Do you own the freehold to a multi-storey block of flats? Have your leaseholders asked you to provide an EWS1 certificate?
If you don’t know what that is, here’s everything you might need to know about EWS1 forms
What is an EWS1 certificate?
EWS stands for External Wall System, the outside wall of a residential building. The EWS of a building is made up of several components, like cladding, insulation, fire break systems, etc.
An EWS1 certificate is an External Wall System Fire Review certificate. That is required when a leaseholder is buying, selling, or re-mortgaging an apartment in a multistorey, multi-occupied building.
It is important to note that an EWS1 form is not a building safety certificate or a legal requirement. It is simply a mortgage valuation tool that identifies the makeup of the EWS. It states whether the methods and materials used in the EWS offer sufficient protection in the event of a fire. #
Since it’s a valuation tool, it often determines whether the property can be sold to a buyer needing a mortgage. If the EWS1 form is not available, it might mean the property can only be sold to a cash buyer.
Additionally, it might not be required for all buildings. Whether it is needed or not might depend on the height of the building, the type of cladding it has, and, in some cases, how much cladding the building has.
Why is an EWS1 certificate required?
In 2017, the Grenfell Tower fire claimed the lives of 72 people, making it the ‘deadliest structural fire’ since 1968. Since this fire spread due to the building’s cladding and external insulation, this became a point of concern for a building’s fire safety.
Due to this concern, mortgage lenders were reluctant to lend money for properties that did not have EWS that were safe in case of fires. That is why the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and mortgage lenders came together to create the EWS1 form in December 2019.
The form is quite binary, as it simply certifies if the external walls of a building over 18m are ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe’. This tells mortgage lenders how likely the building is to be damaged by an out-of-control fire.
Who needs an EWS1 certificate?
The EWS1 form is designed to be used for residential properties such as blocks of flats (including those owned by housing associations and social housing providers as well as privately owned), student accommodation, dormitories, assisted living, care homes and Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
As mentioned earlier, buildings over 18m might require an EWS1 certificate. It is required for all high-rises that have combustible cladding or combustible materials in their balconies. Certain buildings that are lower than 18m might also require this certificate if they seem unsafe.
However, if a building does not have cladding, it might not require an EWS1 certificate at all. There are two options within the EWS1 form, depending on the material of the cladding and insulation of the external walls.
Option A: This option is for when the external cladding and insulation are of limited combustibility. The survey and certification can be carried out by a competent person who is not a fire engineer. However, the competent person will need to assess whether other physical attachments on the external walls of the building also require the same level of evaluation as the rest of the EWS.
Option B: This is for when the materials are known to be combustible. In this case, the evaluation needs to be carried out by a fire engineer, who will determine how high the risk of fire is. If it is negligible, the EWS1 certificate can be issued. If not, more remedial work might be required to obtain the certificate.
How do you get the EWS1 certificate?
The EWS process, and the form issued, as a result, certify that the external walls of a residential building have been inspected by a suitable expert who has followed government guidelines.
This qualified professional conducts an appraisal of the EWS to assess its fire risk. The process of the inspection requires the surveyor to open up the EWS. That means the cladding is removed, and bricks are taken out. There might be render that is cut away and glazing removed as well.
This often needs to be done at height, which might necessitate high-level access equipment, such as scaffolding or a cherry picker.
If the surveyor deems there is low to no risk, the EWS1 form is signed. This certificate is then valid for the entire building for up to five years.
How can Smarter Services help?
As we mentioned earlier, the EWS assessment needs to be conducted at a height. Also, it requires opening up the EWS. We at Smarter Services carry out the opening up and reinstatement of the EWS.
We work with your Fire Risk Assessor to open up the system as directed by them. Alternatively, we can recommend a qualified professional with whom we work to complete the inspections and forms for you.
Get in touch with us if you need our assistance with your EWS survey.
