What Is Spray Foam Loft Insulation?

Spray foam insulation is a liquid foam that's sprayed into position and sets to form an insulating layer. It can be used to insulate your roof, loft, walls, floors and more.

How Does This Affect Me?

Unbeknown to a lot of homeowners, many mortgage lenders will not lend on properties with spray foam loft insulation.

This was the case for a couple who discovered that the government endorsed spray foam insulation and paid £2,800 for the privilege of lower bills and better efficiency on the Government’s own recommendation. On some properties the Government have even provided funding for the same.

It is thought that around 300,000 homes could be affected as noted by the Guardian article ‘They encouraged us to insulate our home. Now it’s unmortgageable’ | Property | The Guardian

This same couple were advised that they could have the spray foam removed for £3,370 which is over £1,500 more than the installation itself.

Spray Foam Insulation & Mortgage Lenders

This is not to say that all mortgage lenders won’t lend, just that they are more cautious and will have more requirements for lending and whether they lend is decided on a case by case basis dependent on what their Valuer advises. This could include certification for the works and possible insurance backing.

Whilst spray foam insulation has been available for 30 years+ it is only over recent times with a lot of different government schemes that this method of insulating your loft space has become much more popular.

There are two types of spray foam; firstly, open cell spray foam which is a light density and closed cell which is a medium density. Secondly, closed-cell spray foam which runs the additional risk of setting very hard, which causes the strain referred to above.

Unfortunately, spray foam roof insulation is unregulated and if it is incorrectly installed there could be issues with rot, condensation, strain on supporting timbers and damp issues.

The Government reported this in March 2024 stating that condensation could cause 25% of roof timber to decay within five years if spray foam is applied directly to roof tiles or certain underlays. This same report does confirm that should on open cell installation be carried out in accordance with the guidance described in British Standard BS 5250:2021 the risks should be low. However, as noted, the installations are not regulated.

Spray Foam Insulation & Your Home

Should you be selling or remortgaging your property with spray foam roof insulation, there is the option to remove it. There could, however, be damage caused when removing this/or damage already made by the installation of the same (rot). Removing the insulation is also likely to be costly, in some cases more costly than the installation itself as was the case for the couple referred to.

If you have the correct installation paperwork, a lender may accept this. You may need to just carry out specialist surveys and reports to satisfy certain requirements.

However, purchasers will possibly be considering future re-saleability and whether they are able to re-mortgage the same in the future.

How Can Timms Help?

If you require any further information about buying or selling your property, please contact us on 0800 011 6666 or email legal@timms-law.com.