The Short Answer
Don't have spray foam put on your roof. A quarter of the UK's biggest mortgage lenders, and every equity release lender the BBC surveyed, wouldn't lend against a home with spray foam in the roof, and it isn't funded by Home Energy Scotland at all. If you already have it, don't panic and don't rip it out on the strength of a phone call. Find the installer's paperwork. With a complete handover pack and a sound installation, the industry's own guidance is that it's likely low risk. Without one, get an independent specialist survey before you spend anything. Removal runs to about £40 per square metre of roof, around £3,200 on a 3-bed detached house, before you re-insulate the loft properly.
Spray foam checker
Got spray foam? What to do next
Built on the industry's own consumer guide and the House of Commons Library briefing. Four questions.
Where is the spray foam?
What Is Spray Foam Insulation?
It's a liquid foam sprayed onto the underside of a roof (or sometimes a loft floor or wall), where it expands and sets into a solid layer. There are two kinds, and the difference matters:
| Open cell | Closed cell | |
|---|---|---|
| Feel once set | Soft and spongy | Rigid and hard |
| Insulation | Less, because it's less dense | More per centimetre |
| Moisture | Less prone to condensation | Acts as a vapour barrier and can cut ventilation, especially sprayed straight onto tiles |
It was heavily sold for years, and the government's Green Homes Grant, which closed in March 2022, paid up to two-thirds of the cost of measures including spray foam. That's a big part of why so many homes have it.
Why Mortgage Lenders Don't Like It
The House of Commons Library's briefing on spray foam (January 2026) sets the problem out plainly. In November 2024 the BBC found that a quarter of the UK's biggest mortgage providers, and all the equity release lenders it surveyed, would not lend against homes with spray foam in the roof. The Home Owners Alliance says there are currently no equity release lenders that will lend where spray foam was added after the house was built.
The reasons are practical, not prejudice:
- Nobody can see the roof. The foam covers the rafters, battens and the back of the tiles, so a lender's surveyor can't check for rot, cracks or leaks. A leak behind the foam often isn't visible at all.
- Trapped moisture. Badly specified or badly fitted foam stops moisture escaping, which can lead to condensation under the roof and, over time, decay in the timbers.
- Poor ventilation. Sealing every gap in a roof that was designed to breathe can make damp and mould worse.
- Removal is hard. If the roof needs repair later, the foam has to come off first, which is slow and expensive.
How common are faults? The Property Care Association and the Home Owners Alliance told the government in May 2025 that 35% of properties had one or more defects caused by spray foam, from inspections at more than 500 homes. That's a reason to check yours, not proof that yours is faulty.
I Already Have Spray Foam. What Should I Do?
The insulation industry, surveyors and the Property Care Association produced a joint consumer guide in 2025, and its advice is calmer than the headlines. Not every installation is a problem. Here's the order to work in:
- Find the handover pack. A properly installed job should have come with a pre-installation survey of the roof, a hygrothermal (moisture) evaluation, a third-party certificate for the product (BBA or KIWA), and the installer's details with the guarantee or warranty.
- If it's complete and nothing looks wrong, the installation is likely to be considered low risk and may need no further action. Only a competent surveyor can give you that assurance, which matters if you're selling or remortgaging.
- If it's missing or incomplete, ask the installer or the foam's manufacturer for it. They may be able to supply the documents, or carry out the checks that weren't done.
- If you can't get it, book a specialist surveyor. They'll judge it low risk, recommend remedial work, recommend removing the foam (or the quilt behind it), or in the worst case say the roof needs replacing.
Meanwhile, keep the roof watertight (fix slipped tiles straight away) and make sure the house is well ventilated, with extractor fans that work, to keep moisture down.
Choosing the surveyor
This is where people get caught out, because the market is full of "surveyors" who are really removal salesmen. The joint guide says to look for someone who:
- works to the industry's inspection protocol for spray foam on pitched roofs (published by the Property Care Association in March 2023)
- belongs to the PCA, RPSA, RICS or CABE
- carries professional indemnity insurance
- has done this before, and has no commercial interest in removing your foam, or declares one up front
Removing Spray Foam: Cost and Pitfalls
The House of Commons Library quotes Checkatrade's estimate of around £3,200 to remove spray foam from the roof of a 3-bed detached house, or about £40 per square metre. Then the loft needs insulating properly: the Energy Saving Trust puts a bare loft to 270mm at about £750 on a semi. If the foam has been hiding rot or leaks, roof repairs come on top.
- Don't do it yourself. It can damage tiles, wiring and timbers, and Checkatrade warns some foam is toxic to touch and breathe in.
- Get comparable quotes from at least two companies, with independent references.
- Never pay everything up front. A reputable firm offers a payment plan, perhaps with a deposit, not full payment before work starts.
- Don't be rushed. There's no government money for removal, so anyone saying a "grant" ends on Friday is lying.
Beware the Cold Callers
Both the Home Owners Alliance and the Property Care Association warn that spray foam owners are being cold-called and pressured into paying for removal, often using contact details the Home Owners Alliance believes were obtained illegally. The PCA has no in-house surveyors, so anyone claiming to be a "PCA surveyor" isn't. Don't agree to a survey or removal from an unsolicited call, text or knock on the door.
Who Pays If It Was Installed Badly?
Not the government: it confirmed in March 2025 that there's no financial help for removal. What it has said is that where spray foam was installed incorrectly, you're entitled to have it put right by the installer or through the insurance-backed guarantee, and that foam installed to the relevant standards shouldn't need removing or stop you getting a mortgage. In practice:
- Go back to the installer first, in writing.
- If you paid by credit card, ask your card provider about a refund.
- If the work was done under a government scheme, the installer had to be TrustMark-registered, and TrustMark has a dispute process for when the installer won't help or has gone.
- If you were misled when it was sold, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 may give you a claim.
Selling or Remortgaging With Spray Foam
- Tell your broker early. Some lenders decline outright; others decide case by case after their own surveyor's inspection, and may ask for the handover pack or a specialist report.
- Have the paperwork ready before a buyer's surveyor sees the loft. RICS advises keeping everything from the installation, including the product's BBA certificate.
- Equity release is the hardest case. If that's your plan, assume removal and price it in.
What to Use Instead
For most lofts the answer is boring and it works: mineral wool laid on the loft floor to 270mm, which leaves the roof ventilated and visible to any surveyor. It's DIY-friendly and costs a few hundred pounds in materials. Our loft insulation guide covers costs, depth and whether it's worth it, and the best loft insulation guide has a calculator for how many rolls you need. If you want a usable room in the roof, that's a job for a properly designed warm-roof system specified by someone independent, not a foam salesman.
