An official register of fire safety certificates will protect homeowners from bad actors
Michael Heath/ Alamy Stock
4 min read
Worries over falsified fire certificates are compounding home owners' misery
Earlier this month in Parliament I raised the issue of false fire safety certificates. As of today, it is a relatively unknown scandal that is impacting thousands of homeowners across the country, leaving them stuck in uninsurable and unsaleable homes.
ESW1 fire safety certificates were first introduced in 2019 after the tragic Grenfell Tower fire which killed 72 people two years earlier.
An ESW1 form is required by most banks and building societies when determining whether to lend money on flats in apartment blocks. The form evaluates the fire risk of a building by considering its overall construction and assessing any cladding.
I first became aware of the issue of false versions of these forms when constituents shared with me the issues they had experienced with their properties in a new housing development. When I visited their properties, the scale and nature of the problem was immediately evident: you could see clear daylight through the gaps around the frame of the door. Smoke would be able to pass readily through the corridors and into individual apartments.
The threat of property sales collapsing has left many of my constituents feeling trapped in a property they are not able to sell
However, from the beginning when they first moved in, constituents who thought they were moving into modern new housing, soon found that they were having to deal with building defects and numerous other issues.
Just when it looked like there might be light at the end of the tunnel, and some residents would be able to sell their properties, they found that their buyers’ lenders had withdrawn their mortgage offers and property sales began to fall through.
It emerged that this was due to doubts from multiple high street lenders about the validity of EWS1 forms. As a result, the threat of property sales collapsing has left many of my constituents feeling trapped in a property they are not able to sell.
In one case a resident has been left paying rent and service charges on a property they have already moved out of. After their sale fell through, and with the new doubts over valid EWS1 forms, they don’t know whether they will be able to sell the property at all. They have incurred thousands of pounds in costs.
Subsequently, I became aware that that engineer had been accused of signing off ESW1 certificates using the credentials and signature of another engineer without permission.
The Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) has been investigating Adam Kiziak, whose company is called Tri Fire, for potential malpractice. He was suspended by the IFE in August 2024. (Kiziak’s lawyer told the BBC in January: “Any allegation of fraudulent activity is strenuously denied.”)
I fear this may only be the tip of the iceberg, with many more residents unaware that they have been issued a false ESW1. Both sellers and buyers then find themselves in complete limbo, unable to buy or sell their home.
As the housing association involved in the properties in my constituency operates nationwide, I am concerned that the experience of my constituent will be played out across the country.
Fire safety certificates were first introduced to ensure people were safe in their homes and give reassurance to those buying a home that it had been properly assessed.
However, the emergence of false fire safety certificates raises concerns that there are actors looking to take advantage of a tragedy like Grenfell, and make money off the fire risks so many genuinely fear.
This is why I am calling for an official register of fire safety certificates. Better validation of these practitioners may also be required. Ultimately, I believe this will remove the chance for bad actors to exploit those in need of an ESW1 and provide the actual reassurance that people need to buy and sell their homes.
Matt Western is the Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington
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