k within 3 months, which was unrealistic. After multiple discussions, they allowed me to repair it at a lower cost within 6 months. Pfida requires gas and electrical safety certificates, something typical residential buyers do not need, which frustrated my seller. 5. Mistakes and Delays in Offer Letters – Pfida sent incorrect offer letters twice and only provided the correct one a few days before completion, adding unnecessary stress. 6. Final Conveyancing Delays and Last-Minute Requests – Once I reached the conveyancing stage, I expected the process to move smoothly. However, Pfida informed me that it would take another 12 weeks, despite us already being in a lengthy process. It was only due to my seller’s persistence and direct complaints to Pfida that things were expedited. Even then, Pfida introduced last-minute property enquiries and costly requests, adding further frustration to the seller and I. 7. Unexpected and High Costs – Pfida is more expensive than other Islamic home finance options. Hidden costs include: Landlord Stamp Duty (16k for myself) – not clearly stated on their website. When I eventually fully own my home, I will have to pay stamp duty again. Ongoing Certification Costs – Annual gas and electrical certificates, and an EPC certificate every 10 years. Expensive Legal and Survey Fees – Pfida’s solicitor cost 1.3k, and their surveyor charged £930. Rent Increases Over Time – Pfida’s rental model means payments increase in line with house prices, meaning monthly payments could double over 30 years. Positives About Pfida: Fully Halal – Pfida’s model is completely interest-free with no grey areas, unlike Gatehouse and StrideUp. Some Flexibility in Property Criteria – They allowed me to purchase a home slightly below EPC C (I am required to improve it within 3 years) and older than their usual 80-year limit (mine was 86 years old). Friendly and Professional Staff – While the process was frustrating, their staff were polite and responsive via email. Streamlined Document Upload System – Pfida asks for documents in bulk and uses an online portal, which made submissions easier.

Personally, I would avoid using this company based on my experience. Communication has been consistently slow and unhelpful — on average, it takes around two weeks to receive a response, and even then, the replies are often vague or fail to properly address the questions raised - likely due to junior inexperienced staff being deployed at the front end. When you’ve invested a significant amount of money, timely and clear communication should be a basic expectation, not a luxury. While I understand that this is a relatively new company, they’re handling real people’s money - and that should come with a higher standard of accountability!!!! There appears to be no clear escalation process in place for concerns, and there’s no way to speak with someone directly, which adds to the frustration. There also seem to be important ambiguities around key issues such as stamp duty, which are not made clear at the outset. Whether that’s due to oversight or something else, it’s either careless or disingenuous. My view is that the focus from leadership should shift from aggressive marketing to actually resolving these operational issues. Like many others, I was drawn in by the marketing and invested significantly, but based on the overall experience and lack of transparency, I no longer feel comfortable proceeding with this company. I have therefore requested to withdraw my money — but it’s now been around 10 days and I’m still waiting to even get a response back.