The Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) has responded to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) consultation Valuation of properties in multi-storey, multi occupation residential buildings with cladding.
The guidance, intended for valuers conducting mortgage valuations on residential properties with cladding, aims to provide consistency around whether an EWS1 form should be requested before proceeding.
The IFE has been working closely with RICS and recommended in the first instance that the wider fire sector and government are consulted. It is the IFE’s strong view that the RICS guidance must be future proof and consistent with the forthcoming recommendations in PAS9980, guidance that will accompany the forthcoming amendments to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and safety case guidance for the future Building Safety Bill.
Key comments included in the IFE’s consultation response include:
- A suggested simplified definition of cladding;
- A recommendation that masonry clad timber-framed buildings shouldn’t be excluded;
- A suggestion that measured heights should be included in the building storey threshold definitions; and
- A recommendation that arrangement of cladding on a façade should be considered.
The IFE anticipates that a number of interested parties from different sectors will have responded to the consultation, including those in the finance industry. We have started to see sight of these responses, some of which are calling for the IFE’s backing of the proposed RICS guidance. The Institution’s support of the guidance will be subject to its final content and only then will we be in a position to understand whether we can endorse it fully.