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Leasehold

If the survey says cladding was noted and further advice is needed, have you been given an EWS1?

No. A note that cladding was seen, and that someone else should advise, is only a limit written into your survey. An EWS1 is a separate external-wall form from a different instruction, the one many lenders ask for. You have not been handed that form, and the note is neither a pass nor a fail of the wall system. Ask the lender whether they want the form for this block before anyone commissions it.

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.

What is the fuller explanation?

Pass the sentence to your solicitor and ask the lender whether they want an EWS1 for this block. Ask the agent who can provide it. Your survey fee did not include it unless the quote said so, which a normal Level 2 or Level 3 quote does not. GOV.UK’s leaseholder protections are about who may have to pay for certain building-safety work. The survey does not decide that.

Do not describe the flat as ‘failed on cladding’ when the surveyor has said they did not inspect the system. Do not describe it as ‘cleared’ either. The honest position is that the external wall system was outside the inspection.

What should you ask your surveyor?

  • Is your cladding sentence a limit, a rating, or both?
  • What did you actually see from the ground?
  • Can this instruction be extended into an EWS1?

What are the typical next steps?

  1. Ask the lender what they require before you commission anything.
  2. Ask the solicitor who would instruct an external-wall assessment.
  3. Quote the survey sentence as a limit when you speak to them. Do not paraphrase it into a pass or a fail.

Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.

Also asked about this

Does further investigation mean the cladding is dangerous?

No. It means the surveyor is not the person who assessed the system. The result is still unknown.

Is an EWS1 a condition rating 3?

No. They are different documents. One can exist without the other.

Sources