Lucy Barber quoted in the Guardian on the relaxation of EWS1

Head of Residential Property, Lucy Barber's comments have been published in the Guardian article entitled 'Flat sellers could still face holdups despite safety form change'.

The article highlights the Government's latest announcement to aid the owners of 450,000 unsaleable flats. Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick, stated that those living in the block of flats will no longer have to produce an external wall system (EWS1) safety certificate in order to sell their home or obtain a new mortgage.

Lucy explains that the changes will do little in practice unless both lenders and surveyors also relax their requirements. She comments, “It would seem a survey is still going to be required to check for the presence of cladding in a building. This would suggest the issues with delays and long wait times for leaseholders to gain certainty are set to continue in some cases.”

Read the full article here.

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