Spray Foam Mortgage Problems in May 2026: Six Weeks On From the Ministerial Roundtable, Where Are We?

Six weeks ago, the Property Care Association (PCA) sat down with Energy Consumers Minister Martin McCluskey MP, the HomeOwners Alliance, Citizens Advice, mortgage lenders and spray foam manufacturers to discuss the state of spray foam insulation and mortgages in the UK. The data presented was difficult reading. At least one in three installations inspected had defects, and more than a quarter of those defective installations were likely to need re-roofing or re-insulating. Around 250,000 UK homes are estimated to contain spray foam, and many of those owners cannot sell, remortgage or release equity.

So what has actually changed since? For the homeowners trying to sell, remortgage or release equity, almost nothing. Spray foam mortgage problems continue. The Great British Insulation Scheme has closed, the government has confirmed it will not pay for removals, and the follow-up ministerial meeting was due this month with no published outcome so far. Meanwhile the House of Commons Library has just refreshed its research briefing on spray foam and mortgages, which lays out the official position as of this week.

The Spray Foam Mortgage Problems Continue

The core problem has not moved. BBC research with the HomeOwners Alliance found that a quarter of the UK's biggest mortgage providers, and every equity release lender surveyed, would not lend on homes with retrofitted spray foam in the roof. Where lenders will consider these properties, they almost always require the original installer's paperwork: BBA or KIWA certification, a warranty, and evidence of correct installation. The vast majority of homeowners do not have any of that.

At the April roundtable, McCluskey said the government was working with industry and lenders "to explore strengthening enforcement against rogue traders and ensure the presence of spray foam does not automatically preclude lending." That language describes an intention rather than a decision. Lenders set their own credit criteria, and until the major mortgage providers actually update their published guidance, the position for sellers and remortgagers is the same as it was a year ago.

HomeOwners Alliance Chief Executive Paula Higgins put the gap between the messaging and the reality bluntly. Some lenders, she said, will lend where spray foam has been properly installed with the correct paperwork. Others tell homeowners they will, then send them through round after round of surveys and expert reports without ever actually issuing an offer.

The Great British Insulation Scheme Has Closed

GBIS, which ran from 2023 and made eligible households entitled to free or low-cost insulation including spray foam, closed in March 2026, alongside the spray foam route under its predecessor scheme ECO4 for many households. That stops the pipeline of state-funded new installations, but it also closes off any prospect of the same scheme being used to fund removals for the homeowners already affected. GBIS and ECO4 recipients are now on their own.

Why the Government Will Not Pay for Removal

In March 2025 the government confirmed there is no financial assistance for homeowners to have spray foam insulation removed. That position has not shifted. The government's line, repeated in the Commons Library briefing, is that homeowners with incorrectly installed spray foam are entitled to remediation by their installer or through an insurance-backed guarantee. If the installer is gone or refuses to engage, the homeowner can contact TrustMark.

In practice, three of the largest UK spray foam installers have shut down in the last year (Home Logic, Riva Surveyors and Efficient Living). Many smaller firms have followed. For homeowners whose installer no longer exists or whose guarantee has lapsed, the route to free remediation is closed. The bill, currently estimated at roughly £40 per square metre according to Checkatrade, falls entirely on the homeowner.

The May 2026 Follow-Up Meeting

At the April roundtable, the group agreed to reconvene in early May to assess progress. As of the time of writing, no outcome has been published by either the HomeOwners Alliance or the government. The PCA and HOA went into the talks asking for three concrete things: a public list of mortgage lenders willing to lend on spray foam properties, sector-wide consumer guidance on what to do if you have it installed, and recognised qualifications for both installers and removers.

None of these has produced anything public yet. The lender list is the fastest thing the government could deliver and the one that would help homeowners most immediately. The qualifications question has the biggest long-term implications, because it would for the first time formalise what a "qualified" spray foam remover actually is. Right now the industry has no statutory entry standard, which is exactly why the rogue removal problem the HOA has been campaigning against has been able to take hold.

What Homeowners With Spray Foam Should Do Now

Government action is not coming any time soon, so the practical question is what affected homeowners can do under their own steam. The PCA, HOA and Citizens Advice broadly agree on the priorities.

The first one is straightforward and the easiest to get wrong: don't engage with cold callers. If a firm contacts you out of the blue offering to remove your spray foam, treat it as a red flag, not a lifeline. Reputable removal companies don't cold-call. Concerning approaches should go to your local Trading Standards office.

Before you speak to a surveyor or a lender, dig out the original installation paperwork: the BBA or KIWA certification, the warranty, anything you have. It significantly changes what a lender will accept, and the absence of it is one of the main reasons properties get rejected in the first place.

If the paperwork doesn't exist or is incomplete, the next step is an independent inspection. The PCA has set up a Sprayed Foam Inspection Protocol and a register of trained surveyors, and a surveyor from that register can produce a report that mortgage lenders are increasingly willing to consider. That report will tell you whether your installation is sound, defective, or actively damaging the roof.

Homeowners planning to sell should check the implications for selling before going to market, not after. A buyer's surveyor will pick up the spray foam and a mortgage offer can fall apart in conveyancing. Finding out before you list is much cheaper than finding out during.

And if removal turns out to be the answer, get more than one written quote, ignore anyone demanding upfront payment, and walk away from pressure tactics or prices that look suspiciously low or eye-wateringly high.

Why Removal Is the Only Real Fix for Most Homeowners

The blunt reality of the May 2026 picture is that policy isn't going to fix this in the short term. Mortgage lenders aren't changing their criteria, the government isn't funding removals, and many of the original installers no longer exist. Even on a sound installation, a buyer's surveyor and lender may still treat the property as a non-standard risk.

For homeowners who want to sell, remortgage or release equity, professional spray foam removal is, in most cases, the only route that resolves the issue fully. Once the foam is gone and the roof structure has been inspected, the property is back in the standard mortgage market and the buyer pool is back to normal.

At Remove Spray Foam we have completed over 1,800 removals across the UK. The work is fully documented, with before-and-after reports so homeowners can show buyers, surveyors and lenders exactly what was done. We don't cold-call, we don't take payment up front, and the initial quote and site survey come at no cost or obligation.

A policy fix could be years away. You don't have to wait that long to move on with your home.

If you have spray foam insulation in your roof and want to understand your options, contact Remove Spray Foam today for a free consultation and no-obligation quote.