External Wall appraisal programme - Tri Fire update

Clarion has been undertaking fire safety appraisals of external walls to our blocks of flats in line with the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 as amended by the Fire Safety Act 2021.

Alongside this legal requirement, some lenders have required an EWS1 assessment be carried out, and the form submitted to support mortgage applications. In 2022 the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) clarified the criteria around which buildings should need an EWS1 assessment, meaning many buildings would no longer meet the requirement for this assessment.

Clarion has been engaging several independent fire engineers to undertake both the appraisals and EWS1s including a company called Tri Fire.

Following a recent announcement by the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) of a sanction against one of its members, Adam Kiziak, Clarion has stopped working with Tri Fire*, where he was the lead engineer.

In many instances, Clarion have completed Fire Risk Appraisals of External Walls (FRAEW) which supersedes previous EWS1 assessments. The FRAEW is undertaken in accordance with the latest guidance known as PAS 9980. There are however a number of buildings where we are yet to undertake an FRAEW and the only assessment we currently have is an EWS1 from Tri Fire. We appreciate the difficulties and concerns that this may now cause for some homeowners; especially as some lenders are no longer accepting forms issued by Mr Kiziak or Tri Fire.

We would like to assure you that this does not mean your home is any less safe, and we are currently reviewing the best way to have these buildings reassessed.

If you are selling, staircasing or remortgaging your home and a lender has raised concerns with a Tri Fire certificate, please contact the relevant team as soon as possible:

• Resales & Staircasing team at clarion.resales@clarionhg.com or clarion.staircasing@clarionhg.com
• Home Ownership team (for leasehold sales & remortgaging queries) at homeownership@clarionhg.com or managementpacks@clarionhg.com.

Residents in buildings 11m+ (or 5 or more storeys) are still afforded protections set out in the Building Safety Act 2022, and you will be provided a Landlord’s Certificate.

We know this may be a worrying and frustrating time for homeowners, and we apologise for this. We’re committed to reviewing all buildings impacted and will ensure that the required assessments are undertaken where necessary as quickly as possible.

If you have any further questions about your home’s fire safety, please email the Building Safety Teams at buildingsafety@clarionhg.com