Am I crazy for purchasing a brick built, non clad building under 18m with no EWS1?

[GWB2022090101]

As a FTB I have put an offer in on a 2 bed flat in London. When I went to view the flat I was explicitly told that the block of flats do not require an EWS1 form. The flats are less than 18m and brick built no cladding present. I am still very much in the early days of the process and will be engaging my solicitor to gather more details.

However, I'm still confused about how they can prove that there is no cladding present without an EWS1. The management company confirmed that they do Fire Risk Assessments and the last one was done in July but I haven't yet seen a copy of it to determine what is assessed.

My mortgage application is still being processed with NatWest, however they stated that their valuer would assess the flat and will determine if it requires an EWS1. If it does require an EWS1 I would not be able to get a mortgage.

I'm worried that even if NatWest decide to give me a mortgage I may have issues down the line... I plan to keep the flat that I eventually buy long-term >10 years.

In your opinion, is it ridiculous for me to even be considering this purchase without an EWS1 form?

If it had external cladding surely you would have been able to see it?

I wound assume if brick built you could see the bricks?

@RandomMess Yes all I could see be eye were bricks no cladding. But from my understanding an EWS1 is a more intrusive survey that opens up the walls and looks at the insulation, the cladding, and even the fire break system.

What’s the age of the flat? as the flammable cladding only exists as of more recently. We are selling a brick built flat in a 4-floor block and our buyer hasn’t had any mortgage issues because of lack of EWS1 form. You’d be able to see if there was cladding