Pfida Reviews 

I have a GYS account with them. Had it for 2 years now. Get profit every month. Get an email every month notifying me of the profit. Had no issue whatsoever.

Was in the process of buying a property with them too. The process was smooth, although the communication could be a little faster. They were responsive and very helpful and clear at every step. At the end the property didn't fall through (seller issues) but was happy with Pfida' service. It's truly inspiring to see people trying to practice islamic finance the way it should be, not just renaming pig to cow and trying to sell it as halal. Keep up the good ethics.

Assalamu alaikum,

As a first-time buyer, I had a great experience with Pfida, Alhamdulillah. I purchased my home through Pfida and received the keys on 28/04/2025.

I am incredibly glad I chose Pfida as my lender. They truly stand out as one of the genuine providers of Islamic home finance in the UK. The entire Pfida team has been exceptionally helpful, understanding, and supportive throughout the process.

I highly recommend Pfida to anyone looking for a halal way to finance their home. A massive thank you to the entire team.

Nisthar Junaid
Bolton

Every experience I’ve had with the company I’ve come away feeling supported and reassured. Great team, assets to a great company with truly an inspirational and innovative vision. Grateful to be around for this to come to fruition.

I had a poor communication experience when it came to my turn on the waitlist and was devastated to (incorrectly) be told that the Home Purchase product was paused and not known when it would resume.

Since that happened, The CEO and founder reached out personally to explain the misinformation I had received. Reza Ullah put my mind at ease and apologies for the incorrect information that was given and in fact, everything was still in order and I was soon to be contacted for the onboarding process.

The customer service reached out and have since answered every question I had in great detail and I have started the onboarding process. I am looking forward to finally being able to own my own home in an ethical and Riba free way after living with parents and then having to rent for several years.

Thank you to brother Reza for reaching out and to sister Poppy Barker for the prompt advise I have received. I will update the review further down the line In Sha Allah.

I have had a GYS account for over a year and have put in a big deposit.
I was told that they will reach out to me in Oct 2024. I have tried to contact them 3 months and each time they say your reach out will be next month.
And in march there was no response on email except for an apology and them saying that they will contact me soon but there hasnt been a single follow up.
There isn’t even a phone number to contact.
I’m seriously considering taking legal action.
It’s a shame to represent islam (by halal finance) in this way.

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 full timescales for myself:
Signed up to GYS home account to being notified it's my turn: Jan 23 to 17/06/24
4 weeks to get decision in principle (DiP): 17/06/24 - 11/07/24
4 weeks to start full property application from house offer: 18/07/24 - 13/08/24
2 weeks for full property application: 13/08/24 - 29/08/24
Book level 3 survey: 29/08/24 - 20/09/24
3 weeks to receive correct report: 20/09/24 - 15/10/24
5 weeks to get gas, electric certificate, asbestos survey and do required works:
15/10/2024 - 21/11/24
Conveyancing stage where Pfida instructs their solicitor and do additional checks
21/11/24 - 17/01/25

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.

Rental rate is 6.4% when you include massive stamp duty.

Rent Increases Over Time – Pfida’s rental model means rental 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.

I recently completed a property purchase in Cardiff with Pfida, and while I’m grateful for their existence—without them, I would never have been able to buy a home—it was a long and often frustrating journey.

The Timeline & Funding Challenge

I initially invested in Pfida’s fund in October 2022 with the expectation that funding would be ready for me by January 2024. However, in January 2024, I was informed that I would need to wait another 18 months unless I invested an additional lump sum, which would allow funding to be available in June 2024. Even after that, my offer on my house was accepted in July 2024, but I didn’t receive the keys until January 2025—a six-month process that felt unnecessarily slow due to operational inefficiencies.

Why We Need Pfida to Succeed

I truly want Pfida to thrive because their model offers an ethical alternative where traditional mortgage options are either haram or other islamic mortgages come with terms that I couldn't get fully comfortable with. The ummah needs more products like this. However, the entire customer journey was filled with inefficiencies, delays, and some impractical contractual requirements. To their credit, Pfida showed some pragmatism, agreeing to certain amendments, but it’s clear they need to invest heavily in their systems, automation, and customer experience to scale successfully.

What Worked Well?

Manju, our dedicated handler, was excellent. She was prompt, listened to our concerns, and genuinely tried her best to make things work. However, she seemed limited by Pfida’s rigid policies and overall risk-averse approach.

The customer dashboard is well-designed, and the charts are a useful tool for tracking finances.

What Needs Improvement?

1. Excessive paperwork – We had to submit the same documents multiple times, often being asked for different forms of ID even after providing them earlier.
2. Limited solicitor and surveyor options – We were forced to use Pfida’s pool of solicitors and surveyors, who were slow and expensive. Additionally, we had to pay for the highest-level survey at our own expense, which felt excessive.
3. Unclear tax implications – The stamp duty land tax (SDLT) was significantly higher because the property is legally owned by an entity rather than an individual. This wasn’t clearly communicated on Pfida’s website, and it was a costly surprise.
4. Unrealistic rent calculations – The rent we are paying is £1,000 more per month than my current rental home, which is just one room smaller and one minute away. I understand this is how Pfida generates revenue, but it makes their product inaccessible to many Muslims. Without a more competitive structure, only high earners will be able to afford this model.
5. Concerns about rent increases – My suspicion is that Pfida will increase the rent aggressively at rent reviews, meaning I will need to actively reduce the equity balance to keep costs manageable.
6. Delays and lack of proactive communication – We had to chase frequently for updates and push to keep things moving. A more structured and transparent process would have made a huge difference.

Final Thoughts

I am grateful to Reza and the Pfida team for creating this model, but under their current operations, I struggle to see how they will scale. They should look at conventional bank processes, particularly around the customer journey, automation, and reducing unnecessary restrictions.

Pfida has a huge opportunity, but they need to refine their execution if they truly want to make homeownership accessible for more Muslims.

I am really frustrated from the lack of communication from this company, I made a top up in December 2024 and since then the top up amount did not show on the dashboard in full.
I have been sending emails back and forth since then.
They have stopped responding and there is no direct number that I can use to get in touch with them or complain or ask for a refund.
Lately, I am getting a postmaster failure message when I am trying to email them back.

The amount of lack of communication is really worrying. I can't even know what the next step to chase this issue, I even tried get in touch with them on linked in with no joy
Updates : the email communication is back...they said it's a technical error and they are working on it ....not resolved yet
Updates: the top up is recognised on the dashboard after almost 2 months ....took longer than expected but sorted

I learnt about Pfida 3 years ago through the webinars that they hosted. During the webinar, I was led to believe that the effective rates were competitive against even the high street bank providers. Due to this - I scraped all the savings me and my family had to book our spot on the waitlist, with a goal to meet the criteria to get financing within the 18-24 month timeframe.

Having been part of the waitlist for the best part of 2 years, you can imagine our excitement when our turn finally came up. We quickly found a property that fit the criteria and submitted the full purchase application. It took 2 weeks to get an illustration back, of which the payments ended up being significantly higher than the next sharia complaint finance provider.

This was a shock given that Pfida’s online literature would lead one to believe that the rental amount is based on the equity in the property, as well as the average rent in the area. Having gathered this information and presented it to Pfida - I was given a response that in essence tells me that they only use the local rent as part of the calculation, and that they come up with the figure based on their running costs and what they need to turn a profit, but will also be in-line with the top end of property rentals.

Let me make it clear, there is no issue in that - I just wish this information would have been laid out clearer on the outset. Additionally, the fact they tack on the Stamp Duty for an additional dwelling to the cost of the house, means even if you are to use their online calculator to try and budget for what to expect, you’ll be off by a good few hundred pounds (depending on your deposit size of course).

I asked Pfida to divest my full deposit amount. After some challenges in comms, which I have been informed is due to them porting from one CRM system to another, thankfully I was able to get my funds returned to me promptly.

I still truly believe in the product they offer, in a market that desperately needs it. However I would say this product is better suited to people with +30% deposits and if I had that type of capital - I would have stuck with them in sha Allah.

It’s also important to note that they are working on legal methods for the business to avoid the additional dwelling SDLT. This will bring the costs down substantially and make it a much more viable product to those, like us, with 20% deposits.

I hope this feedback can be beneficial to the business, and others.

We completed the house purchase on the 13th of December Alhamdulillah. The whole process from the point of getting a call up to getting the keys took about 7 and a half months. There are various checks that need to be approved by Pfida and this is even more applicable when purchasing a very old home which was our case. As a consequence it resulted in the owners pulling out around the 5 month mark. After some communication we got the ball rolling again but the sale was almost jeopardised when further enquiries were raised around the time of completion. Therefore it's important to be aware that this process ( I guess the same with any other provider) doesn't happen in a day so patience is very important. Moreover it is important to be proactive and meet all requests as soon as possible. The process required a lot of patience and it was difficult as so much effort was being made for something that could fall through so easily. My advice for that bit was to constantly renew intentions and remember that Haram comes easy. This is all for the sake of Allah

It's also important to note that there are arrangement fees and fees you need to cover for your own solicitor (Pfida can recommend. IBW were great) and the fees for the Pfida solicitor. Moreover it is important to note the fees for the L3 Survey, any fees for further inspections that may be requested from the survey. 100% of the Stamp duty is also added to your total which further increases your monthly payments. (If I am not mistaken, you will also need to pay the full stamp duty payment when you aquire 100% shares of the house to transfer the property completely to your name) Therefore a large deposit (20% or ideally more, although 15,10% cases can still be looked into) will be very helpful to help offset the above

The app is just brilliant and allows you to play around with the figures to see things like how quick you can aquire the whole house if you pay X figure. It allows you to pay that figure over 3 months or more than 3 months which is great flexibility. This is a brilliant perk over the conventional mortgage. Moreover, the monthly dividens payments you get whilst you wait for a call up is really nice. You also get rental discounts when you keep up with your payment targets so even more money is going towards equity payment rather than rental payment which is really nice. This shows Pfida truly care and really want the people they serve to reach home ownership (however this is not forced and you can just make rental payments if you wish. This takes the debt element away as you are not obliged to pay the equity payments every month. Its also nice that any fluctuations on payments are based on rental rates and other factors but not based on mortgage rates. These fluctuations are capped and can even go down aswell. Ultimately the biggest perk is finding a truly ethical and halal solution to owning a home. Despite the test of patience throughout the process, that alone makes it all worthwhile

PFida offers a genuinely Halal and ethical solution for buying your dream home. Their Grow-Your-Saving and Investment Schemes provide an excellent alternative to conventional banking, allowing you to grow your savings with Halal profits instead of interest. This innovative model not only helps you build your capital but also empowers others to achieve homeownership the Halal way.

It’s more than just an investment; it’s a community-driven initiative for ethical financial growth. I encourage more homebuyers and investors to explore PFida and contribute to this incredible movement!

Pleasant and refreshing company; supplying a genuine alternative for Muslims looking to invest in property and become homeowners in a halal manner.

Pfida has been a pleasure to deal with and has allowed us to realise our dream of owning property without being shackled into interest.

After 22 months of Joining Pfida (primary finance), AlhamadALLAH I have the keys to my house.

After extensive research no one can come near from a Shariah compliance when it comes to buying a house in a Halal way.

The only issue for me was lack of communication sometimes but I was assured by the CEO that they are on track to provide a better communication platform.

If you want to buy a house in halal way, then Pfida is your best option. But be prepared to be patient.

And remember you are doing this for sake of ALLAH and to please ALLAH, not anyone else

I'd like to preface this review with the fact that choosing the only halal/ethical alternative in the UK to a traditional mortgage will always have a premium. In this case, it's worth noting that Pfida is one that's competitive with the conventional 'Islamic Mortgages' out there. Comparing Pfida's home purchase plan to the BENEFITS of a conventional mortgage would be unwise and I will not be doing this here.

This aside now, we completed on a house on Friday 18th October, 2024. I cannot speak highly enough of Pfida and I'm incredibly excited for their plans for expansion in the near future.

BENEFITS:
- True shared ownership (cleverly done)
- The price of the house stays the same and there is no revaluation of the property like other finance providers out there
- Pfida is truly for the people, which is reflected in their staff. I cannot praise Lily, Richard, Raza, and the team behind the scenes enough. Our house was a complicated case and they took our opinions into consideration. Lily actually fought our corner and championed our views even when a decision had already been made. Pfida is incredibly lucky to have a team that really cares for the community it serves. I cannot sing Lily's praises enough - or Raza's for that matter.
- No over-payment charges
- Flexible monthly payments with a discount feature that allows you to buy more equity with your target monthly payment
- Equity buffer means that you can pay your rent with your equity if you are unable to pay each month (a bank would work to evict you after two missed payments)
- Great use of fintech! Everything is so accessible and easy to understand. We'll be playing with this soon.
- Halal return on investment in the form of dividends; it's worth noting our monthly return during our investment period with them ended up paying for the majority of our solicitor fees
- No zakat needed to pay on active investments, meaning the size of your deposit isn't reduced annually
- It is ethical and avoid a war with Allah (we would have gone with Pfida even if their fees were extortionate as it is pretty much the only halal option on the market right now.
- Everything is personal and done on a case by case basis
- As your share in the property goes up, your rent goes down

THINGS TO CONSIDER:
- If you need to complete quickly, this is not for you. That being said, two of my friends put in an offer in the same week as us on their respective properties. One friend with Santander: offer to completion was 6 months; another friend with Gatehouse and offer to completion was 7 months. It goes to show what's meant for you won't evade you. It just may take a little longer.
- You have to pay for a L3 Building survey. We paid circa £850, but because of the report, we reduced the price of the house by £8,500 so absolutely no complaints there!
- Money laundering and such checks are understandably thorough (that being said my friend at Gatehouse had the same, if not more, lengthy checks)
- Not covered by the FSCS, but anything that is covered by the FSCS is most likely not halal. The lack of accreditation is a testament to its Shariah compliance.

The product is ethical & the most halal on the market. Alhamdulilah I managed to cross the line and secure a property on the second attempt.

The reason I can only give it 3 stars is for the following:
-Currently it is not a competitive product compared to your high st mortgage. Both attempts took around 7 months each time, and I know if I went elsewhere I could wrap up within 2 to 3 months (although not as halal). The point is that sellers expect to sell within 2 to 3 months, not many are prepared to wait 6 to 7 months to process.
- Secondly the communication level was up and down, sometimes I will get a response to an email within a day or 2, sometimes it could be a couple of weeks with me sending a couple of reminders. I understand that there are many different departments involved in decisions, but they need to streamline the processes and communicate better. Perhaps some sort of interactive flowchart could be developed, so the buyer can see where on the map they are in the process and what is left.
-Also separately in my first attempt to buy a house I went with the solicitor that Pfida recommended. That solicitor was absolutely useless, I ended up sending more emails and doing the telephone calls between the estate agent, the seller's solicitor and Pfida more than my solicitor did. They were not engaged and possibly could have cost me the first purchase, as so much time had elapsed that more complications came (the house was part of rental portfolio).
On the second attempt I used my own solicitor from kuddus firm, the difference was night and day.

With everything being said, I had a very good experience with the different staff at Pfida, very polite and kind. Where possible they tried to accommodate me as much as possible. I just wish the process could have been quicker.

Pfida are an organisation founded on Ethical principles. From inception they were very helpful and went the extra mile to help me buy the property I wanted.

As an investor in Pfida it’s refreshing to see a leadership team recognise culture as an important component of building a successful business. Everyone I’ve met from the business is aligned with the mission set by an open and humble exec team.

Have always wanted and was never available when I was looking for deals in my younger age. All for what Pfida stands for and trying to achieve is something I am all for and hugely supportive. The idea that everyone could have a non riba based option when buying a home that is competitive and easily accessible is the goal. So have tried to support. I know the team personally and have invested. Was all smooth and easy to work with team. No issues.

Brilliant organisation run by the most trustworthy, professionally component and diligent people.

No doubt they are taking buying a home to the next level. A transaction in which they become an equity partner rather than a debt you owe them. The true purpose of finance.

I have also spoken to various happy existing customers. Keep up the hard work team Pfida!

I would highly recommend and happy to openly endorse!

I recently completed on a purchase with Pfida for my first home. Highly recommend them, Alhamdulillah for a halal means of purchasing a House.