Thinking of making an offer
Ask the seller or agent for the lease length, recent service charges, planned works and the managing agent's building-safety information. Tell us about any stated cladding or external-wall issue before applying.
A lender will look beyond the flat itself. The building, lease, service charges and any fire-safety work can all affect its valuation and the mortgage available. Start with what is known about the actual block.
Count Ready advises by phone and online from Chelmsford. Our initial mortgage evaluation has no fee; we explain applicable fees before chargeable work.
Potentially. There is no single floor or storey limit that applies to every lender. A lender assesses your finances and the flat as security, using its current policy and a valuation. The valuer and conveyancer may need information about the building, external walls, lease and planned work before the lender can decide.
This page focuses on the building and lease questions. For the wider home-buying and remortgage choices, use our London mortgage guide. A London high-rise flat intended for letting also needs the separate buy-to-let assessment.
Ask the seller or agent for the lease length, recent service charges, planned works and the managing agent's building-safety information. Tell us about any stated cladding or external-wall issue before applying.
Find your deal end date and ask your current lender about its switch options. Moving to a new lender or borrowing more may call for a new valuation and more building evidence. See our London remortgage guide for the full comparison.
Get the exact reason and the information requested. A missing EWS1 form, unresolved work, lease term or valuation concern calls for a different next step. We can discuss the mortgage question while your solicitor addresses legal and building matters.
If your income is self-employed or you have a credit concern, mention it at the start. Our London self-employed mortgage page and London credit page cover those separate applicant questions.
Give the full address, approximate storeys, flat level and any unusual construction or mixed use. A lender's valuer decides what the property is worth for mortgage purposes. A seller's asking price is not that valuation.
Ask whether the building has an EWS1 or other external-wall assessment, and whether the lender or valuer requests it. An EWS1 is a valuation aid for the building, not a life-safety certificate or a legal requirement for every flat. RICS explains the distinction.
If work is proposed or under way, ask who is responsible, how it will be funded and what documents exist. Some lenders may consider evidence of a remediation route or leaseholder protection, subject to their policy. Your solicitor must establish the legal position; protections are not automatic for every lease.
Check the remaining lease term, ground rent, service charge, building insurance, reserve fund and planned major works. These affect your budget and may affect the lender's view. LEASE sets out a buyer's checks.
Imagine you want to buy a flat in a tall London block. The agent has an older EWS1 and says external-wall work is planned. Ask the managing agent for the available assessment and current work and funding information; ask your solicitor what the lease and any protections mean for you. An adviser can then check which evidence a prospective lender wants. An older form is not automatically unusable, and this example does not predict a valuation or mortgage offer.
Start with a short property brief. You do not need to attach sensitive financial documents to an initial callback request.
Tell us the address, floor, building information and what you want to do. If a lender has declined or requested a document, share the reason rather than guessing.
We discuss potential mortgage routes and the evidence a lender may ask for. Your conveyancer handles lease and legal questions; the lender and its valuer decide whether the property fits their requirements.
We explain the process and applicable fees before chargeable work. You can then decide whether to proceed once the important building questions are clearer.
Count Ready is a credit broker, not a lender. Our initial mortgage evaluation has no fee. The published Terms of Business set out possible processing, offer and specialist fees, plus lender commission; applicable charges are agreed before chargeable work. The firm's published details can be checked on the FCA Register. No adviser can guarantee that a lender will accept a particular flat.
No. Whether an EWS1 is requested depends on the building, the valuer's assessment and the lender's instructions. It is not a statutory certificate for every flat. Ask the lender or adviser what evidence is needed for the actual block.
Do not assume the purchase must stop. UK Finance says some lenders may continue to use older forms or consider other building evidence, subject to their own policy. The form's signatory and any later remediation also matter. Ask for current lender and valuer instructions.
It may be possible, depending on the lender, valuation, work, funding route and legal evidence. Obtain the available remediation and leaseholder documents early, and ask your solicitor to explain the cost position. No particular scheme or document guarantees a mortgage.
There is no universal mortgage cut-off for all high-rise flats. Lenders and valuers apply their own property rules. Give the adviser the building height or storeys, flat level, construction and any other known concerns so current options can be checked.
Ask your current lender about a product transfer and whether the change you want needs a valuation. A new-lender remortgage or extra borrowing may require different checks. Compare the costs and terms for your circumstances; unresolved work does not produce one answer for every lender.
Ask for the precise property or application reason. Gather the requested building, lease or valuation evidence and speak to an adviser before another application. A decline by one lender does not prove another will accept the property, and an adviser may recommend resolving an issue first.
Tell us whether you are buying or remortgaging, the flat's floor and building address, any known external-wall or lease issue, and your timescale. We can help you identify sensible mortgage questions to raise next.
Reviewed 26 October 2026. RICS has published an updated valuation standard due to take effect on 1 November 2026. Recheck the applicable edition, lender instructions and building evidence before relying on this guidance. Building-safety law and lender criteria can change.
