FRAEW or EWS1? The External Wall Records Every Flat Owner Should Know About

An EWS1 form and an FRAEW are not the same record, and new government guidance says so plainly. The EWS1 is a form mortgage lenders and valuers use when a flat is sold or remortgaged. It "is not a government or regulatory document and is not a safety certificate". The FRAEW, or fire risk appraisal of external walls, is the safety assessment itself. If your block has had one, ask for the executive summary and keep it with your property records. An older appraisal does not become worthless because a new edition of the method has been published.

What has happened

On 14 September 2026 the British Standards Institution published PAS 9980:2026, the revised method for appraising the fire risk of external walls on existing blocks of flats, replacing the 2022 edition. The government published five plain English guides alongside it, including one written for residents.

For anyone who keeps a property file, the useful part is not the engineering. It is that the government has now set out, in writing, what these documents are, what they should contain and which one does what.

Two documents that people constantly confuse

The FRAEW is carried out for the responsible person, usually the freeholder, managing agent or management company, when the building's fire risk assessment raises a concern about the external walls. It looks at the whole wall build up, not just the visible panels, and ends with one of four outcomes: low, tolerable, medium or high risk. Only medium and high lead to further action. It is part of how the building is kept safe.

The EWS1 exists for lending. GOV.UK says "Mortgage lenders decide when an EWS1 is needed and how they use the information", and although an EWS1 may draw on evidence from an FRAEW, "an EWS1 form does not replace an FRAEW" (GOV.UK).

So a building can have an EWS1 and no FRAEW, an FRAEW and no EWS1, or both. If you are selling, the buyer's lender will ask about the EWS1. If you want to know whether the walls are a fire risk, the FRAEW is the record that answers it.

What you can ask for

The government's residents' guide suggests residents ask the responsible person a set of questions, including whether the fire risk assessment covers the external walls, whether an FRAEW has been carried out or is needed, and "Can you share the FRAEW executive summary?"

That is guidance, not a statutory right to the full report. Separately, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 do require the responsible person for any building with two or more flats to give residents fire safety information, including the evacuation strategy and updates when arrangements change. Ask in writing, and file the reply with the date you received it. A request and a response are records too.

What a proper executive summary contains

The government's guide to what to expect in an FRAEW executive summary works as a checklist for the document on your desk. A complete summary should show:

• Who did it: the assessor's name, qualifications and organisation, professional body membership and registration number, confirmation of professional indemnity insurance and any conflict of interest
• What was and was not looked at: scope, exclusions, access limits, assumptions and uncertainties
• The building: height, storeys, construction date and method, cladding and evacuation strategy
• The evidence: inspections, drawings, product information and any opening up of the walls
• The outcome: the risk rating and the reasoning for it
• Interim measures: whether the evacuation strategy has changed, the conditions for changing it back, and any temporary measures "such as a waking watch or fire alarm system"
• Recommendations and the expected result, including the rating the building should have once the work is done

If the summary you are given is missing the assessor's identity or registration number, ask for it. You would not keep a gas safety record without the engineer's details, and the same logic applies here.

When a newer edition appears, do not throw the old one away

GOV.UK says an FRAEW completed by a competent assessor under PAS 9980:2022 "should continue to be valid until it needs to be reviewed or updated". A new one is usually only needed if the walls change or a later fire risk assessment recommends it.

For record keepers, that means two things. Keep the edition and date alongside each appraisal, so anyone reading it later knows which method was used. And when a newer appraisal arrives, file it next to the old one rather than replacing it. Remediation decisions, funding applications and later disputes can all turn on what was known and when.

A paper wallet in the property file does this perfectly well if it is labelled and kept in order. Where records live in a digital logbook, the same rule applies: add a new version, do not overwrite the last.

Frequently asked questions

Is an EWS1 a fire safety certificate?

No. GOV.UK says it is not a government or regulatory document and not a safety certificate. It is a form used by lenders and valuers.

Does our block need a new FRAEW now PAS 9980:2026 is out?

Usually not. A competent 2022 appraisal stays valid until it needs reviewing, typically because the walls change or a fire risk assessment recommends a new one.

Can I insist on seeing the full FRAEW report?

The government encourages residents to ask for the executive summary. There is no general statutory right to the full report, but asking in writing and keeping the reply is always worth doing.

Does every block of flats need an FRAEW?

No. It is needed where the fire risk assessment identifies a concern about the external walls. GOV.UK says it can apply to blocks of any height, but buildings with traditional brick or masonry walls are generally unlikely to need one.

Related guides

• Leasehold property logbook: the documents to keep
• How to keep a fire risk assessment record
• How long to keep fire safety records
• Residential PEEPs and fire safety records