By now there are very few people in the UK's built environment industry who have not come across the EWS1 form. When it was introduced by RICS last year, it was designed to provide assurance to lenders and homeowners of high-rise buildings that the fire risk posed by the premises' external wall was acceptable. This assessment of fire risk was only ever intended to focus upon life safety, contrary to many reports and interpretations I have seen (and heard) suggesting that the form is a property protection assessment. This is certainly not the case, as was clarified by its later versions.
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