Flats: Insulation

(asked on 20th October 2020) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the situation of (a) buyers and (b) leaseholders of low-level flats who are unable to obtain mortgages or re-mortgage their properties because they do not possess an External Wall System 1 form; and whether the Government will take that matter into account in deciding whether to extend the cut to Stamp Duty Land Tax beyond 31 March 2021.


Answered by
Christopher Pincher Portrait
Christopher Pincher
This question was answered on 23rd October 2020

The External Wall System form (EWS1) and process was designed by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) with mortgage lenders to assist with valuation of high-rise residential buildings. It is not a Government policy or regulatory requirement and the Government does not support a blanket approach in EWS1 use for lower risk properties. 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.

The temporary increase in the Stamp Duty Land Tax nil rate band was designed to provide an immediate stimulus to the property market, where property transactions fell during the COVID-19 lockdown. The Government does not plan to extend this relief and will continue to monitor the property market.

Reticulating Splines