Leaseholders in tall blocks may not be able to sell, re-mortgage or staircase because of the building safety issues at East Village. This is a nationwide issue affecting thousands of leaseholders. This includes many leaseholders at East Village and is causing many people undue stress and anxiety. We are working closely with EVML and their technical team to resolve the issues as quickly and safely as possible.
If your block has not been awarded an EWS1 form with a B1 rating you are likely not to be able to get a mortgage. In some cases, you may not get a valuation for your home. Some lenders may proceed if remedial work is underway and the funding sources are known; although our recent experience with this has not been straightforward.
If you are concerned that your ability to re-mortgage, staircase or sell your home might be affected , we would encourage you to speak to your mortgage broker or financial advisor as not all lenders are taking the same approach.
My estate agent or lender is insisting I must have an EWS1 form for my building - is it the case that Triathlon Homes is refusing to issue EWS1 forms on some buildings?
Understandably anyone wanting to move will be feeling frustrated to hear that an EWS1 form is not currently available for their building.
The situation is concerning for many leaseholders and we share your concerns.
Remedial work:
In some cases the external wall system assessment reveals that a building needs remedial work to ensure it complies with the latest government guidelines. We are working with EVML to get that work done so an EWS1 can be issued.
If any of these situations are affecting you it might be helpful to bear in mind that EWS1 forms are not issued or produced by the landlord of a building as a matter of course or as a simple administrative exercise. They are technical certificates issued by qualified specialists and should only be issued on buildings over 18m or where there are specific materials in the external wall system. The forms are only issued after a full inspection has been carried out by the expert.
Supplying EWS1 forms or their equivalent:
If we have an EWS1 form for a building we will always supply it to anyone who is in the process of selling or re-mortgaging. The other blocks at East Village which do not have a ‘valid’ EWS1 form are all being actively reviewed. The detail can be found in the plot pages here
We are working closely with EVML and their technical advisors to get the building safety issues resolved and to ensure every block has an EWs1 form with a valid rating. Our focus for remedial work is necessarily on the blocks with the greatest fire safety concerns.