A number of major mortgage lenders have taken the decision to withdraw mortgage offers where fire safety certificates were issued by Tri Fire, a business owned by fire safety engineer Adam Kiziak.
Mr Kiziak has been under investigation by the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) and was suspended by them in August 2024 as a result of concerns over the quality of his work. In November 2024, the IFE published the results of its investigation, confirming he suspension of Mr Kiziak’s membership and Engineering Council Registration for breaches of their code of conduct.
However, it is believed that his company has continued to sign off fire safety certificates since his suspension. Mr Kiziak’s lawyer states that, ‘Any allegation of fraudulent activity is strenuously denied.”
Lenders including Nationwide, HSBC, Virgin Money and NatWest have withdrawn mortgage offers from properties where the fire safety certificate was issued by Tri Fire.
What is certificate EWS1?
Fire safety certificate EWS1 was introduced in 2019, following the high-rise Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, which caused the deaths of 72 people.
The certificate looks at the construction of high rise buildings and assesses the cladding, then rates the building for its fire safety. Most lenders require an EWS1 certificate before agreeing to lend for a high rise property purchase.
Tri Fire
The Building Safety Register has found that 410 EWS1 certificates out of the 1,139 issued between March 2020 and the end of 2021 were from Tri Fire.
The BBC has reported that a qualified fire engineer who worked for Tri Fire for a time as a subcontractor says that certificates appear to have been issued in his name about which he has no knowledge.
He says that he has written to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, the IFE and UK Finance, overseer of the UK mortgage market, to advise them of the situation.
Comment from the Institution of Fire Engineers
The IFE says:
We can also confirm that Mr Kiziak’s membership and registration remains suspended indefinitely while further recent complaints are being investigated, including those being reported in the media. We understand that provision of timely information is important, however, to safeguard against jeopardising any possible civil or criminal investigations related to these complaints we are currently unable to comment further or give detailed accounts of the on-going investigation.’
A statement from Tri Fire said:
‘We can confirm that Adam Kiziak’s membership of the IFE has been suspended pending the completion of an investigation. He is able to work but does not currently have the benefit of the IFE accreditation. We can’t offer any further detail. No determinations have been made.’
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