Rebuildingsociety - Risk and return review
Rebuildingsociety - Returns and loss rates
Rebuildingsociety – Platform statistics 2026
Rebuildingsociety – Pros & Cons
About Rebuildingsociety
What it is
Rebuildingsociety is a UK peer-to-business lending platform, lending since 2013, where you lend to small and medium-sized businesses. Its statistics page shows 855 funded loans, £41 million lent and 1,934 lenders who have invested (October 2026, figures undated). Loans are often at high rates: a loan open for funding in November 2026 paid 15% a year.
How it works
You choose loans yourself or let the automatic tools do it: BidPal bids on new loans by the risk band, rate and amount you set, putting at most 5% of your available money into each loan, and BuyPal buys on the secondary market. Each loan is split into small parts. You can lend through a normal account or an Innovative Finance ISA from £10.
Returns
The statistics page shows an average net return of 15.4%, without saying over which period, on what base, or whether bad debts are deducted. The platform's own earlier figures were much lower: a lifetime net return of 5.65% a year in December 2022, down from 6.72% in December 2019, and a rolling 12-month net return of 1.23% in December 2022. No newer net return is published, so treat the 15.4% with caution.
Losses and defaults
Defaults have been high. In December 2022, 14.26% of the capital still out on public loans (just over £2 million) was in default, after 19.11% in February 2022. The platform's bad-debt chart shows losses of roughly 5% to 21% of the money lent in each year from 2013 to 2019, highest for 2016 lending; loans from 2020 onwards show almost no losses so far, but loans still in recovery are not counted. No default rate after 2022 is published.
What secures your money
Every borrower must offer security, but what that means depends on the size of the loan. For loans up to £50,000 a personal guarantee from the business owner can be enough; a guarantee is a promise, not an asset. Above £50,000 the borrower must offer an asset: a legal charge on property, a business asset with an independent valuation, or an all-asset debenture, after checking that no other debenture is registered. Some loans also have buyback guarantors: other lenders, certified as high-net-worth or sophisticated, who agree to buy back loan parts. This is not security, and how many loans have it is not published. Recoveries on bad debts are not published.
Who runs it and its licence
The platform is run by the company registered as 07885342 in England, which states that it is authorised and regulated by the FCA and received full authorisation in February 2017; its firm reference number is not shown on its pages. According to the FCA register as reported in October 2023, it must not approve crypto-asset promotions for unauthorised firms. Its accounts to 31 December 2024 were unaudited and filed on 3 November 2025, after the deadline.
Fees
Its FAQ lists no fee for lending. Selling a loan part on the secondary market costs 0.5% of the outstanding capital, paid when it sells. The ISA costs 0.1% a month, taken from your available balance. Other charges, such as ISA transfers, are set out in the user terms.
Getting your money out
Cash not yet lent sits in a segregated client account and can be withdrawn. Lent money comes back as the borrower repays, unless you sell loan parts on the secondary market, at up to 5% above or below the outstanding capital. Sales depend on demand, and loans in default cannot be sold.
Our view
Return: Very low, from the platform's own lifetime net return of 5.65% a year in December 2022; the 15.4% average net return shown on the statistics page is undefined. Risk: Very high (higher means more risk): 14.26% of outstanding capital was in default in December 2022, loans made in 2013 to 2019 lost roughly 5% to 21% a year, and the figures are old. Risk-return: Very low, because a very low return meets very high risk, and the published figures are old and contradict each other.
Regulation
License / Regulation: The operator (company 07885342) states that it is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority as a peer-to-peer lending platform, with full authorisation since February 2017; its firm reference number is not shown on its own pages. According to the FCA register as reported in October 2023, it must not approve crypto-asset promotions for unauthorised firms. P2P lending is not covered by the FSCS.
Functionality
For Investors
Useful Information
The platform states that it is authorised and regulated by the FCA, with full authorisation since February 2017. Its firm reference number is not shown on its pages. Loans are not covered by the FSCS.
Money waiting to be lent is held in a segregated client account at Barclays until it goes to the borrower.
You can start lending through the IF-ISA from £10. A minimum for normal accounts is not stated on its public pages.
The statistics page shows an average net return of 15.4%, without a period or definition. In December 2022 the platform reported a lifetime net return of 5.65% a year, and 14.26% of outstanding capital in default. Loans made in 2013 to 2019 lost roughly 5% to 21% a year.
For loans up to £50,000 a personal guarantee can be enough. Larger loans need an asset: a charge on property, a valued business asset or a debenture. Some loans have buyback guarantors among other lenders. Recoveries are not published.
You can sell loan parts on the secondary market at up to 5% above or below the outstanding capital, for a 0.5% fee, if there is a buyer. Loans in default cannot be sold.
No lending fee is listed. Selling on the secondary market costs 0.5% of the outstanding capital, and the IF-ISA costs 0.1% a month.
Yes. BidPal lends automatically to new loans by your chosen risk band and rate, at most 5% of your available money per loan, and BuyPal buys loan parts on the secondary market.
If a borrower fails, recovery depends on the guarantee or asset behind the loan and can take years. Uninvested cash is held in a segregated client account. The FSCS does not cover the loans.
