Investing in property and companies can be very rewarding, but it involves a number of risks and challenges.
If you choose to invest through Property Moose, you need to be aware of and accept five important considerations:
1. Loss of Capital
Property prices can go down as well as up and different property types or those in different areas may be more or less susceptible to reduced or negative growth. By investing in property through Property Moose, there is a risk that you may not get back what you put in if property prices fall and you should only invest as much as you can afford to loose and as part of a diversified portfolio.
Most startups fail, and if you invest in a business through the platform, it is significantly more likely that you will lose all of your invested capital than that you will see a return of capital or a profit. You should not invest more money through the platform than you can afford to lose without altering your standard of living.
2. Illiquidity
Any investment you make through the platform will be highly illiquid. There is no secondary market for the shares of the investee company. This means that you are unlikely to be able to sell your shares until and unless the investee company floats on a securities exchange or is bought by another company. Even for a successful business, a flotation or purchase is unlikely to occur for a number a years from the time you make your investment.
3. Rarity of Dividends
If a property receives rent this will be paid to the investors as a dividend net of any fees, costs and expenses. However, should a property not produce rent, or the rent be insufficient to cover the costs and expenses of operating the property, no dividends will be paid and you will be unlikely to see any return on your investment until the property is sold.
Sartups rarely pay dividends. This means that if you invest in a business through the platform, even if it is successful you are unlikely to see any return of capital or profit until you are able to sell your shares in the investee company. Even for a successful business, this is unlikely to occur for a number of years from the time you make your investment.
4. Dilution
Any investment you make through the platform is likely to be subject to dilution. This means that if the company raises additional capital at a later date, it will issue new shares of the investee company to the new investors, and the percentage of the investee company that you own will decline. These new shares may also have certain preferential rights to dividends, sale proceeds and other matters, and the exercise of these rights may work to your disadvantage. Your investment may also be subject to dilution as a result of the grant of options (or similar rights to acquire shares) to employees of, service providers to or certain other parties connected with, the investee company.
5. Diversification
Investing in property and startups should only be done as part of a diversified portfolio. This means that you should invest relatively small amounts in multiple businesses rather than a lot in one or two businesses. It also means that you should invest only a small proportion of your investable capital in startups as an asset class, with the majority of your investable capital invested in safer, more liquid assets.
6. Tax
You will be responsible for the payment of your own tax which may include capital gains and/or income tax. We do not provide tax advice and you should seek independent tax advice before investing if you are unsure of your position. It is still your responsibility to ensure that your tax return is correct and is filed by the deadline and any tax owing is paid on time. If you are unsure how this investment will effect your tax status you must seek professional advice before you invest. Each company you invest in will be liable for, and pay, corporation tax and any returns you receive will be paid to you net of any corporation tax due.