PAS 9980, FRAEW and EWS1 Explained: What Each Means for Your Building

PAS 9980: the methodology

PAS 9980 is a Publicly Available Specification published by BSI in January 2022. It tells a qualified fire risk assessor how to conduct a risk-based appraisal of the external wall construction of an existing residential block. It replaced the previous binary approach with a proportionate, evidence-based risk assessment.

The assessor must consider the complete external wall system as installed: the building's height, geometry and design, the specific external wall construction, the presence and condition of fire-stopping, internal fire safety provisions, and external factors.

Before PAS 9980, the approach was effectively binary. If a building had combustible cladding, it was classified as unsafe regardless of other fire safety provisions. PAS 9980 introduced proportionality: a building with some combustible elements may still receive an acceptable risk rating if other provisions are sufficient.

FRAEW: the assessment

FRAEW stands for Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls. It is the actual assessment conducted using the PAS 9980 methodology. PAS 9980 is the recipe. A FRAEW is the meal.

A FRAEW must be carried out by a competent fire risk assessor with appropriate qualifications. The assessor needs original construction drawings, as-built records, intrusive investigation results where the construction is unknown, visual assessment of the wall condition, assessment of cavity barriers and fire stopping, and assessment of internal fire safety provisions.

EWS1: the form

EWS1 stands for External Wall System 1. It is a standardised form developed by RICS, UK Finance, and the Building Societies Association. Its purpose is to provide a consistent way for mortgage valuers to assess whether a building's external wall system affects its value.

EWS1 is a lender tool. It is not a statutory requirement, a building safety certificate, or a fire safety assessment. However, without an EWS1 form, lenders may refuse mortgages on flats in buildings with external wall cladding.

How they connect

The three terms form a chain. PAS 9980 provides the methodology. A FRAEW is the assessment of a specific building using that methodology. An EWS1 form may be completed based on the findings of a FRAEW, providing information for mortgage valuers.

A FRAEW is not always required for an EWS1. If the building has no combustible materials (category A1), the EWS1 can be completed without a full FRAEW. But for buildings where combustible materials are present or uncertain, a FRAEW is typically needed first.

Where facade evidence supports the process

A FRAEW assessor needs to understand the condition and configuration of the external wall as it exists now. High-resolution drone imagery provides detailed photographic evidence of every facade panel, cladding system, joint, fixing, seal and junction across all elevations, including areas inaccessible without scaffold or rope access.

Drone imagery supports the assessor's work. It does not replace their professional judgement, their fire engineering analysis, or where necessary, intrusive investigation. The drone provides the external visual evidence. The assessor interprets it.

The practical value for building owners and managing agents

Faster assessment. A FRAEW assessor who receives comprehensive facade imagery can work more efficiently than one who needs to arrange scaffold access.

Reduced access costs. For buildings above four or five storeys, scaffold or MEWP access for facade assessment can be significant. Drone-captured imagery eliminates this cost for the external visual element.

Better evidence for uncertain constructions. Where construction drawings are missing or unreliable, high-resolution facade imagery helps identify cladding types, fixing patterns, joint configurations and cavity barrier positions without opening up the entire facade.

Portfolio prioritisation. For owners with multiple buildings requiring FRAEW assessments, drone-captured facade surveys allow a triage exercise: which buildings have obvious concerns requiring urgent FRAEW, and which have lower-risk constructions.