FAQS

The profit from the sale of the home and the principle reduction of the loan are all to the customer’s benefit. If, for example, the original loan amount was $360,000 and the balance after 5 years is $330,000, then the difference between the sale price of $500,000 less the $330,000, or $170,000, belongs to the customer. The only amount due to be paid back is the remaining balance. Our Islamic loan transaction is specifically structured so that the customer is entitled to 100% of the gain under the Shariah.

The IJARA™ mortgage alternative does not use standard PMI. Yet, no investors will support either traditional mortgages or mortgage alternatives without some form of support. Therefore, certain IJARA™ Islamic finance providers have structured an approach that complies with Shariah in the consumer transaction and provides the protection that investors require. In some cases, the financing shall be structured in such a manner as to avoid PMI.

IJARA™ providers are obliged by law to make these payments to you. The consensus of the scholars is you should pay such interest earned to charity, but it will not count as either zakat or sadaqat.

Each IJARA™ provider has a different approach to this issue and there is more than one way of doing it. The general Sharia’a principle is rent rates should be mutually agreed by both parties. In some cases, the provider may use a standard interest oriented benchmark. At this time, the consensus of the Sharia’a scholars is that such benchmarking is not ideal, but it does not affect the basis of the transaction.

You will be charged the collection cost. We currently work with a company called Ijara Payment Processing, Inc. to manage the completed IJARA™ acquisitions. They bill $50.00 for this service. Any excess over the cost of collection will be donated to charity.

The minimum down payment, called the initial payment on account because of the structure of the IJARA™ program, is 5%. In some cases, 0% is possible, but in all cases where the down payment is less than 20%, the consumer will sign an agreement that cancels the sharing of any loss by the Ijara™ provider.

IJARA™ providers currently permit the use of various down payment assistance programs where at least 3% of the cash to fund your initial payment on account is presented.

The IJARA™ process may be used to replace an existing mortgage using Islamic finance guidelines.

This is not correct. In the traditional mortgage, interest is the “rent” of money and is paid for a loan of money with which you buy a house or refinance an existing loan. There is no rent of the house as you own the house. In two of the Shariah methods, you rent a house and the lease payment represents your enjoyment of real property.

There are three acceptable approaches to home acquisition in Islam. One is a sale, one is rent to own (the IJARA™ method) and one is partnership (with property rental as part of the process). The rent paid is explicitly for the use of property. Or in the sales case, the profit is a mark-up on a base sales price. Riba, however, is the payment of money for the use of money over time, and this is very similar to the concept of interest in a traditional mortgage loan.

An accountant may argue rent in the latter two and profit in the former is interest, but in none of these cases is it Riba. Some may argue anything that may be perceived as generating a benefit from the passage of time has interest in it. The Shariah scholars have not defined Riba in this way. Rather Riba necessarily relates to loans of money or exchanges of money like commodities when they are used as money.

This too is inaccurate. The process of qualifying a consumer and disclosing costs and risks is the same as the mortgage system. This process is regulated by federal and state statutes in the United States. Hence, the paperwork is the same or very similar prior to and after making the acquisition, but not the acquisition itself.

The acquisition mechanics are fundamentally different and create all of the same rights and obligations as in a traditional mortgage. Hence, it is not a question of labeling, but of actual structure.

The documents one signs, which should normally be customized to reflect the facts of an IJARA™ or other mortgage alternative, including the application, disclosures, and post closing disclosure documents are mostly governed by federal and state rules. Generally, the government wishes to assure you are fully aware of the details of a transaction and can compare it to other transactions of a similar nature. These materials do not constitute the contract that binds you, the house and the bank or other parties involved.

Generally, the nature of a replacement is distinct from a refinancing, and the title will transfer from a current borrower owner to a trust which will own the home for the benefit of the new investor.

Depending upon the investment for which you qualified, amounts, other than the 5% of the expected final purchase value may be structured into the value of the Promise to Purchase.

There is a trust agreement and a lease and promise to purchase. We will forward copies to you upon receiving a signed NDA.

In the US, ACH, or Automated Clearing House and it’s counterpart in Canada, EFT, Electronic Funds Transfer, is basically an electronic payment from your checking account.

Yes. Monthly payments are automatically deducted from your checking account.

In addition to the closing/conversion fee, there is a $20 per month Admin fee in every transaction.

The exact process of conversion is proprietary; we are the only company to have figured out the conversion method, so we do not share the exact process with anyone. As far as the Islamic viability, you basically end up in a Sharia Compliant Ijara transaction.

The exact process of conversion is proprietary; we will make all necessary contacts and make necessary arrangements. After signing conversion documents, your involvement will be minimal.

We will need to know the exact balance you have currently, and the account number, along with payment address etc. so that we can locate the proper account.