NILS® Info for Community Groups Benefits for clients

Benefits for clients

Access to a No Interest Loan makes a huge difference to clients' quality of life.

• NILS® allow people to buy the appliance when they need it. Most people on low incomes find it hard to build up savings. Often the need for an appliance is urgent, such as when a fridge or washing machine breaks down, or when setting up a new household. "Doing without" involves a grim standard of living – hand washing clothes every day or being unable to keep perishable food. Alternatives like commercial Laundromats or rented appliances are expensive.

• NILS® loans are used to buy a new appliance. A new appliance avoids the trap of maintaining an unreliable old appliance that requires frequent repairs and is expensive to run.

• NILS® are committed to respecting dignity of their borrowers and supporting them as they gain control of their financial situation. NILS® have a major spin-off benefit in building community co-operation.

• NILS® keep people away from loan sharks and fringe lenders. Borrowers are people who either would not be granted commercial credit or only at unaffordable high interest rates.