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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) mortgage lenders and (b) insurers do not refuse (i) mortgage applications or (ii) valuations due to requests for (A) external wall fire reviews and (B) the production of EWS1 certificates on buildings outside of the scope for these inspections, as defined by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

The EWS1 process was introduced by industry to assist in the valuation of high-rise residential buildings for mortgage purposes. Not all lenders request an EWS1 form and the Government does not support a blanket approach in EWS1 for lower risk properties. The Department is encouraging lenders to accept a broader range of evidence to assure themselves of a building’s safety. This could include a fire risk assessment that includes external walls or a recent building control certificate.