Industry Statement on Cladding

In 2022, mortgage lenders issued an Industry Statement committing to provide customers with access to a range of mortgage products when purchasing or re-mortgaging flats affected by cladding.  

As of April 2025, the Industry Statement on cladding has been updated to cover the reliance on EWS1 forms that are more than 5 years old and those signed by invalid signatories in the mortgage process.

EWS1 forms more than 5 years old 

When EWS1 was developed in 2019, forms were nominally given a 5-year life as it was anticipated that buildings with defective cladding would have been remediated within this timeframe.  

As some early forms are now approaching their five-year anniversary there is a need to ensure the market for flats in affected blocks continues to operate without friction. To ensure this happens, the lender signatories to this statement further pledge not to require wholesale reviews of EWS1 forms which are more than 5 years old. 

This means that, subject to individual lender policy and risk appetite, where the EWS1 form is required by a lender, they can continue to be used in the mortgage application journey past their original 5-year life. Lenders may also consider alternative evidence about a building’s remediation status and leases qualifying for statutory protection from cladding remediation costs.  Some lenders may, however, not require an EWS1 and ask instead for other evidence, such as the statutory Fire Risk Assessment of the External Wall (FRAEW), where available.

EWS1 forms by an invalid signatory

Where there is an invalid signatory of EWS1 forms, the lender signatories to this statement further pledge not to require wholesale reviews of affected EWS1 forms. This is subject to individual lender policy and risk appetite. Lenders may consider alternative evidence about the remediation status of a building and whether the lease is a qualifying lease under the Building Safety Act 2022, in England. This alternative evidence could include: 

• The inclusion of a building in a recognised remediation funding scheme  
• The statutory Fire Risk Assessment of the External Wall (FRAEW), if available 
• A valid Leaseholder Deed of Certificate 
• Other evidence which might support reliance on the original EWS1 form, if available. 

Where the building is below 11 metres, individual lender policy and requirements will continue to apply.

* The signatory must, at the time of completion of the EWS1, have met the EWS1 professional body and competence criteria