Cladding: What Lenders Need to Know and Why Data Matters Now More Than Ever

This June marked eight years since the Grenfell Tower tragedy – an event that forever
changed the way we think about building safety in the UK.

For many, Grenfell is still raw. The stories, the lives lost, and the questions that remain
are a lasting reminder of why safety, transparency, and accountability must be central to
everything we do in the housing and lending ecosystem.

For those of us in the property data space, it’s a moment to pause and reflect but also to
act with purpose.

Why Cladding Still Matters

In the years since Grenfell, thousands of buildings across the UK have undergone
reviews and remediation. But the process is far from over.

Many lenders still face uncertainty when it comes to cladding exposure in their
portfolios, borrowers continue to be impacted by lending decisions made based on
building safety assessments and regulatory pressure remains strong, particularly for
lenders working in the multi-storey residential space.

The question for many in financial services today isn’t “Is cladding still an issue?” it’s
“How can we be confident we’re making informed, fair and risk-aware decisions?”.

The Power Of Accurate Cladding Data

At e.surv, we recognised early on that cladding data was going to become a critical part
of lending risk assessment. That’s why we’ve spent years building and refining a
proprietary national dataset of cladding information, gathered through our surveyor
network, years of reporting on clad buildings and structured for lender integration.

Our cladding dataset offers:

• Building-level insight (not just postcode-level estimates)
• Verified presence
• EWS1 form visibility (including B2 ratings)
• Integration into AVM results and standalone use
• Updates in line with remediation progress and government schemes
• UPRN based look-ups

This isn’t data for data’s sake, it’s real information that can make a real difference, especially when assessing lending risk for leasehold flats, portfolio purchases, or high-rise developments.

How Lenders Are Using This Today

We’re already supporting:

• Back-book reviews to assess cladding exposure and support audit compliance
• AVM triaging for flagging properties that require further review
• Valuation decisions for identifying where physical valuations may be necessary
• Risk transparency for internal stakeholders, regulators, and credit policy leaders

In fact, in one recent case, a lender running a cladding trial through our platform
discovered two B2-rated EWS1 forms within the first week, properties that would have
otherwise progressed through to underwriting without this level of insight.

Why This Is More Than A DataSet

Cladding isn’t just about property condition, it’s about people. The decisions made by lenders and policy-makers directly affect borrowers, leaseholders, and homeowners who simply want clarity and fairness.

Having access to verified, structured, and regularly updated cladding data doesn’t just help reduce financial risk, it helps build trust in the process. It shows that you’re taking the safety and complexity of post-Grenfell lending seriously.

A Final Word

We can’t change what happened eight years ago. But we can learn from it.

By embedding cladding data into core processes, from origination to portfolio monitoring, lenders can be part of the solution. One that values transparency, protects consumers, and makes safer lending decisions possible.

If you’d like to explore how this data could fit into your AVM process or broader lending strategy, please email me at [email protected].

Blog by: Michael Booth, Head of Data Sales at e.surv