“PAS the time” by reading the updated PAS 9980 guidance on how to conduct Fire Risk Appraisals of External Walls

On 14 September 2026, the British Standards Institution (“BSI”) published the much-anticipated second edition[1] of the Publicly Available Specification 9980 (“PAS 9980”), which will come into full effect on 30 September 2026. PAS 9980:2026 has been developed by the BSI drawing on expert advice from professionals across industry, including via a public consultation. It is a code of practice for qualified professionals undertaking fire risk appraisals of external walls (“FRAEWs”). However, it will also be of interest to a much wider audience including owners of existing multi-storey, multi-occupied residential buildings and those involved in the remediation of such buildings.

A copy of the second edition of PAS 9980 can be downloaded for free here: PAS 9980:2026 | 30 Sep 2026 | BSI Knowledge.

History leading up to PAS 9980: 2026 and what’s next?

Following the Grenfell fire, the government had initially issued a Consolidated Advice Note which aimed to provide guidance on how to assess a building’s external walls and smoke control systems and how to identify the types of short-term interim measures that could be put in place if significant risks were identified.

However, the Consolidated Advice Note was withdrawn on 10 January 2022 and replaced by PAS 9980:2022. The government explained that the withdrawal was necessary because:

“The Consolidated Advice Note has in some circumstances been wrongly interpreted and has been used to justify instances of an excessively risk-averse approach to building safety. The Consolidated Advice Note has therefore been withdrawn to ensure that it is not used to justify disproportionate assessments.”

As for the introduction of PAS 9980, the government added that:

“Where a PAS 9980 assessment is needed the guidance will enable more proportionate assessments rather than the binary ones that have become prevalent since the Grenfell Tower tragedy in which any presence of combustible wall materials is thought to automatically need expensive replacement/remediation. PAS 9980 is clear that some combustible materials can be retained and managed safely in the external walls of existing buildings.”

Since its introduction, PAS 9980 has become core guidance for those assessing what remedial works may reasonably be required to existing multi-storey residential buildings. As set out in PAS 9980:2026:

“It is designed to:

• Support competent professionals in identifying fire risk factors;
• Recommend proportionate remediation and/or mitigation measures; and
• Promote consistency in fire risk appraisals of external walls.

Given the complexity and range of different external wall systems that exist, PAS 9980: 2026 does not contain ‘off the peg’ solutions for specific wall types and materials but enables a consistent approach to evaluating the risk when considering the external walls of actual buildings.

A proportionate approach is about identifying and addressing fire risks posed by external wall construction in a manner that is proportionate to the risk. This should ensure residents are safe in their homes whilst preventing unnecessary works that can be disruptive and costs.”

The significance of PAS 9980 is only likely to increase further as the government made it a stated aim of the Remediation Acceleration Plan that, “When parliamentary time allows, we will legally require FRAEWs to follow the PAS 9980 framework, they must be conducted by assessors who meet specified requirements, and approved audits will be undertaken to ensure consistency and quality. This will reduce conflicting advice, clarify the work required, and help remediation start sooner”. It is anticipated that this will be included in the upcoming Remediation Bill.

What has changed in the second edition of PAS 9980?

Some of the headline changes in this second edition include:

1. The document now expressly addresses how to consider if a building requires an FRAEW or not. It provides a methodology for establishing whether the building or its external wall construction are inherently low risk in terms of external fire spread to make an FRAEW unnecessary.
2. PAS 9980:2022 used three bands of risk outcome; high, medium and low. Within the medium risk band, the risk might fall into the higher end of the band (which was considered to not be tolerable), or the lower end of the band (which was considered tolerable). This revised edition now uses four bands of risk outcome: high, medium, tolerable and low.
3. The list of notable fires involving external wall construction and cladding has been deleted from Annex B (now Annex C). Similarly, the 2022 version of Annex C on legislative context, Annex D on Requirement B4(1) of the Building Regulations and Annex P on historical standards and codes have been deleted. These have been removed to focus on other more technical aspects of FRAEWs.
4. This revised edition relies on research that was commissioned by the Building Safety Regulator in support of its ongoing work to update Approved Document B (“ADB”). The guidance remains similar for balconies and other aspects, but has now been split between fire performance and façade configuration risk tables (Annex E and Annex F) to address both the construction and layout of balconies.

The Annex K case studies

One aspect of PAS 9980 which may get overlooked on an initial cursory review, but certainly shouldn’t, is the annex of fully explained worked examples based upon the real-life experiences of the authors; however, readers should be aware that the examples are purely fictitious and intended to illustrate the application of the framework and rationale. Annex K includes six case studies in total, and they show how building geometries and layouts, external wall systems, fire strategies and mitigation measures can all impact a risk assessment.

These worked examples are for illustrative purposes only, and are not meant to be cited as evidence in the absence of a bespoke FRAEW on that particular system on that particular building. However, what these case studies do clearly demonstrate is that in some instances even where high or medium risk materials are identified on a building as part of an initial inspection that does not necessarily mean that those products need to be removed.

In this regard, the Annex K case studies capture the core aim of PAS 9980 – proportionate, reasonable and evidence-based decision making with the aim of promoting greater consistency in undertaking FRAEWs.

Conclusion

At a time where the construction industry continues to face significant pressure to remediate defective buildings, the second edition of PAS 9980 provides clear guidance for those carrying out fire risk assessments for evaluating risks so as to inform proportionate remedial solutions.

[1] The first edition was published in 2022. It is important to note that the publication of this revised edition does not in itself invalidate reports prepared under PAS 9980:2022.