The EWS1 form: when a valuer should ask for one.

What the EWS1 form is for

RICS says the EWS1 form was developed by the secured lending industry so that a competent fire expert's assessment of a building's external walls reaches valuers and lenders in a simple, consistent form. It is intended for valuation and lending only, not as a fire risk assessment, and it is not a certificate of the life safety of a building. Leaseholders usually ask the building owner to obtain it, and it is then given to the valuer and lender.

MHCLG says an EWS1 form is not a government or regulatory document and is not a safety certificate, and that mortgage lenders decide when one is needed and how they use it. An EWS1 assessment may use evidence from a fire risk appraisal of external walls (FRAEW), but it does not replace one. For the FRAEW itself, see PAS 9980:2026 explained.

Lender instructions come first

The RICS standard covers valuations for secured lending on domestic blocks of flats in the UK, including mixed use, and says it may also be useful for valuations for other purposes. It does not apply to houses, bungalows or non-domestic developments. RICS reminds members that specific lender guidance always takes precedence over this professional standard. Where a lender says when it will accept a valuation without an EWS1 form, those instructions should be referenced in the terms of engagement and the valuation response.

The standard says an EWS1 form should not be required where the valuer or lender has been able to establish, within the limits of their competence, that:

• the building owner has met the requirements of the Fire Safety Act 2021 for an assessment of the external walls and attachments, and it raises no concerns that remediation is required; or
• a building over 18m has a valid building control certificate under the Building (Amendment) Regulations 2018, or the equivalent in the devolved nations.

Where there is a route to remediation, such as the Cladding Safety Scheme, a developer remediation contract, the freeholder confirming it will cover the costs, or government grant funding, the valuer may take it into account. A valuer should always have a rationale for asking for an EWS1 form: RICS says unnecessary requests delay sales and remortgages and stop the limited pool of competent experts focusing on buildings where there is a significant risk to occupants.

When to ask for an EWS1: the height bands

Where neither of those applies and the lender has given no specific instructions, the 2nd edition says an EWS1 form should be required in these circumstances:

• The balcony test: balconies that stack vertically above each other where either both the balustrades and the decking are made of combustible materials, such as timber, or the decking is combustible and the balconies are directly linked by combustible materials.
• A “significant amount”: approximately one quarter of the entire facade, or approximately one quarter of one elevation where the cladding links multiple floors or is concentrated around the main route of escape, in each case estimated from what is visible standing at ground level. For six storeys or fewer, professional judgement is needed on whether the cladding is a significant amount and could materially affect value or saleability.
• Set-back top storey: an EWS1 is not considered necessary where a building of six storeys or fewer would meet the criteria only because of cladding on the top storey that is set back from the main facades on all sides.
• Metal panels: metal cladding and ACM or MCM look very similar. If there is metal panel cladding, the valuer should get written confirmation from the building owner or managing agent that it is not ACM or MCM, or, if that is not possible, ask for an EWS1 inspection.
• Mixed heights: a building of mixed heights or construction types is assessed as a whole. In a development of separate detached buildings, each building is assessed on its own.

RICS's EWS1 form decision tree takes you through the same questions step by step. RICS stresses that the criteria are guidance and professional judgement still applies.

Counting storeys and what counts as cladding

A storey is any floor or part of a floor visible above ground level, including the ground floor, whether it is in residential, commercial, parking or other use. Basements and mezzanines do not count. Where a building has several levels, use the highest number of floors. The standard adds that, under Approved Document B, an accessible roof is a storey unless it is only accessible for maintenance and repair.

For the standard, cladding means aluminium composite material (ACM), brick slips, high pressure laminate (HPL), metal composite material (MCM), metal sheet panels, rendered external wall insulation systems, plastic, tiling systems and timber, with their fixings. Masonry construction, traditional cavity walls with a brick, block or stone outer leaf, timber framed buildings with a brick, block or stone outer leaf, concrete panels and stone panels are not treated as cladding.

Relying on an FRAEW instead of an EWS1

The FRAEW is written for the people legally responsible for a building's fire safety; the EWS1 form is a summary for valuers and lenders. RICS says it is reasonable for a valuer to rely on an FRAEW instead of an EWS1 form where it has an executive summary or summary report that:

• gives a definitive yes or no outcome on whether remedial works are required;
• confirms whether combustible materials are present in the external wall; and
• confirms the signatory has the same or higher qualifications than would be needed to sign the relevant option on the EWS1 form.

The valuer must review only the summary and the signatory's qualifications, and must not review or comment on the rest of the FRAEW. If the FRAEW does not meet all three points, the valuer should ask for an EWS1 form. The standard refers to PAS 9980:2022; MHCLG says PAS 9980:2026 has replaced it, and that an FRAEW completed by a competent assessor under the 2022 edition should continue to be valid until it needs reviewing.

What the valuation should record and say

• Your evidence: keep the site notes, the criteria you applied and the photographs taken for the EWS1 decision. You can make the decision after the inspection, from your notes, as long as you document it. Record your rationale.
• Future costs: the report should say there may be remediation costs in the future, depending on a full fire risk assessment of the building that includes an appraisal of the external walls, and that for the valuation these costs are not assumed to significantly affect value.
• No assurance: not asking for an EWS1 gives no assurance that there are no fire or life safety risks. Buyers and their legal advisers should always be advised to get a copy of the building's existing fire risk assessment before buying.
• An existing EWS1: take any existing EWS1 form into account, even where the criteria would not call for one.
• Where you rely on an EWS1: say in the terms of engagement that the valuation will be based on it, use the disclaimers set out in the standard, and check that the signatory's name, organisation, qualifications and professional body are filled in, that Notes 2 and 3 are completed, that the form is complete and makes sense, and that it is signed and dated. RICS says lenders are likely to provide their own standard paragraphs for when an EWS1 is requested or viewed.

Where an EWS1 is not being requested, the standard suggests this wording:

“The building has cladding and/or balconies but further information has not been requested about whether remediation works may be required because it falls outside RICS advice current at the time of this valuation. However, this decision is not a guarantee that works will not be required in future.”

What changed from the 1st edition

The 2nd edition supersedes the 1st edition of March 2021. RICS's basis for conclusions says the update set out to make the criteria for requesting an EWS1 form proportionate and to reflect the latest legislation, after attendees at a February 2024 cross-industry forum asked for more flexibility for buildings of four storeys or fewer. It also became a professional standard: its "must" statements are mandatory for RICS members and regulated firms, and "should" describes expected practice. The criteria compare like this:

The basis for conclusions says the five or six storey test now refers to a significant amount of cladding rather than naming ACM, MCM or HPL, to minimise the disproportionate impact where a small panel of potentially combustible cladding, and its location, was triggering unnecessary EWS1 requests.

Across the UK

The standard applies to the UK and Crown Dependencies. It says the EWS1 process applies in Wales and Northern Ireland as it does in England, and should be used in Scotland until the Scottish Government's proposals produce a publicly accessible list of Single Building Assessment results. MHCLG's guidance quoted on this page is for England.

If you are buying or selling a flat

• MHCLG says EWS1 forms are not legally required when selling a property. Some lenders ask for one, and the lender decides when it is needed.
• Ask the building owner or managing agent whether there is an EWS1 form or an FRAEW. An FRAEW with a summary report that meets the RICS tests may be enough for the valuer.
• A valuer not asking for an EWS1 does not mean the building has no fire safety issues. Ask for the building's fire risk assessment before you buy.

Where PropertySurvey Pro fits

The standard asks you to keep the notes and photos behind your EWS1 decision and to record your reasons. That is the part an app can help with.

• Photos and notes on the walls: photograph each elevation and add notes against the external walls. The main walls checklist has items for cladding that is loose, damaged or of unknown type, and for external wall insulation or cladding that has been added. Area checklists.
• Valuations within home surveys: when a Level 2 or Level 3 home survey includes a valuation, the J Property Valuation section records your special assumptions and commentary, and you can withhold the figure until further investigations are complete. Level 2 home survey software.
• Documents to obtain: record the further investigations and documents to obtain or verify, such as the building's fire risk assessment, any FRAEW or an EWS1 form. RICS condition report software.
• Dated evidence (Pro): print the date and time each photo was taken or added.

PropertySurvey Pro records your findings, photos and notes, and produces your report. It does not complete EWS1 forms or carry out fire risk appraisals of external walls, it does not decide whether an EWS1 is needed, and it makes no promise that a valuation or survey meets any standard.