Accused of signing off fire safety certifications for apartments in high-rise complexes using the credentials and signature of another engineer without permission, a specialist in fire safety has been charged. Adam Kiziak, under inquiry for possible malpractice by the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), is the central focus of the accusations. The continuous investigation caused him to be suspended in August 2024. However, it is known that Tri Fire, his employer, kept signing off safety certificates even after his suspension, leading to a significant fire safety issue.
Why are mortgage offers being withdrawn by lenders?
Several big lenders, including Nationwide and NatWest, have pulled mortgage offers to anyone looking to purchase flats with fire safety certifications produced by Kiziak’s business. Affected buyers are confused since the mortgage approval procedure depends much on these certificates, called EWS1s. Following the fatal fire at Grenfell Tower, these certificates were instituted. They evaluate a building’s fire risk-taking consideration of its cladding.
Lenders usually ask for an EWS1 certificate to decide whether to issue loans for flats in apartment buildings. However, banks have stopped any more mortgage transactions involving Tri Fire certificates in response to their lack of faith in these safety certificates’ accuracy, fueling the developing fire safety crisis.
Why are EWS1 certificates significant, and what are they?
Introduced in 2019 in reaction to the Grenfell tragedy were EWS1 certificates. Based on construction and cladding evaluation, the form rates the fire risk of a building. Most banks and building societies need certifications. Therefore, they are crucial since they help assess whether a building is safe for purchasers. Though there is no official registration of these certifications, the Building Safety registration information shows that Tri Fire signed off 410 of the 1,139 EWS1s issued between March 2020 and the end of 2021. Given the current fire safety crisis, this begs serious questions.
How was Adam Kiziak continuing to sign off safety certificates?
Kiziak’s company kept printing safety certificates for tall buildings even while he was barred from signing off certificates. Accusations from Saudi Arabia-based qualified fire engineer Awwal Salisu, who signed a contract with Tri Fire via a recruitment agency, have further muddled the allegations. Salisu claims he was recruited to evaluate up to 100 structures but thinks Kiziak exploited his signature without authorization to let his business keep producing certifications.
Salisu says the paperwork he reviewed lacked enough information to produce safety certificates most of the time. Later, he claims he discovered other EWS1 forms carrying his signature and membership number, which he argues were not among the structures he was assigned to evaluate. After returning the papers to Kiziak’s company for additional work, grave doubts arose regarding the validity of the certificates and the part Tri Fire played in the fire safety crisis.
How Does Awwal Salisu View His Involvement?
Salisu admits, “I am rather angry about it.” “I have had restless nights; my reputation is online here.” He has expressed his worries, underlining that his laptop’s IP address allows one to find his unique electronic signature back-tracking. Salisu claims that no reports he turned in under his identity included his actual electronic signature and that he did not sign them either. Given the fire safety crisis, he has informed pertinent agencies, including the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, the IFE, and UK Finance, to draw attention to the matter and demand clarity.
What effect does this have on the mortgage market and buyers?
Many potential buyers are now uncertain, especially because some lenders have stopped providing mortgages for homes stamped off as safe by Tri Fire. First-time buyer Sam Ireland related his experience with retracting his mortgage offer. You feel utterly powerless, he remarked. “It just scuppers the whole thing.”
Other people have also had trouble. Tri Fire’s involvement in the fire safety evaluation has resulted in the rejection of mortgage applications. Prospective real estate buyers now find themselves in a challenging situation as they search for another flat and negotiate an alternate mortgage.
Has the research revealed any more Tri Fire-related issues?
The part Tri Fire plays in evaluating fire safety throughout the United Kingdom has drawn more attention. According to an inquiry, more than 60 blocks judged by Tri Fire were certified by the government’s taxpayer-funded Cladding Safety Scheme. This begs significant concerns regarding the accuracy and dependability of the organization’s certificates and the appropriate assessment of these buildings.
The IFE has not yet commented further on the continuous inquiry, and Kiziak’s attorney has expressed regret for any suffering the current circumstances cause. They have underlined that their client rejects any claims of dishonest behavior. Authorities are still looking to ascertain the extent of the claimed malpractice and the fire safety issue that has impacted many.
