EWS1 Forms and External Wall Fire Reviews Explained

Quick Answer: An EWS1 form (External Wall System 1) is an industry process introduced by RICS in December 2019 to give mortgage lenders assurance about the fire safety of a building's external walls and cladding. It is not a statutory or legal requirement and is not a safety certificate — it is a mortgage-valuation tool, completed once per building (not per flat), valid for five years. It records the outcome of a fire-safety appraisal of the external wall construction, which for higher-risk buildings is increasingly carried out using the PAS 9980:2022 methodology (Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls, or FRAEW), within the wider context of the Building Safety Act 2022.

Summary

The EWS1 form exists because of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 and the cladding crisis that followed. Lenders became unwilling to lend on flats in buildings with potentially combustible external wall systems, leaving thousands of leaseholders unable to sell or remortgage. In December 2019, RICS — working with lenders and government — introduced the EWS1 form as a way for a qualified professional to assess a building's external walls and give lenders a consistent, recognised statement they could use to value the property. It was designed to unblock mortgage lending, not to certify a building as safe.

This distinction matters enormously and is the single most misunderstood point about EWS1, so it is worth stating plainly: EWS1 is a valuation/lending tool, not a legal requirement and not a safety sign-off. No law requires an EWS1 form. A building can be perfectly safe and have no EWS1; a building can have an EWS1 and still need remediation. The form simply communicates a qualified assessor's view of the external wall system to lenders in a standard format. Whether a lender asks for one depends on the building, the lender's policy and government guidance — which has shifted over time, with later guidance making clear that EWS1 should not be requested for many lower-rise buildings.

For tradespeople — particularly those in cladding, render, roofing, fire-stopping, building surveying and façade work — the relevance is the assessment behind the form. The fire-safety appraisal of external walls is increasingly carried out to PAS 9980:2022, the published code of practice for the Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW). That methodology, the duties created by the Building Safety Act 2022, and remediation of unsafe cladding are what actually generate the on-site work. A common misconception is conflating the EWS1 form (the one-page output) with the FRAEW assessment (the engineering appraisal that may sit behind it) — they are related but not the same thing.

Key Facts

• EWS1 = External Wall System 1 — an RICS-introduced industry process, launched December 2019, to support mortgage valuation of buildings with external wall systems.
• Not a legal requirement — there is no statute mandating an EWS1 form; it is requested by lenders, not by law.
• Not a safety certificate — it informs lending decisions; it does not declare a building safe or unsafe to occupy.
• One per building — a single EWS1 covers the whole building, not each individual flat; leaseholders share the one form.
• Valid for five years — unless something material changes to the external wall system, in which case it should be reassessed.
• Two outcome ratings (A and B) — the form uses A-ratings (no/low-risk combustible materials, may need no remedial works) and B-ratings (combustible materials present), each with sub-categories indicating whether remedial work is needed.
• Completed by a qualified professional — typically a suitably competent chartered engineer or member of an appropriate professional body, carrying the required competence and indemnity.
• PAS 9980:2022 — the BSI-published code of practice for Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW), the methodology used to assess external wall fire risk proportionately.
• FRAEW ≠ EWS1 form — the FRAEW is the underlying fire-risk appraisal of the external wall; the EWS1 is the short standardised output communicated to lenders.
• Building Safety Act 2022 context — sets the wider regime for higher-risk buildings (generally 18 m or 7+ storeys), the Building Safety Regulator, and duties around external wall safety and remediation.
• Government guidance has narrowed its use — later RICS/government guidance discourages requesting EWS1 for many buildings, especially lower-rise, to avoid blocking sales unnecessarily.
• Indemnity has been a bottleneck — professional-indemnity insurance limits have constrained who will sign EWS1 forms, slowing the system.
• Linked to remediation funding — assessment outcomes feed into government cladding remediation schemes and developer remediation obligations.

Quick Reference Table

Detailed Guidance

What an EWS1 form actually is (and is not)

The EWS1 form is a short, standardised statement that a qualified professional has appraised a building's external wall construction and cladding, and what the outcome is, expressed as an A or B rating. Its sole purpose is to let a mortgage lender or valuer make a lending decision on flats in that building. It is not a building-control sign-off, not a fire risk assessment of the whole building, not a guarantee of safety, and not something a leaseholder is legally obliged to obtain. If a client or homeowner describes EWS1 as a "fire safety certificate", correct that gently — the misunderstanding causes real anxiety and bad decisions.

The A and B rating system

The form records one of a set of outcomes. A-ratings broadly mean the external walls contain no significant combustible materials, or only a limited amount that doesn't warrant remedial work — A1, A2 and A3 distinguish the construction and whether further work or attention is needed. B-ratings mean combustible materials are present in the external wall: B1 indicates the fire risk is sufficiently low that no remedial works are required, while B2 indicates remedial works are needed to manage the fire risk. A B2 outcome is what typically triggers cladding remediation and the funding/obligation questions that follow.

PAS 9980 and the FRAEW behind the form

Behind an EWS1 sits an assessment of the external wall's fire risk. PAS 9980:2022 is the published code of practice that sets out a proportionate, risk-based methodology for the Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW). Rather than condemning any building with combustible material, it weighs the materials, their arrangement, cavity barriers, the building height and use, and other factors to reach a proportionate judgement. The FRAEW is the engineering work; the EWS1 is the one-page summary a lender sees. For trades, the FRAEW is where investigative opening-up, sampling and remediation specification originate.

The Building Safety Act 2022 and the wider regime

EWS1 does not sit in isolation. The Building Safety Act 2022 created a new regulatory regime for higher-risk buildings (generally those at least 18 m tall or 7+ storeys), established the Building Safety Regulator, introduced dutyholder roles, the "golden thread" of building information, and provisions on who pays for remediation. External wall safety, FRAEW assessments and EWS1 forms all operate within this wider framework. Government cladding remediation funds and developer remediation contracts tie back to the assessed risk of these external wall systems.

What it means for tradespeople on site

If you work on façades, cladding, render, fire-stopping/cavity barriers, roofing-to-wall junctions or as a surveyor, the work flowing from this regime includes: investigative opening-up to identify materials and cavity barriers; supporting FRAEW assessors with access and intrusive surveys; and carrying out specified remediation — replacing combustible cladding/insulation, installing or making good cavity barriers and fire-stopping, and reinstating compliant external wall systems. You will not "sign an EWS1" unless you hold the relevant professional competence; your role is the survey and remediation work that underpins it. Document materials and works carefully — the golden-thread and remediation-funding requirements depend on good records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an EWS1 form a legal requirement?

No. There is no law requiring an EWS1 form. It is an industry process introduced by RICS to help mortgage lenders value flats in buildings with external wall systems. A lender or valuer may request one as a condition of lending, but that is a commercial/valuation requirement, not a statutory one.

Does an EWS1 form mean a building is safe?

Not on its own — it is a lending tool, not a safety certificate. An A-rating broadly indicates low or no combustible risk in the external walls, while a B2 rating indicates remedial works are needed. The form communicates the outcome of a fire-risk appraisal to lenders; the actual safety judgement comes from the underlying FRAEW assessment (typically to PAS 9980:2022).

How long is an EWS1 form valid and how many do you need?

One EWS1 form covers the whole building, not each flat, and is generally valid for five years — unless the external wall system is materially changed, which would require reassessment. Leaseholders in the same building share the single form.

What is the difference between EWS1 and PAS 9980?

EWS1 is the short, standardised form communicated to lenders. PAS 9980:2022 is the published methodology for the Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW) — the proportionate, risk-based assessment that may sit behind an EWS1. The FRAEW is the engineering appraisal; the EWS1 is its lender-facing summary.

Regulations & Standards

• EWS1 (External Wall System 1) — RICS-introduced industry process (December 2019) to support mortgage valuation; not statutory.

• PAS 9980:2022 — Code of practice for the fire risk appraisal of external wall construction and cladding of existing blocks of flats (FRAEW methodology).

• Building Safety Act 2022 — statutory regime for higher-risk buildings, the Building Safety Regulator, dutyholder duties and remediation provisions.

• Approved Document B (Fire safety) — Building Regulations guidance on fire safety, including external walls in new and altered buildings.

• RICS guidance on valuation of properties in multi-storey, multi-occupancy buildings with cladding — sets out when EWS1 should and should not be requested.

• RICS – Valuation of properties affected by cladding / EWS1 guidance — the originating professional body for the EWS1 process.

• BSI – PAS 9980:2022 (Fire risk appraisal of external walls – FRAEW) — published FRAEW methodology.

• GOV.UK – Building Safety Act 2022 — statutory regime and remediation.

• GOV.UK – Building safety and cladding remediation — government guidance on external wall safety and funding.

• building safety act 2022 — the wider statutory regime for higher-risk buildings

• part b fire — Building Regulations fire safety requirements

• fire risk assessment — fire risk assessment duties and process

• hmo fire safety — fire safety obligations in multi-occupied buildings