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

To ask Her Majesty's Government how long they estimate it will take to carry out External Wall Surveys (EWS) on all buildings that are currently required by mortgage providers to have an EWS1 certificate before owners can re-mortgage or sell their properties.

The External Wall System form (EWS1) and process is designed and implemented by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in conjunction with mortgage lenders to assist with valuation of high-rise residential buildings. Some lenders do not require an EWS1 form, and others seek them for a greater range of buildings than the process was designed for. It is not a Government policy or regulatory requirement and the department does not hold data on its use.