On 22 October 2026 the government published its first proper guidance page on spray foam: what it is, who's responsible when it goes wrong, where lenders stand, and what to do about the cold calls. It's short, it's careful, and most of the coverage has missed what it actually changes for a homeowner trying to sell or remortgage. Here's the page in plain English, with the sentences that matter quoted as written.
Key takeaways
- The guidance names eight lenders "open to lending on properties with spray foam, subject to their own requirements". That is not a guarantee for your roof. It's a list of doors that aren't locked.
- It tells you to start with a specialist surveyor, found through the Property Care Association, and says removal "will not always guarantee" a lender will lend.
- If your foam went in under a government scheme since 2020, you have a dispute route through TrustMark and an insurance-backed guarantee of up to ten years if the installer has gone.
- There's still no government-approved removal firm, no removal standard and no money for removal. Cold callers offering to "fix" it can be reported to Trading Standards.
What the guidance is, and what it isn't
It's a policy page from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, published on 22 October 2026 under the title "Spray foam insulation: remediation, removal and lending". It has five short sections: what spray foam is, installations under government schemes since 2020, lending, cold calling, and where to find more information.
It is not a new standard, not a ban, not a removal scheme and not a change in the law. Its single most useful sentence is also its most modest: spray foam "is not always the right product for some homes and may need to be fixed or removed." For two years homeowners have been told either that spray foam is fine or that it's a catastrophe. The government's position is that it depends on the roof, and that a specialist should be the one to say.
Eight lenders 'open to lending', with a catch
The lending section is the part that will be quoted most, so here it is exactly: "Many mortgage providers are open to lending on properties with spray foam, subject to their own requirements." The page then lists Nationwide, Lloyds, Santander, Barclays, NatWest, Coventry Building Society, The Co-operative Bank and HSBC, and gives an email address for lenders who want to be added.
The catch is the qualifier. "Subject to their own requirements" means each lender still instructs a valuer, still applies its own criteria, and can still decline your particular roof. Being on the list means the lender hasn't shut the door on spray foam as a category. It doesn't mean your application will pass. For how this sits against the BBC's 2024 findings, and what the list means lender by lender, see which mortgage lenders accept spray foam insulation.
Practical use: if your current lender isn't on the list and has declined you, the list is where a broker starts. If your lender is on the list and has still declined, the problem is your roof, not the policy, and the next section applies.
Removal 'will not always guarantee' a mortgage. Here's how to read that
The sentence in full: "Removing the foam will not always guarantee that they will still lend, and improper removal could lead to further issues." It's aimed at the firms that promise "guaranteed lender approval" with every removal, and it's right to be.
What it doesn't say is that removal is pointless. Lenders decline spray foam because their valuer can't inspect the roof timbers. Removal done properly puts the timbers back in view. What satisfies the valuer afterwards is evidence: dated photographs before and after, a record of the timber condition, the waste paperwork and a completion certificate from the contractor, and in some cases an independent surveyor's report on top. "Improper removal" is the strip-out that leaves foam at the eaves and wall heads, gouges the rafters and leaves you with nothing to show a valuer. Our spray foam removal certificate and evidence pack page sets out what the paperwork should contain, and this guide covers when a lender will want an independent inspection as well.
Surveyor first: the PCA finder and the inspection protocol
The guidance is firm on sequence. "Only specialist surveyors experienced in spray foam application can tell you if the foam should be removed." It points you to the Property Care Association's find-a-specialist tool to locate one, and tells you to "make sure your surveyor is familiar with the Spray Foam Insulation Inspection Protocol - March 2023", the inspection method the PCA and the Residential Property Surveyors Association published.
It also references joint Spray Foam Customer Guidance issued by the Property Care Association, the Insulation Manufacturers Association, the Residential Property Surveyors Association, RPC Legal and Andy Wilson Financial Services. That's the closest thing to an industry consensus document that exists, and it's worth reading before you speak to anyone who wants to sell you something.
In practice, a surveyor's inspection gives you one of three answers: the foam is acceptable to your lender as it is, the foam needs remediation by the installer, or the foam needs to come out. Only the third is a removal job.
If your foam was installed under a government scheme
Installations under government schemes since 2020 had to use TrustMark-registered installers. If yours did and the work is under six years old, the guidance says "you can use the TrustMark dispute resolution process", which can escalate to the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman. "If the installer is no longer trading, contact your insurance-backed guarantee provider." On how long that lasts: "Check the details on your guarantee paperwork, but typically this may last up to 10 years."
For older work: "If your insulation was installed before the 2020 Trustmark requirement, check if the original installer is still trading." If not, "check the paperwork you received from your installer" and "look for an insurance-backed guarantee or the name of a scheme, certification body or quality mark."
Be realistic about what a guarantee buys you. It's a route to remediation of faulty work by the installer or its insurer, which may mean repair rather than removal, and it takes time. If you're mid-sale, a guarantee claim and a removal are not alternatives. Many people run the first for the money and the second for the mortgage.
Cold calls, and 'your installer passed us your details'
The page notes "an increase in cold calls or unsolicited offers to sell or remove it", and is blunt about what to do: "You can report these to trading standards." If you suspect the firm got your number from your original installer, "you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office".
The tell is simple. Anyone who rings you about your spray foam before you've rung anyone is selling. Reputable surveyors and removal firms are busy enough with the people who come to them.
What to do this week
- Find your installation paperwork, scheme name and any guarantee certificate.
- Ask your lender or broker, in writing, what evidence it needs. Quote the guidance page if it helps.
- If removal might be needed, book a specialist surveyor through the PCA finder, or at least make sure whoever inspects the roof knows the March 2023 protocol.
- If the surveyor says remove, get three written, itemised quotes. Our quote comparison checklist shows what must be on them.
- Report cold callers. Keep every document you're given, photographs included.
