EWS1 forms, external-wall fire risk appraisals and measured façade surveys serve different purposes. Agree the specialist assessment and the supporting survey scope separately.
An EWS1 form supports valuation and lending decisions about a building’s external wall system. RICS makes clear that it is not a life-safety certificate. It does not replace a fire risk assessment or a fire risk appraisal of external walls (FRAEW).
A FRAEW considers fire-spread risk associated with the external wall system. It is specialist assessment work. Geo Scan provides measured geometry and drawings to support the appointed consultants; we do not undertake the FRAEW or complete or sign EWS1 forms.
See the RICS EWS1 guidance for the process and professional requirements.
PAS 9980 is a code of practice for assessing external-wall fire risk in existing blocks of flats. Current government guidance refers to PAS 9980:2026, which replaces the 2022 edition. It explains that a competent assessment under the earlier edition can remain valid until review or updating is needed.
An FRAEW can be relevant at any building height where the fire risk assessor identifies concerns. A measured height alone does not determine whether an appraisal is required. The appointed specialist should confirm the assessment scope and applicable guidance.
The government FRAEW guide applies to existing buildings in England. Requirements elsewhere in the UK must be checked separately.
Ask the assessor which spatial information is missing before commissioning capture. Useful survey outputs may include:
Measured elevations identifying visible façade zones, openings and balcony positions. Height and level information, with the measurement basis and datum stated. A registered point cloud for reviewing visible geometry and locating features. CAD drawings or orthographic views that provide a common reference for investigation records.
The brief should distinguish measured features from materials or construction identified by others. A point-cloud colour or visible surface appearance is not reliable proof of a product type, fire classification or concealed build-up.
Our EWS1 survey support explains the survey contribution. The assessor remains responsible for interpreting the fire-risk evidence.
Laser scanning records surfaces visible from the scanner positions. It cannot look through cladding to establish insulation, cavity barriers, fixings or concealed fire stopping. Opening-up, sampling and specialist inspection may be needed; their locations, access and responsibilities should be agreed by the project team.
A measured elevation can provide a useful reference for recording inspection locations supplied by the specialist. Keep the origin of each observation clear, and do not label an uninspected area as verified.
For occupied buildings, agree access, resident arrangements and privacy restrictions before attendance. External capture may also be affected by parked vehicles, vegetation, balconies and temporary works.
The same captured record may support remediation design, but only if its coverage and detail suit that later purpose. A broad elevation for assessment may not resolve individual panel joints or critical installation interfaces.
Agree the required panel detail, openings, returns, levels, drawing scale, accuracy specification and control before capture. Concealed slab edges and fixing zones may require a later survey after opening-up or removal.
Read how to commission a cladding replacement survey and the Huller and Cheese registration case study. That case demonstrates processing QA; its reported residuals are not an absolute-accuracy guarantee.
Send the building address, available drawings, assessor’s information request, survey extents, access constraints, intended outputs and required timescales. Identify which information is for assessment and which is for design or contractor pricing.
If the project also involves building control or building-safety records, read laser scanning, building safety and the Golden Thread. A survey can contribute to that record; it does not establish compliance on its own.