New insight from Property Inspect reveals that lack of proper regulation around EWS1 inspection and forms means that certification has become difficult to trust and is, therefore, frequently being deemed invalid by mortgage lenders. The property industry must now work together to fix the problem right away.
What are EWS1 forms?
An EWS1 form, or External Wall System Fire Review, is a document developed by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) to assess the fire safety of a building's external walls, with particular focus given to the cladding, introduced in 2019 as a response to the Grenfell Tower fire.
Since their introduction, mortgage lenders have started to require an EWS1 form or equivalent as part of their mortgage valuation process for flats in tall buildings.
Almost one in 10 mortgage valuations require an EWS1 form
Inventory Base’s analysis of government data* reveals that between July–September 2024 (latest available data) there were an estimated total of 41,000 mortgage valuations completed for flats in the UK, and that 8% of these valuations required an EWS1 form to be completed.
However, when it comes to flats in high-rise buildings of seven storeys or more, almost half (46%) of mortgage valuations demanded that an EWS1 form was completed.
Issues of mistrust for EWS1 forms
According to the UK government, an EWS1 form “must be completed by a qualified and competent professional, such as a Chartered Construction Professional, as defined by the RICS guidance, who has the expertise to assess the fire risk presented by external wall materials”.
However, it has become increasingly apparent that EWS1 forms are being signed-off by people who have no proper authority or qualifications to do so, and this is creating a wide sense of mistrust in EWS1 forms. As mortgage lenders have realised that forms are often being improperly completed, this mistrust means that they are increasingly likely to reject forms that are submitted.
This prevalence of incompetent or fraudulent forms and the broad industry mistrust of EWS1s they have created has led MPs to raise concerns about the large number of EWS1 forms that feature fake signatures.
In May 2024, Clive Betts, Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities Committee, raised the issue of fake signatures while corresponding with RICS and the Fire Industry Association (FIA), while in August 2024, the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) suspended an inspector for failing to “maintain and work within professional competence” while issuing EWS1s among other certifications.
It’s also worth noting that even when cladding is being successfully checked, more problems are arising. The Committee of Public Accounts recently said that progress on removing unsafe cladding in the aftermath of the Grenfell fire has been “far too slow” and many residents and owners are enduring “appalling financial difficulties and emotional distress” as a result.
With all of this in mind, Inventory Base is leading the call for the property industry to work together to tackle this growing incompetence and mistrust of EWS1 forms by introducing a formal regulatory body to ensure proper compliance.
Siân Hemming-Metcalfe, Operations Director at Property Inspect, comments:
"The ongoing mistrust surrounding EWS1 forms is having a profound and unacceptable impact, not just on our industry, but on the people trapped by its failings.
"Mortgage lenders are hesitant to support high-rise flats without a signed EWS1 certificate. Yet even when these forms are present, doubts remain over whether the individual signing is properly qualified or authorised. As a result, the credibility of the forms themselves is now being questioned, undermining their purpose entirely.
"This systemic issue is making lives extremely difficult. I personally know a family of four who have been stuck in a one-bedroom flat for years. They can’t move because no lender will offer a mortgage to potential buyers of their property - solely due to problems with EWS1 certification.
:I understand that implementing robust systems and eliminating fraudulent or inadequate sign-offs is complex. But we’ve reached the point where the human cost is too great to ignore. Collective industry action is urgently needed to establish proper compliance procedures, backed by qualified and accountable professionals. We need regulatory oversight of EWS1 certification, similar to what exists for gas safety.
"We can’t sit back and wait for a super-ombudsman or centralised authority to save us. The responsibility is ours not only to restore trust but to ensure fire safety, and protect the people whose lives are being directly affected."
