Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to improve the clarity of guidance on buildings where lenders are requiring External Wall Fire Review assessments.
The EWS1 process was designed by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) to support valuations of high-rise residential blocks. It is not a regulatory requirement and the Department does not support a blanket approach to the use of EWS1 forms on all buildings. RICS have published guidance on use of the EWS1 form, and lenders have internal policies on the assurances they require before agreeing a mortgage. The EWS1 process should only be used where there is clear need, and where no reasonable assurances or regulatory evidence exists to support valuations.