Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether agreements are in place between hsi Department and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors stating that a building owner must produce a valid EWS1 form for the purposes of sale or remortgaging.

The External Wall System form (EWS1) and process is not a Government regulatory requirement. It was introduced by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) 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 use for lower risk properties.