Two Terms That Are Frequently Confused

PAS 9980 and EWS1 are regularly used interchangeably by building owners, lenders and property managers — but they are different things. Understanding the distinction is important for anyone navigating the external wall fire safety process.

What Is PAS 9980?

PAS 9980:2022 is a British Standard that provides the methodology for carrying out a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW) on existing residential blocks. It defines who can carry out the assessment, what information must be gathered, how the site inspection should be conducted, and how findings should be communicated. PAS 9980 is the process — the structured technical approach that ensures external wall fire risk is assessed consistently and to a recognised standard.

What Is an EWS1 Form?

The EWS1 form is a document — originally developed by UK Finance, the Building Societies Association and RICS — that records the outcome of an external wall assessment for the purpose of mortgage lending. It is completed by a qualified professional following a FRAEW assessment and assigns one of five ratings (A1, A2, A3, B1 or B2) that mortgage lenders use to determine whether they will lend against flats in the building.

How They Relate

The PAS 9980 FRAEW assessment is the technical work. The EWS1 form is the output that communicates the conclusion of that work to lenders. You cannot produce a valid EWS1 form without carrying out a proper FRAEW assessment — and the FRAEW assessment should follow the PAS 9980 methodology to be accepted by lenders and regulators.

• PAS 9980: British Standard — defines the assessment methodology
• EWS1: Form — records the outcome for mortgage lending purposes
• FRAEW: The assessment process carried out under PAS 9980
• All three are connected: the FRAEW follows PAS 9980 and results in the EWS1 form

EWS1 Ratings Explained

The EWS1 form assigns one of five ratings based on the external wall assessment findings. A1 and B1 ratings allow normal mortgage lending to proceed. A2, A3 and B2 indicate varying levels of concern and may restrict lending or require remediation before lenders will consider the building.