Hello and welcome back to Mortgage Advisor on FIRE. This week I look at mortgages, conveyancing, and the issues around EWS1. Also, The Tenth Man.
Weekly Update
Of all the weeks I’ve had, that was certainly one of them. Yeah, it was a pretty crap week all in all. I had a cold, and a few things were going off behind the scenes in the Scothern household, but it’s the end of one week and the start of another, hopefully better, week.
The job hunt continues, and I’ve put a couple of posts out on LinkedIn with the Open to Work banner, which has resulted in a lot of calls and not much else. In fairness, some of the calls I’ve had with people have been good, and I’m waiting to hear back from a couple, but there have been a fair few time wasters, as well as some profiles that are obviously bots.
I’m in a position where I would like a new job, but I’m not desperate for a new job. I have some “must-haves” for any position I would consider, and it’s incredible how many recruiters have just disregarded this. There are two big things any new job must offer: good quality leads for new mortgages, and home working. I am happy to work and happy to offer mortgage advice. I’m not looking to build a business from the ground up with all the stress that comes with building a client bank.
There was one opportunity I was excited by, but the business went in another direction, which is a bit disappointing, but I respect their decision.
So, due to my cold, I’ve not really got much else to update you all with from my week. I do, however, want to discuss a concept I’ve just rediscovered: The Tenth Man.
The Tenth Man: Questioning Consensus to Avoid Groupthink
The Tenth Man concept is a decision-making principle designed to protect against one of humanity’s most persistent cognitive traps: groupthink. When groups strive for consensus, they often suppress doubt, ignore warning signs, or dismiss alternative viewpoints, sometimes with disastrous consequences (The Bay of Pigs disaster being a famous one). The Tenth Man’s role is simple but powerful: if nine people agree, the tenth person has a duty to assume they are wrong and to explore that possibility fully.
Origins and Purpose
The principle has its roots in Israeli intelligence during the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Before the conflict, Israel’s intelligence services had become overconfident in their assessment that the surrounding Arab nations would not attack. When Egypt and Syria launched a coordinated offensive, Israel was caught off guard. The shock prompted a deep institutional reckoning, and the Tenth Man Rule was born. I know that Israel is not exactly the most popular nation on the planet right now, but this does not invalidate the concept.
Under this rule, if the intelligence team reached a unanimous conclusion, one analyst, the “tenth man”, was tasked with challenging it. Their job wasn’t contrarian for the sake of it; it was to systematically explore alternative explanations. Could the evidence be misinterpreted? Could assumptions be flawed? What if the “impossible” scenario was actually unfolding? The goal was to counteract groupthink and prevent blind spots that could lead to catastrophic error. I would love to work in this type of role.
From Intelligence to Everyday Life
Although it began in military and intelligence settings, the Tenth Man principle has applications far beyond the battlefield. In business, science, public policy, and everyday decision-making, it’s a formal recognition that dissent is valuable. The moment everyone agrees, that’s the moment someone should be asking, “What if we’re wrong?”
The principle also parallels techniques like red teaming, used in cybersecurity and military planning to challenge assumptions, and the philosophical idea of falsifiability, where knowledge advances by trying to disprove hypotheses rather than simply confirming them. In essence, the Tenth Man is a safeguard against the human tendency to value harmony over truth; the very definition of groupthink.
Why It Matters
Groupthink can be dangerous because it leads to overconfidence, blind spots, and poor decision-making. The Tenth Man is the deliberate antidote: a single voice tasked with questioning the consensus, ensuring that confidence never drifts into complacency. By challenging assumptions, exploring alternatives, and insisting on rigorous scrutiny, the Tenth Man helps groups avoid the pitfalls of unanimity. By making this a formal, recognised position of responsibility, it also avoids any sort of backlash against the voice of doubt.
For me, the Tenth Man concept resonates on a deeply personal level. Having studied psychology and navigated complex decision-making in finance and mortgages, I’ve seen how easy it is to fall into groupthink, whether that’s trusting conventional wisdom, following the crowd, or ignoring subtle warning signs. The discipline of doubt reminds me that questioning assumptions isn’t just a professional tool; it’s a mindset that protects mental clarity and resilience. It encourages curiosity over certainty, reflection over reaction, and humility over hubris, all qualities as valuable in everyday life as they are in high-stakes decisions.
So, where did I rediscover this concept? World War Z by Max Brooks.
What I’m Doing
Listening: World War Z by Max Brooks.
Watching: Invasion (Apple TV).
Reading: nothing at the moment.
World War Z is one of my favourite books, and anyone who knows the book will almost certainly agree that it can’t be faithfully adapted into a movie. There’s so much detail in the book that it needs a series with as much production value as peak Game of Thrones. The film is just a generic zombie story, whereas the book is a sweeping global epic exploring the social and economic changes resulting from the Zombie War.
Had the film been made with a different name, there is almost nothing that would connect the movie and the book, except that there are zombies in the plot. That’s it. I don’t think there’s been such an awful book-to-screen adaptation since, with a possible argument for The Winter King.
If you want a great zombie story, definitely check out the book. The film is just basic blockbuster trash.
On the subject of onscreen trash, I return to Invasion. It’s not a bad show. It has some good points, but it’s basically like popcorn. You can enjoy it whilst eating it, but I don’t think anyone has ever finished a bowl of popcorn and stated, “That was damn fine fucking popcorn.” Instead, it’s forgotten about as soon as it’s over.
Financial Update
Assets
Premium Bonds: £23,000.00.
Stocks and Shares ISA: £126,497.02.
Fuck It Fund: £1.60.
Pensions: £109,485.50.
Residential Property Value: £243,430.00.
Total Assets: £502,414.12.
Debts
Residential Mortgage: £175,046.60.
Total Debts: £175,046.60.
Total Wealth: £327,367.52.
Some incredible gains this week with my total wealth increasing by over £9k. Some of this is due to the value of our property, according to Halifax, increasing by just over £4k. In reality, I doubt we would get anything close to that figure at the moment. This is not because it’s a bad property, but rather because of two ongoing issues.
Issue 1: The Hidden Crisis in Apartment Conveyancing
Across the UK, thousands of buyers and sellers are finding themselves trapped in stalled property transactions when it comes to leasehold flats. The cause is a mix of new regulations, lender caution, and red tape that’s made selling or buying an apartment far more complex than it used to be. I’ve seen this both where I live, as over the years I’ve spoken with many neighbours about this, and through cases I’ve dealt with in my job.
The Building Safety Act 2022 was supposed to make the property market safer by protecting leaseholders from the cost of fixing dangerous cladding and fire-safety defects. In reality, it’s created widespread uncertainty. Many conveyancing solicitors are now refusing to handle transactions for flats in high-rise buildings (typically over five storeys or 11 metres high) because of the additional legal and compliance risks. Some law firms have stepped away from these cases entirely, leaving buyers scrambling to find representation. I’ve heard from multiple people that many conveyancers are just outright refusing to deal with leasehold apartments, even when they are not high-rise in nature.
For conveyancing to complete, a raft of documentation is now required, including landlord and leaseholder certificates under the Building Safety Act. Freeholders and managing agents are often slow to provide them, which can leave buyers waiting months. Without the right paperwork, mortgage lenders may withhold offers, and conveyancers can’t proceed safely. The result? Transactions that once took a few weeks now drag on indefinitely, with many collapsing before exchange.
Other Factors to Consider…
It’s not just the Building Safety Act causing issues. Many apartment blocks face separate leasehold problems such as short leases, high service charges, or unresponsive management companies. Combined with stricter lender policies and fire-safety concerns, these factors have turned what used to be routine property purchases into high-risk undertakings.
Not every flat is affected. Smaller or newer buildings without known safety issues often transact normally, but buyers and mortgage brokers alike should proceed with caution. Before making an offer, do your research. Speak with conveyancing firms and make the initial enquiry about whether they would deal with the property in question. I would generally avoid the large conveyancing firms that work almost like a conveyor belt, churning out deal after deal. Personally, I’d rather use a smaller firm that offers continuity of care.
One thing is for sure; until the government provides clearer guidance and freeholders become more responsive, high-rise flats will remain one of the most challenging parts of the UK property market to buy or sell.
Issue 2: EWS1
If the Building Safety Act wasn’t complicated enough, the situation is made worse by another major obstacle in the ongoing problems surrounding EWS1 forms and fire safety certificates. Even where a buyer finds a willing conveyancer and a lender ready to proceed, everything can still grind to a halt if the building’s safety paperwork doesn’t stack up. It’s a separate issue, but one that ties directly into the same problem: uncertainty. And in the world of property transactions, uncertainty is the enemy of progress.
What is an EWS1?
The EWS1 form is a document designed to prove that a building’s external wall system (including cladding and insulation) meets fire safety standards. Introduced after the Grenfell tragedy, the EWS1 was supposed to bring clarity and consistency to the system. Instead, it has become one of the biggest obstacles in the UK housing market.
In theory, an EWS1 form should reassure mortgage lenders, conveyancers, and buyers that a property is safe to buy or remortgage. In practice, it’s done the opposite. For years, demand for inspections outstripped supply, leaving many homeowners stuck in unsellable flats while waiting for a qualified fire engineer to sign off on their building. Some developments were wrongly labelled as unsafe, while others slipped through with forms signed by unqualified or fraudulent inspectors in a scandal that’s only recently started to come to light.
The government and RICS have since tightened the rules around who can issue an EWS1, but the damage is already done. Lenders now treat these forms with a great deal of caution. In some cases, EWS1 certificates previously deemed valid are being re-examined, especially where there’s any doubt about the assessor’s credentials or methodology. That means even buildings that appeared to meet fire-safety standards may suddenly become un-mortgageable overnight. This has happened with our complex, and it’s taking a long time to resolve.
For buyers, it’s a mess. A flat could pass every other check with a solid lease, good management, and fair service charges, but if the EWS1 is missing, disputed, or discredited, the transaction grinds to a halt. For mortgage brokers, this adds another layer of frustration. Applications can be fully approved in principle, only to collapse at the valuation stage because of uncertainty over a form that was supposed to simplify things.
Until there’s a national database of verified EWS1 certificates and a consistent framework for assessing fire safety, flats in taller or recently built blocks will remain a minefield, although hopefully one that does not explode. For now, the best advice for buyers and advisers alike is simple: treat every EWS1 with healthy scepticism, verify its origin, and factor in extra time. Because in today’s market, a single piece of paper can make the difference between completion and collapse, and a safe or unsafe home.
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions in this blog are my own, and do not represent the views or opinions of my former, current, or future employers, nor should they be considered advice.
If you want personalised financial advice, seek an appropriate professional. If you are in financial difficulty, seek advice via the resources below:
Biolink
You can now find all my social media pages by checking out my Biolink:
bio.link/davidscothern.