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Niche Advice Guide

about me

Payam Azadi Director – Specialist Finance Expert · 2 min read

about me

Payam Azadi — Director, Niche Advice Limited

I co-founded Niche Advice in 2008. I’m one of two directors at the firm — Richard Stokes and I are equal 50/50 partners. Both of us advise clients directly on mortgages and specialist property finance, and we frequently cross-cover each other’s cases. Internally, Richard leads compliance, operations and HR; I lead sales, marketing and technology. That division of labour is what’s let a small specialist firm consistently arrange the kinds of cases bigger high-street brokers turn away.

I hold the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) Certificate in Mortgage Advice — the FCA-recognised qualification for UK mortgage practitioners. I’ve been advising on UK mortgages and specialist property finance for over 20 years. Niche Advice Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA Firm Reference Number 750263) and is a Credit Broker — we don’t lend money directly to clients, we arrange finance through our whole-of-market lender panel.

What we specialise in

Niche Advice exists to serve clients whose situations don’t fit neatly into high-street lending criteria — and clients who simply want honest, practical advice without sales pressure. We are not tied to any bank, building society or insurer, which means every recommendation is driven solely by what’s right for the client.

Our specialist focus across 20 years of casework:

  • Visa & foreign national mortgages — Skilled Worker (Tier 2), Spouse, Tier 1 / Health & Care worker, Dependant, Refugee, Graduate, ILR-pending, and overseas-resident applicants. The narrow specialist lender panel for these cases is where most generalist brokers refuse.
  • Self-employed and limited company directors — clients with one year of accounts, retained-profit income, day-rate contractor structures, or multi-income streams that automated affordability calculators reject.
  • Bridging finance — auction, chain-break, probate, heavy refurbishment, and HMO conversion bridging. We run a proprietary 23-lender bridging comparison engine.
  • HMO and portfolio buy-to-let — first-time landlords, large portfolios, limited company / SPV structures.
  • Adverse credit complex cases — past CCJs, defaults, IVAs, discharged bankruptcies, mortgage decline recovery.

We treat every case individually. We don’t promise outcomes we can’t substantiate. We say no when we believe a client’s situation isn’t right for borrowing.

The @Nicheadvice YouTube channel

Alongside the broking practice, I run the firm’s YouTube channel. We’ve built it to over 15,800 subscribers and more than 1 million views, with 395 specialist mortgage videos covering visa scenarios, contractor income evidence, bridging exit strategies, HMO conversions, right-to-buy nuances, market commentary, and lender-criteria explainers.

The channel is regulated promotional content under FCA FG24/1 with prescribed risk warnings on every video, but the editorial intention is simpler: demystify specialist mortgage scenarios for people who can’t easily find clear, current, broker-grade explanations elsewhere.

How I work

  • Clear communication. Plain English. No jargon walls.
  • Realistic advice. Honest about what’s achievable before any application is submitted — including saying no when borrowing isn’t right.
  • Whole-of-market routing. We cover the specialist lender panel that most automated comparison sites can’t access.
  • No upfront broker fees. Fees are payable when a case completes.

Credentials

Mortgage qualificationChartered Insurance Institute (CII) Certificate in Mortgage Advice — FCA-approved RQF Level 3
Years in practice20+ years
FirmCo-founder + Director, Niche Advice Limited (founded 2008, Company No. 06599033)
FCA statusDirector of an FCA-authorised firm (FRN 750263)
Public content@Nicheadvice YouTube channel — 15,800 subscribers, 395 videos
EducationBA (Hons) Fine Arts — informs the visual and editorial approach of the firm’s content output

Find me on social

Contact

0207 993 2044