How EnviroBuild Can Help You Pass Your EWS1 Review

In an attempt to combat issues in the valuation and sale of residential properties over 18m in height, the External Wall Fire Review, and accompanying EWS1 Form, was launched in December 2019. This involved the introduction of a new standardised process to monitor balcony refurbishments across the UK, where qualified fire-safety professionals were to inspect the external structure of buildings above 18m in height, assessing their combustibility. The EWS Review process was ultimately introduced to encourage lenders and valuers to offer mortgages.

The EWS1 form provides two options for the fire-safety professional to allocate to the assessed property; option A and B. Within this template, the form offers a selection of tick-box options, which concludes the extent of risk posed by the combustibility of the building’s external wall system. In short, the final consideration will be the allocation of an option within an A1-3 and B1-2 requisite, with A3 and B2 results concluding that the property poses a risk high enough to demand remedial work. The results of the EWS1 form are valid for 5 years and cover the building as a whole.

However, the introduction of the EWS1 form has had little success, predominantly due to the limited number of qualified professionals available to carry out the review. In addition, there is no statutory requirement on a building owner to procure an EWS1 assessment, with many refusing to take action due to inspection charges and potential refurbishment costs. There has also been widespread confusion over which properties truly require the EWS review, with some lenders requesting valuers to implement the EWS1 form on a wider range of builds than originally outlined. As a combined result of these defects, waiting times for the EWS review are long and progress is exceedingly slow, with some building owners being given inspection dates into 2026, resulting in growing frustration amongst leaseholders struggling to sell or insure their homes.