PAS 9980 external wall appraisals for Belfast buildings
Belfast's growing city-centre apartment market, student accommodation and Victorian terraces mean landlords and managing agents here work under Northern Ireland's own fire safety and tenancy rules.
PAS 9980:2022 is the government-backed method for assessing the fire risk of external wall construction and cladding on blocks of flats. Unlike an EWS1, which answers a valuer's question, a fire risk appraisal of external walls (FRAEW) answers the building owner's question: is the risk from the wall acceptable, and if not, what is the most proportionate way to fix it?
An FRAEW feeds directly into the fire risk assessment and, for higher-risk buildings, the safety case. It can also support funding applications for cladding remediation and, under the new RICS valuation standard, its summary can sometimes be used in place of an EWS1.
The rules that apply in Belfast
The English higher-risk building regime does not apply in Northern Ireland. Owners and managing agents of taller residential buildings should follow Northern Ireland building regulations and guidance from the Department of Finance and the Department for Communities.
What is included
- Review of drawings, specifications and previous reports
- Intrusive opening-up where required
- Risk-based appraisal of wall and balcony construction
- Clear risk rating and proportionate recommendations
- Summary suitable for valuers and the fire risk assessor
Buildings we work on in Belfast
- Freeholders
- Accountable Persons
- Housing associations
- Managing agents
Areas we cover from Belfast
From Belfast we also cover Newtownabbey (4 miles), Lisburn (7 miles), Bangor (County Down) (11 miles), Craigavon (21 miles) and Ballymena (23 miles). Elsewhere in County Antrim we work in Lisburn, Ballymena and Newtownabbey. If your building is not in a listed town, we still cover it: every enquiry for pas 9980 external wall appraisals in Northern Ireland is handled the same way.