EWS1 Surveys

Following the Grenfell fire disaster and the issue of the Hackitt Report (Building a Safer Future) the safety of high rise buildings, particularly residential, has come under increasing scrutiny amid a drive to confirm their safety or to remediate those buildings. In response, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) developed the EWS1 Survey process. The form came into use in December 2019 and was updated in March 2021.

What is an EWS1 Form

EWS stands for ‘External Wall Survey’. The external wall consists of the outside wall of a residential building, including any cladding, insulation, and fire break systems.

An EWS1 Form records in a consistent and universal manner the assessments that have been carried out on the external wall construction of residential buildings. An EWS1 Survey can apply to buildings of any height where specific concerns exist.

The assessment must be conducted by a qualified and competent professional, such as a Chartered Construction Professional as defined on the RICS guidance. A single assessment is needed per building. Once the EWS1 form has been completed it will be valid for five years, subject to significant use changes or any refurbishments.

For further information on EWS1 Surveys and Forms, our fact sheet can be found here.

EWS1 Surveys - How we can help?

Our team of Chartered Construction Professionals are experienced in carrying out detailed inspections of buildings. Since its inception we have successfully carried out EWS1 surveys and certified hundreds of flats. Our methodology and approach has been approved by our professional indemnity insurers, which makes us stand out from the crowd.

All our work includes a visit to the building by one of our qualified team for an initial visual assessment. We do not undertake desktop assessments alone as this is in breach of the EWS1 process. With offices in London, Birmingham , Manchester, Bristol & Plymouth we are able to provide EWS1 Surveys and all our other Building Consultancy services all around the UK.

What makes our EWS1 service different?

We provide specialist advice on remediation of buildings that fail to meet the required safety standards. This service includes the procurement of a specialist design team to allow the full remediation of the external façade. The advice we provide is backed by specific professional indemnity insurance to undertake this work.

Further Advice

For the latest RICS guidance note 'Cladding for Surveyors, 1 Edition, March 2021' click here

Our FAQs page is a compilation of many of the questions we are frequently asked about the EWS process. We have updated our FAQs following new RICS guidance in March 2021.

For further information see our EWS1 Fact Sheet.

Please call our Enquiry line to commission an EWS1 Survey 020 4534 3130

To commission an EWS1 Survey please call our EWS Enquiry line on 020 4534 3130.

To book a call back from a member of the EWS Survey team, please fill in our Contact Us form.

For further help or advice please contact :