EWS1 Forms: What Are They, What Do They Mean, And How Do You Get One?

If you live in a High Rise Residential Building and are considering selling your home, or if you’re trying to sell a flat within a residential block and are receiving questions about EWS1 forms, find out what this form is, and why this is occurring in this blog.

Navigating the world of property ownership in England can be complex. Our range of ownership systems (Freehold, Leasehold, Commonhold, Shared Ownership – and the variables that occur within that), as well as the the process and costs of purchasing a property is unique. This is further complicated by the introduction of new building safety measures.

As Block & Estate Managing Agents, Jennings & Barrett are now commonly receiving requests from Leaseholders for our clients to provide EWS1 forms. This article aims to clarify the purpose of an EWS1 form, as well as introduce our guidance for their commission.

The process of obtaining an EWS1 Certificate involves a detailed inspection by a fire safety professional. This inspection categorises buildings based on their fire risk.

Jennings & Barrett’s general policy for low-risk buildings, where an EWS1 assessment has previously been completed, can be viewed here.

This policy ensures that Jennings & Barrett-managed buildings are remaining compliant whilst considering leaseholder interests, the marketability of flats, and the appropriate use of service charge funds, in line with our duties as Managing Agents.

Clients of Jennings & Barrett have received an additional introductory notice regarding this policy.

What is an EWS1 Form?

An EWS1 Form is a document that evaluates the fire safety of a building’s external wall system. It’s short for “External Wall Fire Review”, and certifies that the external wall cladding system has been assessed by someone suitably qualified. It is sometimes called an “EWS1 Certificate”.

An EWS1 form is not a legal or statutory requirement – it is a mortgage valuation tool. As the need for an EWS1 assessment is largely driven by mortgage lender and valuer requirements, these requirements can change overtime.

Each EWS1 form applies to an entire block / building (rather than to an individual unit or flat). For this purpose, only a building owner or management company can undertake the EWS1 process. However, the cost of an assessment may be recoverable through service charges (in accordance with the lease).

An EWS1 form is commonly referred to as being “valid for five years” – however, as an EWS1 form is not a legal requirement, this validation is simply a reflection of mortgage lender and value requirements and is not a fixed expiry date.

Launched in December 2019 by Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), UK Finance, and the Building Societies Association, the form is part of the “professional standard” that helps valuers assess the external wall safety of buildings over 18 metres for the purposes of providing mortgage valuations based on the value and saleability of the property.

An EWS1 form categorises buildings according to four outcomes:

• A1: No remedial work necessary.
• A2: Minor works recommended, no undue risk.
• B1: Work needed to address fire risk soon.
• B2: Immediate action required due to high fire risk.

In cases where an EWS1 form has categorised a building as belonging to the B2 category, Jennings & Barrett’s EWS1 policy does not apply.

RICS state that an EWS1 assessment must:

• “Include evidence of the fire performance of materials used in the cladding”, such as:
  • Paperwork submitted by the buildings original developer and/or owner.
  • Photo evidence.
  • A physical inspection.
• Be performed by a qualified professional, and
• A request to for an EWS1 form by valuers should always be submitted with rationale that justifies the request.

An EWS1 form is not: 

• A legal requirement.
• A building safety certificate or part of any “professional life safety fire risk assessment of any building”, or a substitute for these.
• Issued by the Fire Brigade.

EWS1 forms were introduced in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Where a building is found to need remedial works through this process, the building owner should carry out these works to ensure the safety of the building to enable a mortgage to proceed, unless the lender agrees otherwise.

EWS1 assessments are now typically undertaken in accordance with Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 9980 (professional standards published in 2022 by the British Standards Institution), a risk-based assessment methodology which provides a consistent framework for evaluating the fire risk of external wall systems. The EWS1 assessments completed before these standards were published remain valid for their full five years.

What buildings require an EWS1 form?

As of March 2025, An EWS1 form is still not a statutory requirement and remains driven by lender and valuer criteria rather than legislation.

RICS advise that the process applies to:

• Residential buildings above 18m in height that have “some form of combustible cladding or combustible material on balconies”.
• Some lower buildings if combustible materials or balconies represent “a clear and obvious danger to life safety”.

An EWS1 form is not required for:

• Any building without visible cladding.
• Any building with a low risk of remedial work.
• Any building over 18m that has a valid building control certificate or buildings over 18m, where a valuer or lender can establish that the building owner has met the advice in the consolidated advice note (though this consonlidated advice note has now been withdrawn).

Whilst RICS have clarified the requirements for the completion of an EWS1 form, they remain a voluntary process to support the valuation of flats that may require cladding remediation. 

Though they are not a legal requirement, lenders may decide to refuse mortgage applications where an EWS1 form cannot be produced.

What is the general EWS1 policy applied by Jennings & Barrett?

All buildings under our management, where an EWS1 is relevant, has an existing EWS1 form. EWS1 forms are typically relied upon by lenders for a period of up to five years, although this is not a statutory expiry and may vary depending on lender requirements and any material changes to the building.

We are experiencing cases where:

• Leaseholders and/or their solicitors are contacting us, on behalf of the mortgage provider to request updated EWS1 assessments from mortgage providers/solicitors/Leaseholders, without sufficient justification for the recommissioning these assessments (for example, where there has been no change to the external wall of the building). This is causing frustration for Leaseholders.
• Commissioning a new EWS1 assessment to placate one mortgage provider at an expense to the Management Company, Freeholder, or Leaseholders via Service Charges, is, in many cases, not a reasonable use of Company / Building Funds / Service Charge Funds.
• The lack of clarity around EWS1 assessments, and the resulting conversations occurring with stakeholders around this issue, is creating a potential risk to our ability to ensure that we are capable of maintaining our service quality around those areas we can control.

As Managing Agents, we have a responsibility to ensure we are complying with relevant laws and to have policies in place that are effective, fair, consistent, and responsible. We should also be able to respond promptly to reasonable requests. This policy is therefore intended to support our ability to abide by those responsibilities.

Generally, Jennings & Barrett will only recommend that clients commission EWS1 processes where:

• The building is not registered with the Building Safety Regulator (separate statutory duties and regulatory requirements apply to these buildings), and:
  • More than 20% of leasehold property sales or transfers fail to proceed because a mortgage lender refuses to lend without a new EWS1 assessment, or;
  • More than 50% of leaseholders formally request that a new EWS1 assessment be commissioned, acknowledging that the cost will be recoverable through the service charge, subject to the lease.

These thresholds are intended to ensure that any decision to commission a new EWS1 assessment is evidence-based, proportionate, and reflective of a broader impact on leaseholders, rather than driven by isolated lender requirements.

This policy enables us to ensure that the commissioning of a new EWS1 assessment remains consistent, justifiable and proportionate for all Leaseholders.  

How Do I Get My Building’s EWS1 Form?

Leaseholders of applicable buildings can attain their EWS1 forms by:

1. Visiting the FIA EWS1 Portal for the certificate in the first instance.

RICS recommend to all valuers that EWS1 forms are uploaded to this portal. If you’re unable to find the certificate on this portal, you should then contact your Managing Agent to request the form.

2. Leaseholders of Jennings & Barrett-managed developments can check their Leaseholder portal. 

Should you be unable to source your EWS1 form after checking your portal’s documents, and are confident that the building meets the justification for having an EWS1 assessment, contact legal@sienna-buffalo-255343.hostingersite.com where our Legal Support team can assist you further.

In line with Management Agreements and RICS Service Charge Code of Conduct, Leaseholders may be held liable for administrative costs where continued support to apply this process is required.

Why has the process of attaining an EWS1 assessment become complex?

It hasn’t – however, the process of getting risk adverse mortgage providers to apply the correct guidance has always been a frustration for Management Companies, Building Owners and Management Agents alike.

The intent of introducing the EWS1 process was to enable “expert input into the process of construction of the external wall of a building and [to] help inform lenders and valuers about whether remediation work that would affect value is needed.” It was developed specifically for high rise flats with cladding.

In January 2020, the government published “the Consolidated Advice Note”. The note stated that “the need to assess and manage the risk of external fire spread applies to buildings of any height”.

This statement intended to provide advice for building owners on the building safety measures that they should take, in cases where significant risks to life safety had been identified. This advice note resulted in the EWS1 process becoming incorrectly interpreted and used to justify instances of “an excessively risk adverse approach to building safety”. It was withdrawn in January 2022.

Despite the withdrawal, the confusion around the EWS1 process is still complicating the ability of flat owners to sell their homes, with demand for EWS1 assessments creating delays in assessments being completed where they are appropriate – affecting the ability of those living in flats requiring EWS1 forms to sell their homes and causing knock-on effects for their family lives, finances and mental health.

The Government continues to support PAS 9980, and EWS1 forms have been updated to state that EWS1 assessments should be carried out in accordance with this standard.

Mortgage providers and lenders retain the ability to set their own conditions around EWS1 processes.

While EWS1 forms play an important role in assessing external wall fire risk for certain buildings, they are a tool for mortgage valuations, and not an indicator that a building is unsafe, nor are they required in all circumstances. Misunderstandings around their purpose and use have, however, created real challenges for leaseholders trying to sell or remortgage their homes.

Jennings & Barrett’s approach is centred on balancing compliance, proportionality, and fairness. By applying a consistent policy aligned with RICS guidance, and our professional duties as Managing Agents, we aim to protect building safety, support marketability where justified, and ensure service charge funds are used responsibly. Where an existing EWS1 assessment remains valid and circumstances have not changed, recommissioning may not be appropriate.

We recognise the frustration that unclear or inconsistent lender requirements can cause, and we remain committed to supporting leaseholders and clients through this process with clarity and transparency. Where there is a genuine, evidenced need for a new EWS1 assessment, we will advise Directors and Building Owners accordingly.