FRAEW – PAS 9980 Review Services

Why Do I Need a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW) ?

Many building owners and property managers ask the same question:

“The building looks solid — why do we need a detailed assessment of the external walls?”

It’s a fair question. On the surface, many buildings do appear to be traditional masonry construction. However, experience across thousands of buildings has shown that what you can see is often not what you have.

An FRAEW exists to uncover what lies behind the external face of the building — because that hidden construction can significantly affect fire risk.

What You See Is Only the Outside Skin

External walls are made up of multiple layers, not just the outer finish you can see from the street.

Behind brickwork, render, or cladding there may be:

• Cavities.
• Insulation (which may be combustible).
• Structural frames.
• Cavity barriers or fire-stopping (which may be missing, damaged, or incorrectly installed).

Many buildings that appear to be solid masonry have later been found to be:

• Timber-framed.
• Lightweight steel-framed (SFS).
• Hybrid constructions with mixed systems.

These construction types behave very differently in a fire — and cannot be assumed without investigation.

Why Surface Inspection Is Not Enough

A visual inspection alone cannot confirm:

• Whether insulation is combustible.
• Whether cavity barriers exist — or are installed correctly.
• Whether fire can spread unseen within wall cavities.
• Whether the structure itself contributes to fire spread.

There are many real examples where buildings thought to be “low risk” were later found to have hidden fire pathways, simply because the internal make-up of the wall was never properly assessed.

What PAS 9980 Requires

PAS 9980 is the government-backed methodology used to assess the fire risk of external walls on residential buildings. It requires the fire engineer to understand the full wall build-up, including:

• The external finish (brick, render, cladding, etc.).
• The insulation type and combustibility.
• The presence and location of cavities.
• The type of structural frame.
• The provision and effectiveness of cavity barriers.
• How fire could spread vertically or horizontally.

Without this information, a meaningful risk assessment is impossible.

Why Intrusive Investigation Is Sometimes Necessary

In some cases, records are incomplete, missing, or unreliable — especially on older buildings or where changes have been made over time. When this happens, targeted intrusive inspections may be required to:

• Confirm what materials are actually present.
• Verify whether fire-stopping exists where it should.
• Avoid assumptions that could lead to unsafe conclusions.

This is not done unnecessarily — it is done

Why This Matters to You

An inadequate or incomplete assessment can result in:

• Ongoing uncertainty for residents.
• Problems with mortgage lending or insurance.
• Delays to remediation or funding decisions.
• Legal and regulatory exposure for duty-holders.
• A false sense of safety.

An FRAEW provides clarity, evidence, and confidence — for building owners, managing agents, residents, and lenders alike.

In Simple Terms

An FRAEW is needed because:

• External walls are complex systems, not just surfaces.
• Hidden materials can dramatically change fire risk.
• Assumptions are not acceptable under current guidance.
• PAS 9980 requires a full understanding of all wall layers.
• Safety decisions must be based on evidence, not appearance.