EWS1 or equivalent lender data on mortgage valuations for flats: April 2022 to June 2022, United Kingdom
Published 11 August 2022
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Headlines
Data received by DLUHC, provided by 7 mortgage lenders in the UK, shows that the majority of mortgage valuations for flats do not require an EWS1 form or equivalent. Between April and June 2022 there were 54,000 mortgage valuations for flats in the UK by these lenders, with EWS1 forms or equivalent being required in fewer than 1 in 10 cases.
During the April-June quarter, an EWS1 form or equivalent was required by lenders for 9% of mortgage valuations for flats in the UK, the same as in the January-March quarter.
Data received by DLUHC from 5 mortgage lenders who provided height breakdown information, covering 37,000 mortgage valuations between April and June 2022, shows that height is a key factor on whether or not an EWS1 form is requested:
- 55% of mortgage valuations for flats in buildings 7 storeys and above required an EWS1 form or equivalent during the April-June quarter, an increase from 50% in the January-March quarter.
- Flats in mid-rise buildings (5-6 storeys), required an EWS1 form or equivalent in 26% of valuations during the April-June quarter, a slight decrease from 27% in the January-March quarter.
- Flats in the lowest-rise buildings (1-4 storeys) required an EWS1 form or equivalent in 2% of mortgage valuations during the April-June quarter, the same as in the January-March quarter.
Introduction
External wall fire review process forms, commonly known as ‘EWS1’ forms, have been developed by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), UK Finance and the Building Societies Association to support the valuation process for high-rise residential buildings with cladding. An EWS1 form is not a government or regulatory requirement, nor is it a building or life safety assessment. RICS published guidance on the criteria that should be used to determine whether a building needs an EWS1 form, which was last updated 28 January 2022 (RICS, 2022).
There is a low incidence of fire spreading in blocks of flats[footnote 1] and action is being taken to address industry and regulatory enforcement failings exposed by the Grenfell Tower tragedy across the minority of blocks of flats where potential risks do exist.
This data release publishes information on the number of EWS1 forms or equivalent that have been required as reported by 7 major lenders in the United Kingdom. This data release is an ad-hoc release and does not constitute an Official Statistics or National Statistics release.
DLUHC has received monthly data in an aggregated, anonymised format for the period April 2021 to June 2022. Lenders have provided figures for the total number of valuations carried out for flats, and the number of these valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required. Where possible, these data are categorised according to building height.
Five of the 7 mortgage lenders provided height breakdown information, covering 37,000 mortgage valuations for the April-June quarter. In all previous quarters, only 3 of the 7 lenders provided full height breakdown information. The publication of lenders’ EWS1 data will be updated quarterly.
These data are as reported to DLUHC and represent the majority of the lending market.
Data tables
Table 1. Quarterly mortgage valuations and EWS1 form (or equivalent) requirements
Total = total valuations received
Percent = percentage of total valuations
| Latest Quarter Apr-Jun 22 | Previous Quarter Jan-Mar 22 | Equivalent Quarter previous year Apr-Jun 21 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of mortgage valuations for flats for which data was received | 54,000 | 55,000 | 54,000 | |||
| Total1 | Percent | Total1 | Percent | Total1 | Percent | |
| Mortgage valuations for flats where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required | 5,000 | 9% | 5,000 | 9% | 5,000 | 9% |
| Mortgage valuations for flats where an EWS1 form or equivalent was not required | 49,000 | 91% | 50,000 | 91% | 49,000 | 91% |
1Number of valuations is rounded to the nearest 1,000.
Table 2. Quarterly mortgage valuations and EWS1 form (or equivalent) requirements, by height
Total = total valuations received
Percent = percentage of valuations where an EWS1 form was required
| Latest Quarter Apr-Jun 22³ | Previous Quarter Jan-Mar 22² | Equivalent Quarter Previous Year Apr-Jun 21² | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of mortgage valuations for which height breakdown data was received | 37,000 | 29,000 | 29,000 | |||
| Total1 | Percent | Total1 | Percent | Total1 | Percent | |
| Low Rise (1-4 storeys) | 28,000 | 2% | c | 2% | c | * |
| Mid Rise (5-6 storeys) | 5,000 | 26% | c | 27% | c | * |
| Combined lowest rise and mid-rise (under 7 storeys) | 33,000 | 5% | c | 6% | c | * |
| High Rise (7 Storeys or more) | 4,000 | 55% | c | 50% | c | 52% |
1Number of valuations is rounded to the nearest 1,000.
2 These figures are calculated from data from 3 major lenders, as these lenders had full height breakdowns for all valuations in this quarter.
3 These figures are calculated from data from 5 major lenders, as these lenders had full height breakdowns for all valuations in this quarter.
c = Number suppressed due to disclosure control
*Number suppressed as not comparable due to height bracket discrepancies (available in supplementary tables)
Definitions
Lenders either use EWS1 forms, or their own in-house equivalent.
“EWS1 form or equivalent was required” includes flats in buildings where an EWS1 form or equivalent was already held for the building. Therefore, these figures are likely to be higher than the number of new EWS1 forms or equivalent that lenders request.
Mortgage valuations refer to the total number of valuations completed as part of a mortgage application process, covering regulated mortgages, buy-to-let mortgages and second-home mortgages. Cash purchases are not included. These data do not reflect mortgages granted or sales.
Data quality
Data is provided by lenders to DLUHC in an aggregated, anonymised format. DLUHC consequently does not have oversight of lenders’ collection systems and quality procedures. This is the fourth data publication. DLUHC are continuing to work with lenders with a view to further enhance its quality and seek further data to better understand the impact of EWS1 requirement on mortgage transactions.
Lenders were asked to provide monthly data from April 2021 onwards on EWS1s. However, there are some gaps for specific months from different lenders. Where monthly data are missing, DLUHC have gone back to lenders to request these data, but DLUHC have not attempted to impute missing data. In this publication we are updating to include the most up to date data, for the period April 2022 to June 2022.
Prior to August 2021, there were historic data quality issues with inconsistent height brackets below seven storeys between lenders, and therefore data collected before and after this date are not directly comparable. Height has a large impact on the percentage of valuations requiring an EWS1 form which is why these periods are not comparable under 7 storeys.
From April 2021 to January 2022, only 3 of the 7 mortgage lenders provided sufficient height breakdown information to be included in the analysis by height. As of February 2022, 5 of the 7 mortgage lenders have provided height breakdown information.
This publication covers the latest quarter of data (April-June 2022). We aim to update this publication on a quarterly basis.
Supplementary tables
Table 1. Monthly mortgage valuations and EWS1 form (or equivalent) requirements, all flats
Notes:
Number of valuations is rounded to the nearest 1,000.
| Apr-21 | May-21 | Jun-21 | Jul-21 | Aug-21 | Sep-21 | Oct-21 | Nov-21 | Dec-21 | Jan-22 | Feb-22 | Mar-22 | Apr-22 | May-22 | Jun-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of mortgage valuations for flats for which data was received | 15,000 | 19,000 | 20,000 | 19,000 | 17,000 | 19,000 | 20,000 | 21,000 | 14,000 | 16,000 | 18,000 | 21,000 | 17,000 | 19,000 | 18,000 |
| Number of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required | 10% | 9% | 9% | 8% | 8% | 8% | 7% | 8% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 7% | 9% |
| Number of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was not required | 14,000 | 17,000 | 18,000 | 17,000 | 16,000 | 18,000 | 18,000 | 19,000 | 13,000 | 14,000 | 17,000 | 19,000 | 15,000 | 18,000 | 17,000 |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was not required | 90% | 91% | 91% | 92% | 92% | 92% | 93% | 92% | 91% | 91% | 91% | 91% | 91% | 93% | 91% |
Table 2. Quarterly mortgage valuations and EWS1 form (or equivalent) requirements, all flats
Notes:
Number of valuations is rounded to the nearest 1,000.
| April to June 2021 | July to September 2021 | October to December 2021 | January to March 2022 | April to June 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of mortgage valuations for flats for which data was received | 54,000 | 55,000 | 54,000 | 55,000 | 54,000 |
| Number of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required | 5,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required | 9% | 8% | 8% | 9% | 9% |
| Number of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was not required | 49,000 | 51,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 49,000 |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was not required | 91% | 92% | 92% | 91% | 91% |
Table 3. Monthly mortgage valuations and EWS1 form (or equivalent) requirements, by building height (April 2021 to August 2021)
Notes:
Number of valuations is rounded to the nearest 1,000.
Height bracket data collected from April to July 2021 are not directly comparable to data from August 2021 onwards. From April to July 2021, two lenders group 1-3 storeys together, and one lender groups 1-4 storeys together, and similarly two lenders group 4-6 storeys together and one lender groups 5-6 storeys together. From August 2021 onwards, all lenders have grouped 1-4 storeys together and 5-6 storeys together.
April to July 2021 figures should not be used to estimate the percentage of valuations in 5-6 storey buildings requiring an EWS1 form or equivalent, because from April to July 2021 two lenders include four storey buildings in the mid-rise category and building height can affect whether an EWS1 form or equivalent is required.
These figures are calculated from data from 3 major lenders, as these lenders had full height breakdowns for all valuations in these months
c = suppressed due to disclosure control
| Apr-21 | May-21 | Jun-21 | Jul-21 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of mortgage valuations for which height breakdown data was received | 9,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 9,000 |
| Number of mortgage valuations for flats in low rise buildings (1-3 or 1-4 storeys) | c | c | c | c |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for low rise flats | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% |
| Number of mortgage valuations for flats in mid rise buildings (4-6 or 5-6 storeys) | c | c | c | c |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for mid rise flats | 18% | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| Number of mortgage valuations for high rise flats (7 storeys or more) | c | c | c | c |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for high rise flats | 48% | 53% | 55% | 51% |
| Number of mortgage valuations for combined lowest rise and mid-rise (under 7 storeys) | c | c | c | c |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for combined lowest rise and mid-rise (under 7 storeys) | 6% | 6% | 6% | 6% |
Table 4. Monthly mortgage valuations and EWS1 form (or equivalent) requirements, by building height (September 2021 to January 2022)
Notes:
Number of valuations is rounded to the nearest 1,000.
Height bracket data collected from April to July 2021 are not directly comparable to data from August 2021 onwards. From April to July 2021, two lenders group 1-3 storeys together, and one lender groups 1-4 storeys together, and similarly two lenders group 4-6 storeys together and one lender groups 5-6 storeys together. From August 2021 onwards, all lenders have grouped 1-4 storeys together and 5-6 storeys together.
April to July 2021 figures should not be used to estimate the percentage of valuations in 5-6 storey buildings requiring an EWS1 form or equivalent, because from April to July 2021 two lenders include four storey buildings in the mid-rise category and building height can affect whether an EWS1 form or equivalent is required.
These figures are calculated from data from 3 major lenders, as these lenders had full height breakdowns for all valuations in these months
c = suppressed due to disclosure control
| Aug-21 | Sep-21 | Oct-21 | Nov-21 | Dec-21 | Jan-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of mortgage valuations for which height breakdown data was received | 7,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 | 10,000 | 7,000 | 8,000 |
| Number of mortgage valuations for flats in low rise buildings (1-4 storeys) | c | c | c | c | c | c |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for low rise flats | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| Number of mortgage valuations for flats in mid rise buildings (5-6 storeys) | c | c | c | c | c | c |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for mid rise flats | 29% | 28% | 26% | 26% | 29% | 30% |
| Number of mortgage valuations for high rise flats (7 storeys or more) | c | c | c | c | c | c |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for high rise flats | 51% | 53% | 51% | 51% | 48% | 48% |
| Number of mortgage valuations for combined lowest rise and mid-rise (under 7 storeys) | c | c | c | c | c | c |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for combined lowest rise and mid-rise (under 7 storeys) | 6% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 7% |
Table 5. Monthly mortgage valuations and EWS1 form (or equivalent) requirements, by building height (February 2022 onwards)
Notes:
Number of valuations is rounded to the nearest 1,000.
Height bracket data collected from April to July 2021 are not directly comparable to data from August 2021 onwards. From April to July 2021, two lenders group 1-3 storeys together, and one lender groups 1-4 storeys together, and similarly two lenders group 4-6 storeys together and one lender groups 5-6 storeys together. From August 2021 onwards, all lenders have grouped 1-4 storeys together and 5-6 storeys together.
April to July 2021 figures should not be used to estimate the percentage of valuations in 5-6 storey buildings requiring an EWS1 form or equivalent, because from April to July 2021 two lenders include four storey buildings in the mid-rise category and building height can affect whether an EWS1 form or equivalent is required.
These figures are calculated from data from 5 major lenders, as these lenders had full height breakdowns for all valuations in these months
c = suppressed due to disclosure control
| Feb-22 | Mar-22 | Apr-22 | May-22 | Jun-22 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of mortgage valuations for which height breakdown data was received | 15,000 | 17,000 | 13,000 | 11,000 | 13,000 | |
| Number of mortgage valuations for flats in low rise buildings (1-4 storeys) | 11,000 | 13,000 | 10,000 | 8,000 | 10,000 | |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for low rise flats | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | |
| Number of mortgage valuations for flats in mid rise buildings (5-6 storeys) | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for mid rise flats | 24% | 26% | 28% | 24% | 25% | |
| Number of mortgage valuations for high rise flats (7 storeys or more) | 2,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for high rise flats | 52% | 56% | 55% | 57% | 54% | |
| Number of mortgage valuations for combined lowest rise and mid-rise (under 7 storeys) | 13,000 | 15,000 | 11,000 | 10,000 | 12,000 | |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for combined lowest rise and mid-rise (under 7 storeys) | 5% | 6% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
Table 6. Quarterly mortgage valuations and EWS1 form (or equivalent) requirements, by building height (Financial Year 2021/2022)
Notes:
Number of valuations is rounded to the nearest 1,000.
Height bracket data collected from April to July 2021 are not directly comparable to data from August 2021 onwards. From April to July 2021, two lenders group 1-3 storeys together, and one lender groups 1-4 storeys together, and similarly two lenders group 4-6 storeys together and one lender groups 5-6 storeys together. From August 2021 onwards, all lenders have grouped 1-4 storeys together and 5-6 storeys together.
April to July 2021 figures should not be used to estimate the percentage of valuations in 5-6 storey buildings requiring an EWS1 form or equivalent, because from April to July 2021 two lenders include four storey buildings in the mid-rise category and building height can affect whether an EWS1 form or equivalent is required.
These figures are calculated from data from 3 major lenders, as these lenders had full height breakdowns for all valuations in this quarter.
c = suppressed due to disclosure control
| April to June 2021 | July to September 2021 | October to December 2021 | January to March 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of mortgage valuations for which height breakdown data was received | 29,000 | 25,000 | 25,000 | 29,000 |
| Number of mortgage valuations for flats in low rise buildings (1-3 or 1-4 storeys) | c | c | c | c |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for low rise flats | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Number of mortgage valuations for flats in mid rise buildings (4-6 or 5-6 storeys) | c | c | c | c |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for mid rise flats | 18% | 23% | 27% | 27% |
| Number of mortgage valuations for high rise flats (7 storeys or more) | c | c | c | c |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for high rise flats | 52% | 52% | 50% | 50% |
| Number of mortgage valuations for combined lowest rise and mid-rise (under 7 storeys) | c | c | c | c |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for combined lowest rise and mid-rise (under 7 storeys) | 6% | 6% | 6% | 6% |
Table 7. Quarterly mortgage valuations and EWS1 form (or equivalent) requirements, by building height (Financial Year 2022/2023)
Notes:
Number of valuations is rounded to the nearest 1,000.
These figures are calculated from data from 5 major lenders, as these lenders had full height breakdowns for all valuations in this quarter.
| April to June 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Total number of mortgage valuations for which height breakdown data was received | 37,000 |
| Number of mortgage valuations for flats in low rise buildings (1-4 storeys) | 28,000 |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for low rise flats | 2% |
| Number of mortgage valuations for flats in mid rise buildings (5-6 storeys) | 5,000 |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for mid rise flats | 26% |
| Number of mortgage valuations for high rise flats (7 storeys or more) | 4,000 |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for high rise flats | 55% |
| Number of mortgage valuations for combined lowest rise and mid-rise (under 7 storeys) | 33,000 |
| Percentage of mortgage valuations where an EWS1 form or equivalent was required for combined lowest rise and mid-rise (under 7 storeys) | 5% |
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In 2020/21, 8% of fires spread beyond the room of origin in blocks of flats over 4 storeys, compared with 9% in blocks below 4 storeys and 15% in houses, bungalows, converted flats and other dwellings. See fire statistics data tables. ↩