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Spray foam insulation is applied with a spray gun and expands to fill a given area, forming an insulating layer.
Homeowners are struggling to sell or remortgage as some big lenders reject properties with spray foam insulation, the BBC has found.
A quarter of the UK's biggest mortgage lenders will not lend on homes with spray foam roofs, our research suggests.
It is estimated that up to 250,000 homes in the UK are fitted with this type of insulation, with most installed under the previous government's Green Homes Grant scheme.
“We didn't know about any problems until we put the house on the market,” said Wendy Rowe, whose family struggled to sell her late father's house and paid thousands of dollars to have the house removed. 'insulation.
Some mortgage companies are reluctant to take on homes with spray foam insulation because of concerns about poor fit, leaving moisture trapped and roof beams at risk of decay.
But the Insulation Manufacturers Association said spray foam can be beneficial if installed properly, and it fears homeowners will be unnecessarily driven to “cowboy” moving companies.
Ms Rowe told the BBC that when her father Alan Chawner was offered spray foam insulation in his loft, he thought it would make his former council property in Leicester warmer and reduce his energy bills.
As a pensioner who claimed Carer's Allowance, the entire cost of the facility of £4,331 was covered by the Green Homes Grant scheme, which ran in England until 31 March 2021.
“Left high and dry”
However, the work was not up to standard, according to a report by Stephen Hodgson, the former boss of the Property Care Association (PCA), who now inspects properties with spray foam and trains surveyors.
After sales stopped and difficult conversations with lenders, Ms Rowe agreed to completely replace the roof, sharing the cost of almost £10,000 with the new buyers.
She said it cost the family thousands of extra dollars in surveyors' and estate agents' fees and utility bills.
The company that installed the spray foam, SealSixty, gave the family £400 as a gesture of goodwill and said the work met all the requirements set out at the time by the Green Homes Grant scheme.
Ms Rowe said her family had been “left behind”.
“It was installed through a government initiative, and we really don’t expect him to turn his back on it,” she said.
What is spray foam insulation?
Spray foam insulation has been used for decades to prevent heat from escaping roofs, attics and attics and comes in two forms.
Closed cell spray foam is rigid once set. It is a better thermal insulator and was previously sold to stabilize failing roofs. But if it has been used inappropriately or installed incorrectly, it can put pressure on the wood, restricting air circulation and putting them at risk of rot.
Open-cell spray foam remains soft once set and is only used for insulation. It is more breathable but is often installed where a heavy-duty underlay such as bitumen felt is already present, preventing steam from escaping.
Although a recent Health and Safety Executive report highlighted situations where the use of open cell was low risk, it warned against applying it directly to tiles.
The nature of spray foam can make it difficult for appraisers acting on behalf of lenders to inspect the condition of frames.
When the BBC contacted the UK's 20 biggest lenders, five – including TSB Bank, Skipton Building Society, Co-operative Bank, Principality and equity release lender Aviva – said they had no loaned for properties where spray foam was found in the attic. .
Yorkshire Building Society and Metro Bank said they generally do not lend where there is a significant amount of spray foam.
Equity release provider More 2 Life has told the BBC it will only lend on properties with spray foam where it has been installed as part of permitted new build and has the necessary documentation .
Other lenders such as Lloyds, Nationwide, Barclays, NatWest Group and Santander said they were considering applications on a case-by-case basis and would take into account a valuer's report.
They can, however, ask the owner for proof of proper installation or the carrying out of an expert assessment.
In 2023, the PCA published an inspection protocol with the aim of helping surveyors and lenders assess any potential risks associated with pitched roofs.
Wendy Rowe
Wendy Rowe's father had the work carried out under the government's Green Homes Grant scheme.
But owners like Gary Wright feel they have been “left in the lurch”.
When his two-year fixed-rate mortgage was up for renewal, he hoped to find a better rate.
But when he applied, he was shocked to discover that open-cell spray foam had been installed in 2009. It hadn't come up in surveys when he bought the house.
He decided to remove most of the moss from the attic himself, after receiving several expensive quotes.
A surveyor still recommended a full roof report and Mr Wright felt he needed to renew his mortgage with his current lender at a less favorable rate.
“We know that in the next couple of years we're going to have to sort this out, and I can't afford that right now,” he said.
“This term 'spray foam' has created fear (among lenders) based on a lack of knowledge,” Simon Storer, chief executive of the Insulation Manufacturers Association, told the BBC.
He suggested that “the hares have been put to flight” by previous industry guidelines which have since been withdrawn.
“Insulation is a very good thing,” he said, adding: “But as with any construction job, it has to be done correctly.”
He said the organization was also concerned that unregulated companies were targeting older, potentially vulnerable homeowners and pushing them to pay for an overpriced moving service during cold calls.
The Homeowners Alliance (HOA) does not recommend installing spray foam until issues with dishonest lenders and dealers are resolved.
Advice for owners
For homes where it is already present, the HOA recommends:
Check that you have all relevant documentation, including a product certificate, installer warranty, before and after photos, survey report and product warranty. Contact the installer or manufacturer to see if you can get a free “health check”. Consider an independent evaluation by a qualified spray foam expert
A government spokesperson said it had “consulted with lenders on this matter, who say they rely on the advice of valuers and surveyors on this matter”.
They added that all measures put in place under government schemes must be carried out by a Trustmark registered installer “to the highest standards and problems will be promptly and correctly corrected”.
Further information on Trustmark's dispute resolution process can be found here.
