<article style="max-width: 900px; margin: 0 auto; font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234;"><h1 style="font-size: 38px; line-height: 1.25; font-weight: 700; color: #222; margin: 0 0 24px 0;">Buying a London Flat: Building Safety, Cladding and the EWS1 Form Explained</h1><p style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin: 0 0 18px 0;">Since the Grenfell Tower fire, building safety has become a standard part of buying a flat in London. Lenders and valuers ask questions about cladding and fire safety that did not used to come up, and a flat that cannot be mortgaged can be hard to resell.</p><p style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin: 0 0 18px 0;">This Banke Properties guide explains what the EWS1 form is, which buyers it affects and what to ask before you commit.</p><h2 style="font-size: 28px; line-height: 1.35; font-weight: 650; color: #222; border-left: 4px solid #ffcc00; padding-left: 12px; margin: 38px 0 18px 0;">The Short Answer</h2><p style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin: 0 0 18px 0;">For many flats in blocks with external wall systems, a lender will ask for an External Wall System form, known as an EWS1, signed by a qualified fire safety professional. Whether a particular building needs one depends on its height, its design and its materials, and lender policies differ. Ask your solicitor and your mortgage broker at the start, not at the end of the process.</p><h2 style="font-size: 28px; line-height: 1.35; font-weight: 650; color: #222; border-left: 4px solid #ffcc00; padding-left: 12px; margin: 38px 0 18px 0;">What an EWS1 Is</h2><p style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin: 0 0 18px 0;">An EWS1 is a standard form on which a qualified professional records an assessment of the external wall system of a block and any risk from combustible materials such as certain types of cladding or balcony materials. The result tells the lender whether remedial work is needed. It is an assessment of the building, not of your individual flat.</p><h2 style="font-size: 28px; line-height: 1.35; font-weight: 650; color: #222; border-left: 4px solid #ffcc00; padding-left: 12px; margin: 38px 0 18px 0;">Why It Affects You as a Buyer</h2><ul style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin: 0 0 20px 0; padding-left: 28px; list-style-type: disc;"><li style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin-bottom: 8px;">A lender may refuse to lend, or may lower the valuation, if a required form is missing or shows a problem.</li><li style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin-bottom: 8px;">If remedial work is needed, <strong style="font-weight: 600; color: #222;">leaseholders may face service charge costs</strong>, depending on the lease and the funding arrangements.</li><li style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin-bottom: 8px;">Insurance premiums for the building can rise and feed into service charges.</li><li style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin-bottom: 8px;">A flat that is hard to mortgage is harder to sell later, which affects cash buyers too.</li></ul><h2 style="font-size: 28px; line-height: 1.35; font-weight: 650; color: #222; border-left: 4px solid #ffcc00; padding-left: 12px; margin: 38px 0 18px 0;">Questions for the Seller and Managing Agent</h2><ul style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin: 0 0 20px 0; padding-left: 28px; list-style-type: disc;"><li style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin-bottom: 8px;">Does the building have an EWS1, and what is the rating or outcome?</li><li style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin-bottom: 8px;">Has cladding or other remedial work been done, is it planned, and who is paying for it?</li><li style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin-bottom: 8px;">Is a waking watch or other temporary fire safety measure in place, and is its cost in the service charge?</li><li style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin-bottom: 8px;">What are the current building insurance arrangements and cost?</li><li style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin-bottom: 8px;">Are there any fire safety reports or enforcement notices on the building?</li></ul><p style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin: 0 0 18px 0;">Ask for service charge accounts for recent years and notices of major works. Our guide to <a href="https://www.bankeproperties.com/london/blogs/service-charge-and-ground-rent-on-a-london-flat-what-buyers-should-ask" style="color:#333234;text-decoration:underline;font-weight:600;">service charge and ground rent on a London flat</a> shows how to read them.</p><h2 style="font-size: 28px; line-height: 1.35; font-weight: 650; color: #222; border-left: 4px solid #ffcc00; padding-left: 12px; margin: 38px 0 18px 0;">Working With Your Solicitor and Broker</h2><p style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin: 0 0 18px 0;">Tell your solicitor you want building safety checked, and ask your mortgage broker which lenders will accept the specific building. Our overview of <a href="https://www.bankeproperties.com/london/blogs/conveyancing-in-london-how-solicitors-searches-and-timelines-work" style="color:#333234;text-decoration:underline;font-weight:600;">how conveyancing works in London</a> explains where these checks sit in the process.</p><h2 style="font-size: 28px; line-height: 1.35; font-weight: 650; color: #222; border-left: 4px solid #ffcc00; padding-left: 12px; margin: 38px 0 18px 0;">Overseas Buyers and Investors</h2><p style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin: 0 0 18px 0;">If you are buying from abroad, build in extra time for these checks and do not exchange contracts until the lender position is clear. Consider how an investor buying to let would be affected by service charge increases and by a smaller pool of buyers when you sell.</p><h2 style="font-size: 28px; line-height: 1.35; font-weight: 650; color: #222; border-left: 4px solid #ffcc00; padding-left: 12px; margin: 38px 0 18px 0;">A Practical Checklist</h2><ul style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin: 0 0 20px 0; padding-left: 28px; list-style-type: disc;"><li style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin-bottom: 8px;">Ask early whether the block needs an EWS1 and whether it exists.</li><li style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin-bottom: 8px;">Check the lender position with a broker before you pay for a survey.</li><li style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin-bottom: 8px;">Review the service charge history and planned works.</li><li style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin-bottom: 8px;">Ask who bears the cost of any remedial work under the lease.</li><li style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin-bottom: 8px;">Have your solicitor confirm all of this in the replies to enquiries.</li></ul><h2 style="font-size: 28px; line-height: 1.35; font-weight: 650; color: #222; border-left: 4px solid #ffcc00; padding-left: 12px; margin: 38px 0 18px 0;">Why Choose Banke Properties?</h2><p style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin: 0 0 18px 0;">Banke Properties lists and advises on property across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Doha, London and Mumbai, so a London decision can be compared with the alternatives in one conversation. Our team explains the paperwork, the costs and the timelines in plain language, and tells you when a deal is not worth doing.</p><h2 style="font-size: 28px; line-height: 1.35; font-weight: 650; color: #222; border-left: 4px solid #ffcc00; padding-left: 12px; margin: 38px 0 18px 0;">Talk to Banke Properties</h2><p style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin: 0 0 18px 0;">If you would like help applying any of this to a specific home or investment, <a href="https://www.bankeproperties.com/contact-us/" style="color:#333234;text-decoration:underline;font-weight:600;">contact the Banke Properties team</a> and tell us your budget, timeline and what you are trying to achieve.</p><p style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.85; color: #333234; margin: 0 0 18px 0;"><strong style="font-weight: 600; color: #222;">Sources and disclaimer:</strong> GOV.UK building safety guidance, the RICS guidance on the EWS1 process, and the lease and management information supplied for the specific flat. This article is general, evergreen information and has not been checked against live figures: it deliberately quotes no fees, rates or thresholds. Laws, fees and procedures change, and this is not legal, tax or financial advice. Please confirm current details with the relevant authority or a qualified professional before you commit money.</p></article>

Buying a London flat? Learn what an EWS1 form is, how cladding and building safety affect mortgages and service charges, and what to ask first.

Buying a London Flat: Building Safety, Cladding and the EWS1 Form Explained

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