EWS1 form

Mckenna1992

Hi guys,

My girlfriend and I are currently in the process of buying our first property , we have received an offer from NatWest on the 17th September 2020 .  We thought we were close to exchanging this week however on 2nd glance NatWest valuers realised that our EWS1 form was signed off by a “unqualified” RICS individual,  Despite the individual being a qualified fire engineer and having over 17 years experience with cladding.  I am now completely aware of the shortage of recognised qualified RICS members there are to sign off EWS1 form . 

The Flat we are in the process of buying is a new build ( August 2020) and is 1 of 20 in the block of flats . 10 residence have moved in since August (2 With NatWest as a lender already) and 5 are expected to exchange this week . The building is 17 meters in height and materials used on the external wall system have been given A1 rating and are identified as non combustible . (Fire engineer has signed off)  

In the valuation report it states :
Regulation S1 2018/1230 required prior to lending . If this is not available the lender requires EWS1 form signed by appropriate person . 

As stated before our building is under 17 meters and the external wall system is A1 rating both of which meaning it complies with the S1 2018/1230 regulation therefore one would assume that the EWS1 form is not required . 

NatWest are currently discussing with surveyors on this issue . Has anybody experience this or has anybody got any advice ? 

Thanks  

Ria30

activenorman said:

doodbug said:

Does anyone here know if lenders will lend on an EWS1 B1 rating?
Or do they lend only on A1/A2/A3 ratings?

Halifax have approved my mortgage for a flat in a building with a B1 rating.

Hi, do you mind letting me know who signed it off please? I have received an ESW1 form with a B1 rating and barclays have rejected it as they dont seem to accept the persons qualifications and I have gone back and forth with the bank. The person who signed it is a member of RICS and has health and safety qualifications but they are still not accepting it! Its really frustating! Would you mind letting me know what exact qualifications the person had who signed it off please?
Thanks 

GDB2222

Mckenna1992 said:

Hi guys,

My girlfriend and I are currently in the process of buying our first property , we have received an offer from NatWest on the 17th September 2020 .  We thought we were close to exchanging this week however on 2nd glance NatWest valuers realised that our EWS1 form was signed off by a “unqualified” RICS individual,  Despite the individual being a qualified fire engineer and having over 17 years experience with cladding.  I am now completely aware of the shortage of recognised qualified RICS members there are to sign off EWS1 form . 

The Flat we are in the process of buying is a new build ( August 2020) and is 1 of 20 in the block of flats . 10 residence have moved in since August (2 With NatWest as a lender already) and 5 are expected to exchange this week . The building is 17 meters in height and materials used on the external wall system have been given A1 rating and are identified as non combustible . (Fire engineer has signed off)  

In the valuation report it states :
Regulation S1 2018/1230 required prior to lending . If this is not available the lender requires EWS1 form signed by appropriate person . 

As stated before our building is under 17 meters and the external wall system is A1 rating both of which meaning it complies with the S1 2018/1230 regulation therefore one would assume that the EWS1 form is not required . 

NatWest are currently discussing with surveyors on this issue . Has anybody experience this or has anybody got any advice ? 

Thanks  

 NatWest have no obligation to be consistent with the other flats they have loaned money on. Indeed, those may have been a mistake, which they have now realised.

 There’s nothing you can do about it if they refuse to lend, except possibly complain about any wasted costs you have had. 

uffanna

Hi, I am trying to remortgage my flat since November and having so many issues due to EWS1 form. We bought the flat 2 years ago, it's a new flat in a new building, built in 2018. The EWS1 form was done in April 2020 and it's a B1 from MLM group now Sweco. Natwest and Nationwide are refusing it because the fire engineer who did the survey didn't explicitly say he complied to note 5 of the form and he is not working for the same company anymore. MLM/Sweco are not standing by the report in writing which is terribly shady... Unsure what to do? There are 80 flats here in the same building, all new in London zone 2, some people re-mortgaged but with the same lender and didn't have any trouble. Problem seems to arise if you change lender or if you want to sell the flat. What can I do?

niceguyed

Something doesn't add up. If the EWS1 was signed off  was/is there evidence to show compliance with note 5? The management co/building owner commissioned the report so what do you mean they are not standing by it? Are they saying there isn't supporting evidence note 5 was not complied with? 
There should not be any grey area here. Is there extra evidence nationwide/NatWest require in addition to a completed EWS1? It's really trying to get to the bottom of if the form is somehow invalid without supporting evidence which really means approaching your managing agent. If others have remortgaged on the basis of the EWS1 are these neighbours/people you know in the block? At the moment you need to dig to find out more. 

Arti10

Hi

We're in the process of trying to buy a flat in a four storey 1970's block with what we think is uPVC plank style cladding (having trouble actually getting the info from the managing agents) running in vertical strips on about 40% of each of the front and rear elevations.

We're aware that this won't need an EWS1 form. We're cash buyers, but are concerned about its future mortgageablity if we sell. We're also v concerned that the new fire regs might require this cladding to be removed and replaced.

We're finding it really difficult to find any info on this. Has anyone any experience of this sort of block giving problems with fire safety and/or morgageabilty? We don't want to take on a property that could cost us dearly in the future.

Any advice or information appreciated!

yllop1101

Arti10 said:

Hi

We're in the process of trying to buy a flat in a four storey 1970's block with what we think is uPVC plank style cladding (having trouble actually getting the info from the managing agents) running in vertical strips on about 40% of each of the front and rear elevations.

We're aware that this won't need an EWS1 form. We're cash buyers, but are concerned about its future mortgageablity if we sell. We're also v concerned that the new fire regs might require this cladding to be removed and replaced.

We're finding it really difficult to find any info on this. Has anyone any experience of this sort of block giving problems with fire safety and/or morgageabilty? We don't want to take on a property that could cost us dearly in the future.

Any advice or information appreciated!

How are you aware you won't need an EWS1 form? Who says? 
I believe lenders have stipulated EWS1 forms in buildings below the Government stated height, e.g. even in 2 to 3 storey buildings, so I would be really careful in making an assumption it's not needed.
Can you speak to others in the block to ask if they've had any issues selling or remortgaging? Does the block/development have a residents/owners facebook group you could join to ask? 
What does the blocks exisiting fire safety report say? It is required to have a a fire safety check (not necessarily EWS1)- your solicitor should receive a copy of this in the management pack.

Arti10

Thanks for your suggestions. The managing agents told us the EWS1 wasn't required because the cladding isn't the problem metal composite type. I've checked the Fire Safety Report - done a year ago - but it makes no reference to the exterior of the building, only the internal common parts. Another report is due, but we don't know when that will be carried out. We'll check the other residents, but its only a small block and we're pretty sure no sales requiring a mortgage have been carried out for years.

We're hoping that someone may have had experience with recent mortgage applications for blocks with this type of cladding.

Thanks again.

niceguyed

The managing agents opinion on whether an EWS1 is required is worthless as they don't request it.  Also what happens if the MA sticks by this stance even if lenders are requesting it? That's a horrible stalemate to be in.
Until you know exactly what the cladding is other people's experiences arentgoing to be helpful, how do you know you're comparing like for like? It's also very possible assessors come to different conclusions. Just Google EWS1 downgraded and you'll see what I mean. 
Whichever way you dice this you'd be taking on a significant risk IMO. Perhaps you feel this is reflected in the asking price.

Arti10

niceguyed said:

The managing agents opinion on whether an EWS1 is required is worthless as they don't request it.  Also what happens if the MA sticks by this stance even if lenders are requesting it? That's a horrible stalemate to be in.
Until you know exactly what the cladding is other people's experiences arentgoing to be helpful, how do you know you're comparing like for like? It's also very possible assessors come to different conclusions. Just Google EWS1 downgraded and you'll see what I mean. 
Whichever way you dice this you'd be taking on a significant risk IMO. Perhaps you feel this is reflected in the asking price.

Many thanks for this - much food for thought. The property certainly hasn't been priced with this problem in mind so I guess we may have to have a rethink about that. Not easy though, as we have no idea what the cost of removal would be - I suppose we may have to consult a surveyor for that sort of info. Atm we're pushing the managing agent to find out what the cladding's made of - there must be records somewhere! Thanks again for your input. If nothing else it's confirmed that we're not worrying unnecessarily.