Do you need an EWS1 form, and do lenders still ask for one?

In England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, an EWS1 is a mortgage-market form rather than a statutory certificate. The practical question is therefore not only whether the law requires one, but whether a valuer or lender will still insist on one for the flat.

Does your building need an EWS1 form?

Your building needs an EWS1 form only if a mortgage lender, valuer or buyer asks for it; no UK law requires one just because a block is tall, leasehold or has external wall materials. MHCLG’s current lender-data note says: “An EWS1 form is not a government or regulatory requirement, nor is it a building or life safety assessment.” That means not all flats need an EWS1 certificate, and the answer to who needs an EWS1 certificate is usually a market answer, not a legal one. The stakes are high because one survey provider says: “A full EWS1 assessment can cost several thousand pounds, rising to £20,000–£35,000+ for larger or more complex buildings.” In October to December 2024, lenders still required an EWS1 or equivalent on 9% of UK flat valuations, and on 47% of valuations in buildings of seven storeys and above. Wales and Northern Ireland follow the RICS EWS1 process broadly as England does; Scotland has no statutory EWS1 duty either, but RICS says separate EWS1s can be required flat-by-flat because of Scotland’s legal system.

What is the height requirement for an EWS1 form?

There is no legal or government height threshold for an EWS1 form: the old 18m line was advisory, and current lender practice tapers from rare on low-rise blocks to common on high-rise blocks rather than switching on at one height. The 2021 government position said: “Following the expert advice, government sets out that EWS1 forms should not be requested for buildings below 18 metres,” but RICS now says its guidance still applies “particularly for sub-18m blocks which is still applicable now the Government advice has been withdrawn.” MHCLG’s October to December 2024 figures prove lenders did not adopt a hard 18m cliff: “Flats in the lowest-rise buildings (1-4 storeys) required an EWS1 form or equivalent in 2% of mortgage valuations,” while “Flats in mid-rise buildings (5-6 storeys), required an EWS1 form or equivalent in 25% of valuations,” and “47% of valuations for flats in buildings seven storeys and above required an EWS1 form.” So an EWS1 can still be required for buildings under 18m, but the likelihood rises with height.

Do you need an EWS1 form if the building has no cladding?

You usually do not need an EWS1 form if the building has no visible cladding and no relevant combustible balcony or wall system, but a lender can still ask for one if the valuer sees external-wall fire-safety concerns. The legal baseline is still that “An EWS1 form is not a government or regulatory requirement, nor is it a building or life safety assessment.” In market practice, the Building Societies Association says: “Generally, buildings which have neither cladding nor a combustible timber balcony do not, and have never, required an EWS1.” The important carve-out is that no cladding does not always mean no EWS1: RICS guidance treats vertically stacked combustible balconies as a trigger, and the BSA warns that “there are some buildings which externally look to be brick or stone built, but in fact have a brick or stone slip external wall system which constitutes cladding.” That is why a brick-looking block or a block with timber stacked balconies can still be caught.

Do mortgage lenders still ask for an EWS1?

Yes, mortgage lenders still ask for an EWS1 in 2025-style practice, but far less often than during the peak cladding bottleneck and mostly where the valuer or lender sees external-wall risk. MHCLG’s October to December 2024 data says: “9% of mortgage valuations for flats between October and December 2024 required an EWS1 form or equivalent, up from 8% in the previous quarter (July to September 2024).” Lender policy remains individual: Virgin Money, for example, tells intermediaries that “Where the valuer has fire safety concerns with the External Wall System or any other fire safety concerns, they will request a completed External Wall Fire Review Form (EWS1), in line with RICS guidance.” Some lenders will accept alternatives in the right case; UK Finance says: “Some lenders may, however, not require an EWS1 and ask instead for other evidence, such as the statutory Fire Risk Appraisal of the External Wall (FRAEW), where available.” So lenders still need EWS1 evidence sometimes, but not automatically.

Can you sell a flat without an EWS1 certificate?

Yes, you can sell a flat without an EWS1 certificate if the buyer is cash-funded or the buyer’s lender does not require one, because EWS1 is not a legal selling requirement. Government guidance for residents says: “Some lenders may choose to ask for an EWS1 form, although these are not legally required when selling a property.” The distinction matters because a cash sale is outside the mortgage-valuation dataset entirely; MHCLG’s EWS1 lender data states: “Cash purchases are not included.” In practice, a missing EWS1 can still derail a sale where the buyer needs a mortgage and the valuer asks for external-wall evidence, especially in taller blocks or blocks with cladding, combustible balconies or uncertain wall build-up. Government policy is trying to push the market away from using the form as a default sale condition: “Government encourages lenders to move away from the use of EWS1 reports, and their requirement when selling a property.” That policy does not stop an individual lender declining to proceed.

Do you need an EWS1 form to remortgage?

You need an EWS1 form to remortgage only if the lender’s valuation or underwriting asks for one, and an older form should not automatically be rejected just because it is more than five years old. RICS still states the usual reassessment convention bluntly: “An EWS1 assessment is required every five years for each building or block.” But UK Finance’s April 2025 lender statement moved the practical position away from automatic five-year refreshes, saying lender signatories “further pledge not to require wholesale reviews of EWS1 forms which are more than 5 years old.” If you are staying with the same lender, an internal product transfer may avoid a new valuation altogether; Virgin Money says of existing borrowers: “When their current mortgage deal ends we will offer a new mortgage product, just as we always would.” A full remortgage to a new lender is different, because the new lender can still ask for an EWS1, a FRAEW, remediation evidence or other documents before offering.

How do you know if your building has unsafe cladding?

You know whether your building has unsafe cladding by asking for the building’s fire-risk and external-wall evidence, not by looking for a universal UK public EWS1 register. In England and Wales, the responsible person must carry out a fire risk assessment: “The responsible person must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed for the purpose of identifying the general fire precautions he needs to take.” For English high-rise residential buildings, that goes further because the responsible person must record external-wall design and materials: “The responsible person in relation to a high-rise residential building must prepare a record of the design of the external walls of the building, including details of the materials from which they are constructed.” Scotland has a public cladding assurance route: “An entry for a building is to be created in the register once a single-building assessment has been carried out in relation to it.” Northern Ireland has no equivalent public cladding-status register, so official advice is to contact the building owner, agent or management company.

Last reviewed September 2026.

Sources

• MHCLG, EWS1 or equivalent lender data on mortgage valuations for flats, October to December 2024 — “An EWS1 form is not a government or regulatory requirement, nor is it a building or life safety assessment.” Source
• EWS-1 Surveys, EWS1 survey cost — “A full EWS1 assessment can cost several thousand pounds, rising to £20,000–£35,000+ for larger or more complex buildings.” Source
• RICS, Cladding external wall system EWS FAQs — “The EWS1 process applies equally to Wales as it does to England.” Source
• RICS, Cladding external wall system EWS FAQs — “The EWS1 Form and process apply equally in N.Ireland.” Source
• RICS, Cladding external wall system EWS FAQs — “In Scotland, separate EWS1s can be required on a flat-by-flat basis due to its different legal system.” Source
• GOV.UK, major intervention from government and lenders to support leaseholders — “Following the expert advice, government sets out that EWS1 forms should not be requested for buildings below 18 metres” Source
• RICS, Cladding external wall system EWS FAQs — “RICS has produced proportionate guidance to help valuers decide when an EWS1 form should be required, particularly for sub-18m blocks which is still applicable now the Government advice has been withdrawn.” Source
• MHCLG, EWS1 or equivalent lender data on mortgage valuations for flats, October to December 2024 — “Flats in the lowest-rise buildings (1-4 storeys) required an EWS1 form or equivalent in 2% of mortgage valuations during the October 2024 to December 2024 quarter.” Source
• MHCLG, EWS1 or equivalent lender data on mortgage valuations for flats, October to December 2024 — “Flats in mid-rise buildings (5-6 storeys), required an EWS1 form or equivalent in 25% of valuations during the October 2024 to December 2024 quarter.” Source
• MHCLG, EWS1 or equivalent lender data on mortgage valuations for flats, October to December 2024 — “47% of valuations for flats in buildings seven storeys and above required an EWS1 form, up from 46% in the previous quarter.” Source
• Building Societies Association, Cladding consumer Q&A — “Generally, buildings which have neither cladding nor a combustible timber balcony do not, and have never, required an EWS1.” Source
• RICS, Valuation of properties in multi-storey, multi-occupancy residential buildings with cladding — “there are balconies which stack vertically above each other and either both the balustrades and decking are constructed with combustible materials (e.g. timber) or the decking is constructed with combustible materials and the balconies are directly linked by combustible material.” Source
• Building Societies Association, Cladding consumer Q&A — “However, there are some buildings which externally look to be brick or stone built, but in fact have a brick or stone slip external wall system which constitutes cladding.” Source
• MHCLG, EWS1 or equivalent lender data on mortgage valuations for flats, October to December 2024 — “9% of mortgage valuations for flats between October and December 2024 required an EWS1 form or equivalent, up from 8% in the previous quarter (July to September 2024).” Source
• Virgin Money intermediaries, Cladding lending criteria — “Where the valuer has fire safety concerns with the External Wall System or any other fire safety concerns, they will request a completed External Wall Fire Review Form (EWS1), in line with RICS guidance.” Source
• UK Finance, Industry statement on cladding — “Some lenders may, however, not require an EWS1 and ask instead for other evidence, such as the statutory Fire Risk Appraisal of the External Wall (FRAEW), where available.” Source
• GOV.UK, Cladding and other fire safety works: information for residents — “Some lenders may choose to ask for an EWS1 form, although these are not legally required when selling a property.” Source
• MHCLG, EWS1 or equivalent lender data on mortgage valuations for flats, October to December 2024 — “Cash purchases are not included.” Source
• MHCLG, EWS1 or equivalent lender data on mortgage valuations for flats, October to December 2024 — “Government encourages lenders to move away from the use of EWS1 reports, and their requirement when selling a property.” Source
• RICS, Cladding external wall system EWS FAQs — “An EWS1 assessment is required every five years for each building or block.” Source
• UK Finance, Industry statement on cladding — “the lender signatories to this statement further pledge not to require wholesale reviews of EWS1 forms which are more than 5 years old.” Source
• Virgin Money intermediaries, Cladding lending criteria — “When their current mortgage deal ends we will offer a new mortgage product, just as we always would.” Source
• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 9 — “The responsible person must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed for the purpose of identifying the general fire precautions he needs to take to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed on him by or under this Order.” Source
• Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulation 5 — “The responsible person in relation to a high-rise residential building must prepare a record of the design of the external walls of the building, including details of the materials from which they are constructed.” Source
• Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024, section 1 — “An entry for a building is to be created in the register once a single-building assessment has been carried out in relation to it.” Source
• Department for Communities Northern Ireland, Residential building safety FAQs — “If you are concerned about the safety of your building, we would encourage you to contact the building owner, their agent, or the management company who can inform you of the safety measures in place.” Source