This Advice Note dated 20 January 2020 consolidates and supersedes the existing Advice Notes 1 to 22. The advice on the assessment of non-ACM external wall systems (previously Advice Note 14) has been updated and incorporated, and some of the advice within the previous published notes has been condensed to make it clearer.

The Advice Note also clarifies how the 18m height of a building is measured as it was silent in various other Advice Notes issued.

Approved Document B was revised in 2019  and supports requirements B1 to B5 of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010 as well as regulations 6(3), 7(2) and 38 and it took effect on 30 August 2019 for use in England. 

One of the changes were that safety information (under regulation 38) has been moved from an appendix into a new section.

In late December 2019 the EWS1 form was published.

The RICS, the BSA and UK Finance have agreed an industry-wide process, to be used by valuers, lenders, building owners and fire safety experts, in the valuation of high-rise properties to help unblock the deadlock present in the housing market. It has been developed in conjunction with MHCLG (the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.