Avoid Uk Land Investment Scams

By Author: Chris Westerman
Total Articles: 272
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Land investment scams in the UK are on the increase – but can be avoided.


There are valid opportunities to invest in land in the UK, primarily because of accumulating demand for housing. But shady operators are selling worthless property.


A great irony of the Internet era is that access to information should make us better informed and therefore smarter and able to make optimal decisions. But the success of scams such as Internet Nigerian bank swindles and corrupt land investment schemes prove this not to be the case.


The latter of these two – land banking investments – is fuelled by the known increase in demand for housing in the UK. With a swelling population and a pronounced housing shortage, it makes perfect sense that investment in UK land will pay handsome dividends. But the undeveloped land that will be most valuable is that which is most likely to be rezoned appropriately and is situated where population growth is most pronounced.


The Financial Services Authority warns against land scams, which ...
... are characterised by the following:


Aggressive selling – The adage that “anything that sounds too good to be true probably is” applies to land banking schemes. It begins with the schemers contacting potential clients. These are “cold calls,” where you have no existing relationship with the company. The pitch is straightforward and exciting: There’s a land rush about to happen, so anyone who can buy undeveloped land will make handsome returns on their investments. Some victims of land banking schemes were told they should expect a 100 to 130 percent return. If such an investment could do well, they would not be offering it to anyone but themselves.


Instead, the individual investor who truly is interested in land investment should speak with a qualified financial advisor.


Inappropriate or ineligible tracts – The fact of the matter is that most land banking schemes do involve actual land that the investors will own, providing them with legal title. The problem is the land is virtually worthless – even if located in nice places.


How does that work? The land parcels may be tiny, perhaps located in an environmentally protected green belt area, unlikely to ever be zoned for development. Some have no road access or they may be situated on steeply sloping hillsides. Some brownfield properties are sold, but are so contaminated by previous industrial use that they would require unaffordable clean up measures to bring them into compliance with environmental laws. The land schemers purchase these lands for a very low price, then subdivide and sell them to unsuspecting would-be investors.


If you are interested in a land investment, do your own investigating. Again, a trusted third party financial advisor can steer you to qualified land investment firms that has a track record of legitimate dealing and a proven rate of return on investments.


Continued requests for additional money – One trick of land banking frauds is that they lure investors with small down payments of £500, more or less. The money makes the victim feel invested, and they will continue to pay into the property fund over time. This is all that the operation wants to do, which is to create a flow of income (many such operations are based in other countries, where wire transfers are simple to execute).


Legitimate alternative investment programmes in land typically require between £10,000 and £25,000 at a minimum for participation. You would identify qualified, professional land investment firms through a qualified personal financial advisor.