Do I need a FRAEW? When one is required.

What a FRAEW is

A Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW) assesses the risk of fire spreading over the external walls of an existing residential building, using the method in PAS 9980:2026. It looks at the walls in the context of the whole building and ends with a risk rating and proportionate recommendations. Read what is a FRAEW? for the detail.

The usual triggers

• Your fire risk assessment recommends one. Since the Fire Safety Act 2021, the fire risk assessment must cover the external walls. Where the fire risk assessor cannot conclude on them, a FRAEW provides the evidence.
• You are applying to the Cladding Safety Scheme. Applications need a FRAEW from an assessor on the Homes England panel. See the Cladding Safety Scheme.
• A lender or valuer needs evidence. An EWS1 form is normally signed on the strength of a FRAEW, and from 1 November 2026 a FRAEW summary can sometimes be relied on instead.
• You are considering remediation. A FRAEW establishes whether works are needed and what they should address, so remediation is proportionate rather than assumed.
• Something has changed. The building has been refurbished, new information has come to light, or an existing FRAEW is due for review.
• A higher-risk building needs evidence. The external walls are central to a building safety case report.

Does height decide it?

Not on its own. Taller buildings attract more scrutiny, and the Building Safety Act 2022 sets duties for higher-risk buildings of 18 metres or seven storeys and above with at least two homes. But the need for a FRAEW depends on the walls, the building and the evidence. In 2026 the Cladding Safety Scheme also opened funding to some buildings under 11 metres with two or more dwellings.

When you may not need one

• Inherently low-risk walls. PAS 9980:2026 adds a method for deciding whether a building, or its wall construction, is inherently low risk of external fire spread. If it is, a specialist appraisal is unnecessary.
• A recent, competent FRAEW. The 2026 edition does not invalidate FRAEWs competently produced to PAS 9980:2022. You only need a new one if the building, the walls or the evidence have changed, or the existing appraisal is due for review.

Who should commission it

Usually whoever is responsible for the external walls: the freeholder, a resident management company, a managing agent acting for them, a housing provider or the building's owner. For several buildings, a portfolio programme starts with a desktop triage that sorts out which ones need a full FRAEW.

Not sure?

Send us the address, the height and your current fire risk assessment, and we will tell you whether a FRAEW is likely to be needed and what it would involve. We typically respond within one working day.

Frequently asked questions

Is a FRAEW a legal requirement?

The fire risk assessment must cover the external walls under the Fire Safety Act 2021. A FRAEW to PAS 9980 is the accepted way of providing that evidence where it is needed, and the government intends to make PAS 9980 a legal requirement for FRAEWs when parliamentary time allows.

Does every block of flats need a FRAEW?

No. PAS 9980:2026 includes a method for identifying buildings whose walls are inherently low risk, where a specialist appraisal is unnecessary.

Do I need a new FRAEW now that PAS 9980:2026 is out?

Not automatically. The 2026 edition does not invalidate FRAEWs competently produced to PAS 9980:2022. A review makes sense when the existing appraisal falls due or when the building, the walls or the evidence change.

Does a FRAEW mean we will need remediation?

No. A FRAEW recommends what is proportionate to the risk. Many buildings need no works, or only management measures.

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