What Is an EWS1 Form and Does Your Block Need One?
Few pieces of paper have caused block directors more confusion than the EWS1 form. Leaseholders can’t sell, mortgage valuers ask for it, and nobody seems sure whether the building actually needs one. Here is what it is — and, just as importantly, what it is not.
What EWS1 actually is
EWS1 stands for External Wall System 1. It is a form, introduced by RICS together with lenders and industry bodies, used to record an assessment of a building’s external wall construction — including cladding and balconies — where that could affect a mortgage valuation.
The single most important thing to understand: EWS1 is not a legal requirement and not a safety certificate. It is a valuation tool. It exists so that mortgage lenders can decide whether they are comfortable lending against a flat in a taller building. That is why the pressure to produce one almost always arrives through a sale or remortgage, not through a regulator.
When a block actually needs one
Whether your building needs an EWS1 depends on the building and the lender, but the general shape is:
- Taller buildings with cladding are the most likely to be asked for one.
- Lower-rise buildings — and buildings with little or no combustible material in the external wall — often should not need one. RICS guidance and subsequent lender agreements were specifically intended to stop EWS1 forms being demanded for buildings where the risk does not justify it.
- The requirement is ultimately lender-driven: two leaseholders in the same block can have different experiences depending on who their mortgage lender is.
If valuers are asking for an EWS1 on a low-rise block, it is worth checking whether that request is actually justified before commissioning an expensive assessment.
How EWS1 fits with the Building Safety Act
The Building Safety Act 2022 and the associated leaseholder protections changed the backdrop considerably. The Act introduced measures to protect qualifying leaseholders from the costs of remediating certain building-safety defects, and shifted much of the focus onto building owners and developers.
EWS1 sits alongside — not inside — that framework. The Act’s duties (safety cases, registration of higher-risk buildings, the Responsible Person’s fire duties) are about managing and evidencing safety. EWS1 is about mortgage lending. A building can be perfectly well managed for safety and still get caught in an EWS1 request simply because a lender wants one before advancing a loan. Our guide to director responsibilities under the Building Safety Act covers the statutory side in detail.
Practical points for directors
- One form covers the whole building, not each flat, and is generally valid for five years unless the external wall is altered.
- Only a suitably qualified professional can complete it — and only after the appropriate level of assessment.
- Keep the form and its supporting information with your building records so it is to hand for every future sale, rather than being re-commissioned each time.
- If your block has an EWS1, store it somewhere every stakeholder can find it. Certificates that live in someone’s inbox are certificates that get paid for twice.
Keeping documents like this current and instantly retrievable is part of what our compliance service is built to do. If you’re not sure where your block stands, a compliance review will tell you what you have, what you’re missing, and what’s genuinely required.
This guide is general information, not legal, valuation or fire-engineering advice. EWS1 requirements depend on your specific building and lender; take professional advice before commissioning or relying on an assessment.