Who can carry out a FRAEW? Competence explained.

What competence means for a FRAEW

A FRAEW combines several kinds of judgement. The assessor needs to understand how materials and wall systems behave in fire, how external walls are actually built and how they fail, how the building's fire strategy works, and how to apply the PAS 9980 method. They also need to judge when the records can be relied on and when the wall must be opened up to find out.

What PAS 9980:2026 adds

BSI describes the 2026 edition as establishing recognised competency expectations for assessors and promoting consistent assessor training. Government guidance published alongside it expects the FRAEW executive summary to name the assessor and their qualifications. Together, these make it easier for building owners, lenders and insurers to see who carried out the work.

The Cladding Safety Scheme

For buildings applying to the Cladding Safety Scheme, the FRAEW must be carried out by an assessor on the Homes England panel of approved assessors. McKay Turner Consulting is on that panel.

Questions to ask before you appoint

• What experience do you have of buildings like ours: height, age and wall types?
• Who will carry out the inspection, and who will sign the report?
• How is opening-up handled: by your own team, or by a contractor we have to appoint?
• What professional indemnity insurance do you hold?
• Which accreditations do you hold, such as CHAS?
• Can we see an example executive summary?
• How long will it take from instruction to report?

How MTC meets these

• Every FRAEW is director-led, and our directors have been involved in fire and façades for 20 years.
• We are Homes England approved Cladding Safety Scheme assessors.
• Our own contracting team carries out the powered access, opening-up and making good, so you have one point of contact.
• We are CHAS Elite accredited and hold full professional indemnity insurance.
• We typically respond to enquiries within one working day.

See our case studies for the buildings we have appraised.

Frequently asked questions

Can a fire risk assessor carry out a FRAEW?

Only if they have the specialist competence in external wall construction and fire behaviour that a FRAEW needs. Many fire risk assessments recommend a FRAEW precisely because the external walls need that specialist input.

Does a FRAEW assessor need to be on a register?

For the Cladding Safety Scheme, the assessor must be on the Homes England panel of approved assessors. Outside the scheme, what matters is demonstrable competence, which PAS 9980:2026 helps to define.

Is PAS 9980 a legal requirement?

It is a code of practice. The government has said it intends to make PAS 9980 a legal requirement for FRAEWs when parliamentary time allows.

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