An industry leader has issued a stark warning over the growing crisis surrounding EWS1 forms, as new data reveals widespread mistrust in the certification process is paralysing parts of the UK housing market.
EWS1 forms – created after the Grenfell Tower fire to assess the fire risk of a building’s external walls – have become an essential part of the mortgage process for high-rise flats.
But analysis from property software firm Inventory Base has shown that the system is now failing those it was designed to protect.
The latest government figures show that between July and September 2024, around 41,000 mortgage valuations were completed for flats across the UK. Of those, 8% required an EWS1 form. The proportion rises sharply for high-rise blocks of seven storeys or more, with 46% of valuations demanding the certification.
MORTGAGE REJECTION
Despite this, mortgage lenders are increasingly rejecting EWS1 forms, amid fears that many are being signed by individuals without the necessary qualifications.
Although the government states that only a “qualified and competent professional” should sign off an EWS1, there is mounting evidence of forms being issued fraudulently, or by those lacking formal authority.
The crisis has reached parliamentary levels. In May last year, Clive Betts, Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, raised concerns about forged signatures on EWS1 forms in correspondence with both the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Fire Industry Association.
SLOW PROGRESS
Just months later, the Institution of Fire Engineers suspended an inspector for failing to uphold professional competence in issuing the forms.
While the forms were meant to accelerate safety improvements post-Grenfell, progress on cladding remediation has been slow, leaving thousands trapped in unsafe or unsellable homes.
Indeed, a recent report from the Public Accounts Committee condemned the pace of cladding removal and highlighted the severe financial and emotional toll on residents.
In response, Inventory Base and its sister company Property Inspect are calling for a formal regulatory body to oversee EWS1 certification.
UNACCEPTABLE IMPACT
Siân Hemming-Metcalfe, Operations Director at Property Inspect, says: “The ongoing mistrust surrounding EWS1 forms is having a profound and unacceptable impact, not just on our industry, but on the people trapped by its failings.
“Mortgage lenders are hesitant to support high-rise flats without a signed EWS1 certificate. Yet even when these forms are present, doubts remain over whether the individual signing is properly qualified or authorised. As a result, the credibility of the forms themselves is now being questioned, undermining their purpose entirely.”
“This systemic issue is making lives extremely difficult.”
“This systemic issue is making lives extremely difficult. I personally know a family of four who have been stuck in a one-bedroom flat for years. They can’t move because no lender will offer a mortgage to potential buyers of their property – solely due to problems with EWS1 certification.
“I understand that implementing robust systems and eliminating fraudulent or inadequate sign-offs is complex. But we’ve reached the point where the human cost is too great to ignore. Collective industry action is urgentlyneeded to establish proper compliance procedures, backed by qualified and accountable professionals. We need regulatory oversight of EWS1 certification, similar to what exists for gas safety.
“We can’t sit back and wait for a super-ombudsman or centralised authority to save us. The responsibility is ours not only to restore trust but to ensure fire safety, and protect the people whose lives are being directly affected.”
