Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish guidance for leaseholders in flats who obtained an EWS1 certificate when they were not required to; and whether those EWS1 certificates will continue to apply.

The EWS1 is not a Government form nor a legal requirement. The industry form helps ascertain if a building has remediation requirements which may affect building value and therefore mortgage lending decisions.

The requirement for and use of the EWS1 form is determined by the lending policies of banks and building societies. Having access to an EWS1 form and the professional reports behind it should help flat owners reassure potential buyers, identify issues which may need addressing or indeed act as part evidence towards any future fire risk assessments, even if a lender no longer requires the EWS1 form. An EWS1 form remains as valid information for five years.