Howto find out if a block of flats has cladding / fire safery issues before making an offer?

[CatAndHisKit]

Is there a specific place/site where to find this, if anyone can advise?
I@ve tried just googling the blocks's name but nothing ccomes up.
It's a brick building with no cladding panels but has decorative wood cladding - small sections under windows etc.
I've heard that some blocks are fime re cladding but have to change other features internally.
I don't want to start paying olicitors before I find out. Also if it is minor but the certificate needed if I wante dto sell in future, are these easy enough to get within the next couple of years?
It's not the mortgage that' an issue for me, it's the potential repair and /or cetificate costs.

Just to add, it's been built in 2005 and is a three-storey to four-storey in some parts.

Has the estate agent not got the information? When we went on the market we provided a copy of the EWS1 form to our agent. It makes no sense for them not to have verified this as without the EWS1 flats are practically unmortgageable so they won’t have a successful sale if it isn’t all in order

Thanks, broccolibush - how long did it take you to get the ESW1? And did your flat/block have any minor issues? Does it cover cladding only or other things like sprinklers - though I think they only have these in high rises.
Im slightly concerned about the wood clad small panels - I'm sure they aer not a risk but it may still be an issue as it's so strict now.

I haven't asked the agent yet as I've only just viewed. I'm not sure that all agents would be honest about it? may say 'yes' jst to get offers - this agent is not the most reputable.

We were advised it could take many months to get an EWS1 form due to huge backlogs in the number of properties needing them and a shortage in qualified people to complete them. Estate agent and seller pulled the wool over our eyes for ages and it was only the solicitor that flagged it up to us as naive FTBs. We backed out of the purchase

As above the EWS1 can take months at the moment so it’s a red flag if they don’t already have the certificate but you need to check that with me the EA and no they won’t lie about something so important

They may pretend it can be sorted out within a couple of weeks but they can’t say the property has the certificate of it hasn’t

Yes, the EA should have the ESW1.

You will not get a mortgage offer without one (or a B1).

You could approach the managing agent / freeholder though most of them are, if I’m being charitable, slow. If I’m not being charitable, incompetent. If I’m being even less charitable, charlatans.

Haha, Bitoutofpractice! best to be honest rather than charitable.
Bagel that's what i'm worried about - they may say 'yes' knowing it's still being processed but will take ages. Their previous buyer pulled out but I don't know why - but they are saying they need to proceed fast as their purchase is ready to move in to.
Ok Twiglet - there is hope then they won't actually lie about ESW.

Hundreds of thousands of people’s lives being ruined (suicide, divorce, bankruptcy, repossession) and / or faced with crippling bills (think £50-100,000) thanks to this situation with cladding and other fire safety defects.

I am all out of charitable. It’s an absolute scandal. All while developers sit and count their profits.

Even if the cladding in this case is ok, you need to know if a full fire safety survey has been done for other defects. If it hadn’t, to be frank, o wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole. If the price seems super reasonable then there’ll be a reason for that.

My flat is 6 years old. Every leaseholder on the block liable for £89,000 in remediation costs. Think very very carefully op.

Sorry to be a harbinger of doom @CatAndHisKit but it is a potentially ruinous minefield.

That’s £89,000 EACH!

This info is from Hackney council which has links within it which you should read - hackney.gov.uk/request-ews-form

The flat in the block you looked at won't necessarily need an EWS1 as it is under 6 storeys but the freeholder should have done some sort of fire safety survey.

The leaseholder should have asked for and gathered all this information before putting their flat on the market to ensure their flat is saleable. Everyone knows there are issues with flats in blocks, so why is the vendor not open about information that will ensure their flat can be sold?

The vendor should then inform the estate agent that they have the fire safety information as EA only know what vendors tell them.

Give the EA feedback that you expect the owner to be open and up front about the fire safety information of the flat they are selling then walk away completely.

Any EA who has a bad reputation should be completely avoided as they will screw you over something.

It took months and months to get the EWS1 so if they haven’t already got it I would walk away. Ours ended up as a B1 - as I understand it the cladding isn’t flammable but the wooden battens it’s attached to the building with are, but this isn’t seen as a risk. Anyway we’re mortgageable now.

We didn’t sell in the end (our onward purchase fell through and then DH was made redundant) but several flats in our development have sold since without issue. We’re aware we’re very lucky to not need to do remedial work - we’re in a minority in flat owners we know.

Also - we’re below 6 stories but no mortgage company will touch a flat without the EWS1 these days, so even though it’s not a legal requirement it’s a practical one.

Walk away if they don't have one.
You won't get a mortgage anyway.
No idea why the estate agent wouldn't be upfront about this, you won't be able to proceed without one, so keep pressing.

You can ask the EA. If it has EWS1 they will surely tell you.

Some flats don't need it. For example mine is a brick-built low-rise in the 80s so it does not need EWS1. I had no problems with the mortgage.

Thank you, I@ll sk about ESW. Should I demand to see a copy of it or something by email? I@m worried that they will say they have it but then it will turn out to be a lengthy process. Or can they really not lie about it?

Okigen lucky with that for sure! This should be fine too by the looks of it but who knows. The wooden bits - also railings on juliet balcnies are wooden and need painting, vendors said the painting is scheduled.

One easy way to check is to see if others in the block have sold and are mortgaged since c 2020. You can see what's sold on right move / Zoopla, then download the registers for £3 each for the sold ones to check if mortgaged. Obv works better for a bigger block as more likely to find sold properties.

You download from the Land Registry website

I was looking at flats to buy in Manchester a couple of months ago and noticed that several said only cash offers allowed. I asked an estate agent why and she said it was to do with cladding. Presumably if you're allowed a mortgage on it then it's OK?

We've just been stung with this in Manchester. Do not proceed with anything without the form in place.

Insurance, remedial works, service charges could all be a potential nightmare. We walked away post survey showing it was unmortgageable and are buying one with the cert.

Yes. Ask about service /insurance charges. Our insurance has increased 1000%. Again, not a typo 1000%. Waking watch. Insurance. Check everything.

Peeas I did look - I always do - bbut nothing sold in the block since 2020, though ther ar only about 50 flats there.
I did ask about service charge - it's very reasonable now but without knowing anything about fire safety, who knows if fhey will rise - I did ask if any works are planned, they only mentioned painting on the outside.
I just don't want a month or more down the line with solicitors to find out there will be a hiuge hike in charges - though as I say, ther eis no cladding there, so it shouldn't be such a big hike. It's really whether I should trust the vendor's word before starting the whole thing.

I mean, I wish I could just check myself directly - what if I comtat the management co, would they respond about all these points?

Also, does hte ESW1 costs a lot to the leaseholder, or is it even free but takes a long time?

Find out who the Managing Agents are, and approach them. They tend to be the ones who get the fire surveys done and organise the EWS1 forms . If a form is needed there should be one for the block.