What is the difference between a Building Safety Programme inspection and an EWS1 form?

A Building Safety Programme inspection will result in a fire engineer, or Chartered Building Surveyor’s, report which confirms whether or not your building meets the new building safety guidelines, and will tell us what works we need to do if it doesn’t.  You may also hear these inspections referred to as Consolidated Advice Note Inspections. 

The EWS1 form was developed by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and is often requested by mortgage lenders to prove that a property meets the latest building safety guidelines.

An EWS1 form rates the fire safety of a building based on the likelihood of improvement works being required. It is not on its own a guarantee of safety, which is why the Building Safety Programme inspection is also required.

You can find more information about the EWS1 process by visiting the RICS website's cladding Q&A section.

At the time of writing, most mortgage lenders are asking for a completed EWS1 form before they will lend on a property, although some will accept a fire engineer, or chartered building surveyor’s, report if it states that a building does not require any remedial works.