The Residential Property Surveyors Association (RPSA) and the Property Care Association (PCA) withdrew their November 2021 guidance on spray foam insulation in October 2022, pending what the House of Commons Library describes as a "full review"1. The original guidance stated that, without technical information, it was "unlikely" that surveyors could "comment on the condition of the timber roof structures or speculate on risk"1.
The withdrawal came amid wider difficulty for owners of homes with spray foam in the roof. In November 2024, the BBC reported that a quarter of the UK's biggest mortgage providers, and all of the equity release lenders it surveyed, would not lend against homes with spray foam insulation in the roof1. The PCA and the Home Owners Alliance (HOA) told the government in May 2025 that 35% of properties had one or more defect as a result of spray foam insulation, based on inspections at over 500 properties1.
Spray foam is applied as a liquid and expands to fit the space, setting firm. It comes in two forms1:
| Form | Behaviour once set | Insulation and ventilation |
|---|---|---|
| Open cell | Remains soft | Less prone to condensation, but less dense and so a weaker insulator |
| Closed cell | Rigid | A better insulator, but acts as a vapour barrier that can reduce ventilation |
Spray foam was one of the measures covered by the government's Green Homes Grant scheme, which closed in March 2022 and covered up to two-thirds of the cost of energy efficiency works1. Removal is difficult and costly: Checkatrade estimates around £3,200 for the roof of a three-bedroom detached house, or £40 per square metre1.
Since the withdrawal, the PCA published an inspection protocol for surveyors in March 2023 to help them assess spray foam risks inside pitched roofs, saying the framework would let surveyors judge the condition of individual roofs rather than decide on spray foam "just being there"1. The Insulation Manufacturers Association (IMA) published a code of practice for installation in roofs in May 2023, and further guidance in October 2024 aimed at helping lenders, valuers and surveyors understand when spray foam has been installed to professional standards1.
"That guidance was withdrawn in October 2022 for a "full review""
Why it matters for households
The practical effect of the withdrawal is that there is no single industry document that a surveyor, valuer or lender can point to when judging an installation. The replacement material is split between a surveyor-facing inspection protocol from the PCA and installer-facing codes from the IMA, published at different times1. For a household, that gap shows up at the point of sale or remortgage, where a lender's surveyor may be unable to confirm that the timber structure beneath the foam is sound.
The government has said that where spray foam insulation has been installed in line with the relevant standards, it should not require removal or prevent homeowners obtaining a mortgage1. It has also confirmed there is no government financial assistance for homeowners to have spray foam insulation removed1. In June 2025 it said it is engaging with lenders to seek a resolution1. The RICS advises keeping paperwork from the installation, including independent test certificates, to assist if a property is sold or remortgaged1. More detail on the risks, mortgage position and removal sits in our guide to spray foam insulation, with the paperwork side covered under what paperwork to get for spray foam insulation and the structural risk under whether spray foam can cause roof timbers to rot.
What happens next
The PCA said its next step would be for the spray foam industry to create a "system of controls" for suppliers and installers, so that installations can be measured and verified against product approval certificates1. In February 2025 the PCA and HOA called on the government to consider whether spray foam insulation should continue to be included within government schemes that support insulation installation1. The government has acknowledged that the wider consumer protection system for government energy efficiency schemes needs reform and has committed to improve it through the Warm Homes Plan1. No date has been reported for the conclusion of the RPSA and PCA review.
Sources1 cited
- Spray foam insulation and mortgages - House of Commons Library, commonslibrary.parliament.uk