Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls · PAS 9980:2026
FRAEW & EWS1 assessments to PAS 9980
Director-led fire risk appraisals of external walls for residential and mixed-use buildings across the UK, by Homes England approved Cladding Safety Scheme assessors. We typically inspect within two weeks of instruction and issue the report within two weeks of the site visit. We typically respond to enquiries within one working day.
What is a FRAEW?
A Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW) is a structured, building-specific appraisal of the life-safety risk associated with external wall construction and specified attachments, including cladding, insulation, cavity barriers, balconies and façades.
Undertaken in accordance with PAS 9980:2026, a FRAEW considers the wall system in the context of the whole building: its fire strategy, height, means of escape, occupants and fire-service intervention. It provides a proportionate conclusion on risk and, where necessary, practical recommendations for further investigation, mitigation or remediation. Read our guides to cladding types and who can carry out a FRAEW.
Who needs a FRAEW?
A FRAEW is usually commissioned by whoever is responsible for the external walls: a freeholder, resident management company, managing agent, housing association or developer. You are likely to need one when:
Your fire risk assessment recommends one
Where the fire risk assessment cannot conclude on the risk from the external walls, a FRAEW provides the evidence it needs. See FRAEW vs fire risk assessment.
You are applying to the Cladding Safety Scheme
Applications need a PAS 9980 FRAEW by a firm on the Homes England assessor panel. See our Cladding Safety Scheme guide.
You are deciding on remediation
A FRAEW sets out whether works are needed and what they should address, so remediation is proportionate rather than assumed.
Lenders, buyers or insurers need evidence
Valuers may ask for an EWS1 form, which is normally signed on the strength of a FRAEW. Read what is an EWS1 form?
What to send for a quote
- The building address and postcode.
- Height or number of storeys, and the number of blocks.
- How the building is used, and the number of flats if known.
- The current fire risk assessment and any fire strategy.
- Drawings, specifications or O&M records, if available.
- Any previous FRAEW, EWS1 or façade reports.
- Your deadline and the reason for the FRAEW, for example a Cladding Safety Scheme application, a sale or a fire risk assessment recommendation.
Don't worry if you don't have everything: where records are missing, we scope targeted opening-up to fill the gaps. Send the details to enquiries@mtconsult.co.uk or through our contact form, or call 0800 048 5229. We typically respond within one working day.
What you receive
- A FRAEW report to PAS 9980:2026, led by an executive summary that names the assessor and gives a clear outcome.
- An overall risk rating, low, tolerable, medium or high, with the reasoning behind it.
- A record of each wall type and attachment, with photographs and the evidence relied on, including the findings of any openings.
- Proportionate recommendations: no further action, management measures, further investigation or remediation.
- An EWS1 form where a lender or valuer needs one.
- The FRAEW information needed for a Cladding Safety Scheme application, where the building is eligible.
Read what is in a FRAEW report? for a section-by-section guide.
Our FRAEW process
Enquiry & scoping
We review what you have, such as drawings, the fire risk assessment and any previous reports, and send a clear written fee proposal.
Desktop review
We study the fire strategy, construction records and specifications to plan the survey and any openings.
Site inspection
A close-up inspection of every wall type and attachment, including balconies and cavity barriers.Typically within 2 weeks of instruction
Intrusive openings
Where the build-up can't be confirmed, targeted openings are carried out by our in-house contracting team.
PAS 9980 appraisal & report
A clear risk conclusion with proportionate recommendations, in plain English.Typically within 2 weeks of the site visit
EWS1 & next steps
An EWS1 form where needed, plus support with Cladding Safety Scheme applications and remediation.
Typical timescale: around 4 weeks from instruction to issued report. See how long a FRAEW takes.
What affects the fee
We don't publish fixed prices, because no two buildings need the same scope. Each FRAEW is priced from the building information you send, and we confirm a written fee before you instruct. The main factors are:
- Building height and number of storeys.
- Size of the building: the number of blocks, elevations and the wall area to inspect.
- Wall types: how many different wall build-ups, balconies and other attachments there are.
- The type of powered access needed, such as a MEWP or cherry picker, a mast climber, or working from existing scaffold.
- The number of days on site, which follows from the above and from how many openings are needed.
- Opening-up and making good: whether intrusive investigation is needed, and how much.
- The information available: drawings, the fire strategy, O&M records and previous reports.
- Programme: any funding, sale or remediation deadlines.
One point of contact. Our own in-house contracting team provides the access, opening-up and making good, so you deal with one firm for the whole FRAEW. There is no separate contractor to find, appoint or co-ordinate, and no waiting for their availability.
Portfolios of 50+ buildings. We have the capacity to undertake FRAEW programmes across portfolios of 50+ properties, with a desktop triage, risk-ranked inspections, consistent reports and a portfolio register. See portfolio FRAEW programmes and our guide to what a FRAEW costs.
What changed for FRAEWs in 2026
- PAS 9980:2026. BSI published a revised edition in September 2026, alongside new government guidance on commissioning good-quality FRAEWs. It adds structure and clarity but is not intended to change how risk is assessed, and FRAEWs competently produced to PAS 9980:2022 remain valid. Our FRAEWs are carried out to PAS 9980:2026.
- EWS1 changes from 1 November 2026. The second edition of the RICS standard keeps the EWS1 form, but valuers should only ask for one where there is a clear reason. In some cases the executive summary of a PAS 9980 FRAEW can be relied on instead, provided it gives a clear outcome and is signed by a suitably qualified professional.
- Cladding Safety Scheme. In 2026 funding was opened to some buildings under 11 metres with two or more dwellings, prioritised by risk to life.
More in our news, our guide to FRAEW vs EWS1 and EWS1 ratings explained, plus what is a FRAEW?, FRAEW risk ratings, building safety case reports and all our guides.
Why appoint MTC?
A FRAEW requires more than identifying materials. It requires a clear understanding of how the external wall system, building geometry and fire strategy interact.
MTC combines façade and building-envelope expertise with practical investigation and remediation experience. We carry out several FRAEWs every month, supported by our own in-house contracting team for intrusive openings. This helps clients move from incomplete information to an evidence-led, proportionate decision, without treating remediation as a default outcome.
As Homes England approved assessors, our inclusion on the panel reflects the competence and quality requirements of the scheme. Every FRAEW is led by a Director, and we hold full professional indemnity insurance. You can read more about MTC and our team.
Our directors have been involved in fire and façades for 20 years. We are CHAS Elite accredited, and we typically respond to enquiries within one working day.
Who we work with
We carry out FRAEWs for housing associations and local authorities, managing agents, freeholders and RMCs, and investors, BTR and PBSA owners and developers. Not sure whether you need one? Read do I need a FRAEW?
Guidance we work to
- PAS 9980:2026 (BSI): the code of practice for fire risk appraisal of external wall construction and cladding of existing blocks of flats.
- Fire Safety Act 2021: confirms that external walls fall within the fire risk assessment of a multi-occupied residential building.
- Building Safety Act 2022: duties for higher-risk buildings and protections for leaseholders.
- Cladding Safety Scheme guidance: the government-funded scheme for remediating unsafe cladding.
FRAEW FAQs
Do I need a FRAEW or an EWS1?
They serve different purposes. A FRAEW is a PAS 9980:2026 fire risk appraisal of an existing building's external walls. An EWS1 is a form for lenders and valuers, normally signed on the strength of a FRAEW. We can review the building information and explain the most appropriate route.
How long does a FRAEW take?
We typically carry out the site inspection within about two weeks of instruction and issue the report within about two weeks of the inspection, so around four weeks in total. Where intrusive openings are needed, our in-house contracting team carries them out, so there is no wait for a separate contractor.
Does a FRAEW replace an EWS1?
Not always. Under the RICS standard in force from 1 November 2026, valuers should only ask for an EWS1 where there is a clear reason, and in some cases they can rely on the executive summary of a PAS 9980 FRAEW instead, provided it gives a clear outcome on whether remedial works are needed. We can provide a FRAEW and an EWS1 together.
Does my building need a FRAEW if it is under 18 metres?
Height alone does not decide it. You need a FRAEW when a fire risk assessment recommends an appraisal of the external walls, when applying to the Cladding Safety Scheme, or before deciding on remediation. In 2026 the scheme also opened funding to some buildings under 11 metres with two or more dwellings. We can advise whether your building needs one.
When is intrusive investigation required?
Where available information cannot establish the external wall build-up or critical fire-safety details, targeted opening-up may be necessary. We scope this proportionately and our in-house contracting team carries out the openings, so the evidence is gathered quickly. See cladding intrusive investigations.
What information do you need to start?
Drawings, the fire risk assessment, any fire strategy, operation and maintenance or as-built records, and previous surveys or reports. If little information exists, we scope intrusive openings to fill the gaps.
How much does a FRAEW cost?
We don't publish fixed prices, because every building needs a different scope. The fee depends on the building's height and size, the number of wall types, the type of powered access needed, the number of days on site and how much opening-up is required. Our in-house contracting team provides the access and openings, so you deal with one firm. We confirm a written fee before any work starts, and where a building is eligible for the Cladding Safety Scheme, the cost of the FRAEW itself can be reimbursed. See what does a FRAEW cost?
Can MTC support a Cladding Safety Scheme application?
Yes. We are on the Homes England panel of approved Cladding Safety Scheme assessors and provide the FRAEW and reporting information the application needs, where the building and instruction are eligible. We confirm scope and current panel requirements at appointment.
Where do you work?
We carry out FRAEWs throughout the UK: all regions of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our Cheshire base gives convenient access to Chester, Manchester, Liverpool and the wider North West, and our London base covers Central and Greater London.
Can you carry out FRAEWs across a portfolio of buildings?
Yes. We have the capacity to undertake portfolios of 50+ properties. A programme starts with a desktop triage of every building, then risk-ranked inspections and consistent reports, with a portfolio register at the end. See portfolio FRAEW programmes.
Who will be our point of contact?
One team handles the whole FRAEW. Our own contracting team provides the powered access, opening-up and making good, so there is no separate contractor to appoint or co-ordinate, and every FRAEW is led by a Director.
How quickly will you respond to an enquiry?
We typically respond within one working day, and usually inspect within about two weeks of instruction.
Are you CHAS accredited?
Yes. McKay Turner Consulting is CHAS Elite accredited, and we are on the Homes England panel of approved Cladding Safety Scheme assessors.
Related services
Homes England Approved CSS Assessors
We are proud to serve on the Homes England panel of Approved CSS Assessors.
This underwrites our commitment to quality, integrity and judgment.
MTC supports clients in applying directly for remediation funding, managing the entire process for our clients.
FRAEW case studies
PAS 9980 appraisals we have carried out, from new-build blocks to 100 m+ towers and listed buildings.
FRAEW and EWS1 assessments near you
We carry out FRAEWs across the UK and Ireland from our offices in Chester and London. See our local pages for FRAEWs in London, FRAEWs in Manchester, FRAEWs in Birmingham, FRAEWs in Liverpool, FRAEWs in Chester, FRAEWs in Cambridge, FRAEWs in Oxford, FRAEWs in Portsmouth and FRAEWs in Belfast.