PAS 9980 and FRAEW Survey Costs in London: What to Expect

What a FRAEW under PAS 9980 actually is

A fire risk appraisal of external walls (FRAEW) is a structured assessment of how an external wall system would behave in a fire, carried out to the methodology in PAS 9980:2026. It considers the cladding, insulation, cavity barriers, balconies and attachments on multi-occupied residential buildings, and produces a risk rating with recommendations. It is the technical work that sits behind an EWS1 rating and behind a PAS 9980 assessment, and it informs whether remediation is needed and how urgent it is. The cost reflects that it is an engineering appraisal, not a quick visual check.

Typical London cost ranges

Fees vary widely across the market and with building complexity, but as a broad London guide: a desktop or largely visual FRAEW on a smaller, simpler building can run from a few thousand pounds; a typical mid-rise residential block needing some intrusive investigation more commonly falls in the region of around £5,000 to £15,000; and large or complex buildings — multiple elevations, several cladding types, extensive opening-up and difficult access — can run well beyond that, sometimes into tens of thousands across a scheme. Intrusive opening-up, making good and access equipment are frequently the largest single cost. These are market-typical illustrations only; we confirm a fixed fee after reviewing the building information and agreeing the scope.

Desktop versus intrusive: the biggest cost decision

PAS 9980 lets the assessor use the available evidence proportionately. Where reliable construction records, fire test data and good-quality drawings exist, more of the appraisal can be evidence-based and the cost is lower. Where records are missing or the building differs from the original design — common on older refurbishments — the assessor needs intrusive inspection: opening up sample areas of the wall to confirm what is actually there. Opening-up brings in access (scaffold, mast climbers or rope access), making good afterwards, and sometimes sampling and testing of materials. That is why two superficially similar blocks can differ several-fold in cost: one has a documented system, the other needs the walls opened up to find out.

What pushes the cost up

The predictable multipliers are: building height and footprint; the number and accessibility of elevations; multiple or unknown cladding systems on one building; the presence of balconies, which often need their own investigation; difficult or restricted access requiring specialist equipment; and the number of buildings on an estate assessed together. Programme matters too — mobilising access twice because the scope changed mid-survey is the avoidable expense most owners regret, and a thorough facade investigation planned in one visit usually costs less than two partial ones.

How the FRAEW links to EWS1, funding and remediation

The appraisal rarely sits on its own. For leaseholders and lenders it underpins the EWS1 position; for buildings in scope of remediation funding it forms part of the evidence for routes such as the Cladding Safety Scheme and Building Safety Fund; and where work is needed it shapes the scope of any remediation that follows. Commissioning the FRAEW with the downstream decisions in mind — rather than as an isolated report — usually saves duplicated survey cost later.

Getting value from the spend

A few choices keep the cost proportionate. Assemble the building information first — drawings, any fire test or product data, previous reports — so the assessor is not paying to rediscover what already exists. Agree the intrusive scope before access is mobilised, so the opening-up is planned in one visit. Use a competent assessor with the right fire and construction background, because an under-scoped appraisal that a lender rejects is the most expensive outcome of all. And treat the FRAEW as the start of a route to a decision, not a box-ticking exercise.

Common questions

Who can carry out a PAS 9980 FRAEW? A competent professional with appropriate fire safety and construction expertise; complex buildings often need multidisciplinary input. The assessor should be clear about the limits of their competence for your specific building.

Is a FRAEW the same as an EWS1? No. The FRAEW is the underlying appraisal of the external walls; the EWS1 is a summary form that records the outcome for valuation and lending. One informs the other.

Why can quotes vary so much? Usually because of intrusive scope and access. A cheap desktop quote and an expensive intrusive quote may be answering different questions — make sure quotes are scoped on a like-for-like basis before comparing them.