Option A applies once the wall’s main construction already meets limited-combustibility criteria with properly installed cavity barriers — A1, A2 and A3 then rate the attachments (balconies, fixings and similar) separately. Option B applies where the wall’s main construction itself contains combustible material, rated B1 or B2. Each card below covers what the rating means and what it means for you.
Wall Compliant, No Combustible Attachments
The wall’s main construction meets Option A criteria — limited combustibility, cavity barriers correctly installed — and none of the attachments contain significant combustible material either. This typically applies to buildings with brick, block or render cladding, and balconies built from non-combustible materials like concrete or steel. The cleanest possible outcome — no further scrutiny from a lender or insurer.
Impact: No delay to sale, mortgage or insurance.
Wall Compliant, Attachments Risk-Assessed as Low Risk
The wall meets Option A criteria. Attachments do include some combustible material — commonly timber decking on balconies, or a small amount of insulation around window reveals — but a specific risk assessment has confirmed they pose no significant fire risk given their quantity, position or fire performance. No remedial work is required, though the reasoning is recorded on the form in case it’s questioned later.
Impact: No delay expected, though occasionally noted by lenders who want to see the underlying risk assessment.
Wall Compliant, Attachments May Need Remedial Work
The main wall meets Option A criteria, but attachments — usually balconies, sometimes fixings or brise soleil — don’t qualify for A1 or A2, meaning the fire engineer has identified they may need remedial work, such as replacing timber decking or adding fire-resistant boarding. Narrower than a B2, since the wall’s principal construction is fine and the issue is isolated to specific elements rather than the whole facade.
Impact: Can still cause lender questions or delay a sale until the attachment works are scoped, priced and, where necessary, carried out.
Risk Identified, Adequate Safety Measures in Place
Combustible material or a fire risk has been identified in the wall itself — often a cladding type that wouldn’t pass on its own — but existing fire safety measures, such as correctly installed cavity barriers, compartmentation, and fire-stopping at floor and window junctions, are judged sufficient to manage the overall risk. No remedial work is required, though a lender or insurer may want to see the evidence behind that conclusion. Impact: No delay to sale, mortgage or insurance.
Impact: Can still cause lender questions or delay a sale until the attachment works are scoped, priced and, where necessary, carried out.
Unacceptable Risk, Remediation Likely Required
The wall’s own construction carries an unacceptable level of fire risk — commonly ACM, MCM or HPL cladding, missing or inadequate cavity barriers, or combustible insulation combined with poor compartmentation. It’s the only rating that actively blocks a mortgage, sale or insurance renewal, since lenders won’t proceed against an unresolved B2 — but there’s a defined route back to a clear certificate, covering interim safety measures, funding and remediation. . See our full guide to the B2 EWS1 Rating →
Impact: Blocks most mainstream lending until resolved
Individual lenders and insurers can still apply their own policies on top of this — always confirm with the specific lender or insurer involved in a transaction rather than assuming the rating alone settles it.
The rating comes from what the fire engineer actually finds — the materials used, how they’re arranged, and whether fire-stopping and compartmentation are in place — established through a combination of existing drawings and records, and physical opening-up where records don’t exist or can’t be relied on. It isn’t a judgement call based on the building’s age, height or appearance alone; two buildings that look identical from the street can receive different ratings depending on what’s genuinely behind the cladding.