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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that mortgage lenders do not require EWS1 forms where there is no legal requirement; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of those requirements on leaseholders’ ability to sell their homes.

External Wall System (EWS1) forms are not a legal or regulatory requirement in any circumstance.

My Department works closely with the mortgage lending industry to understand the challenges in the market for flats affected by fire safety issues, and we are encouraging mortgage lenders (banks and building societies) to move away from the use of EWS1s as a valuation tool, as some mortgage lenders are already doing. I met major mortgage lenders last month to reiterate this, and ask that they accept alternative evidence, for example the building’s Fire Risk Assessment (which the Responsible Person for a building is legally required to conduct) or, Fire Risk Appraisal of the External Wall.

I welcome the recently updated joint statement on cladding, signed by 10 major mortgage lenders, confirming they will consider lending on properties in buildings 11 metres and above, where the building is in a remediation scheme or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act and the leaseholder has completed a ‘Leaseholder Deed of Certificate’ to evidence it. An EWS1 form should not be required in these scenarios.