Update — 24 September 2026
What has happened since the PCA's announcement on 25 August:
- The PCA held a meeting of removal contractors and interested parties at its Huntingdon office on 2 September 2026. As of 24 September we have not been able to find a published outcome, criteria or start date from the PCA. Claims circulating online about criteria and timing come from removal companies, not from the PCA, and have not been confirmed.
- The government's consultation 'Reforming Consumer Protection for Home Upgrade Schemes' closed on 10 September 2026. The government says it is analysing the responses. Source: GOV.UK
- The consultation document proposes on-site audits for households where external wall insulation was installed under ECO4 or GBIS. It does not propose an equivalent audit for spray foam. Source: GOV.UK consultation document
- The House of Commons Library records the government's position that correctly installed spray foam should not require removal or prevent a homeowner obtaining a mortgage. Source: House of Commons Library
What this means if you are holding a removal quote: nothing about removal has changed yet. There is no approved list of removal contractors, and no confirmed standard. The first step is the same as before — find out what is actually in your roof before committing to anyone.
What the PCA announced
On 25 August 2026 the Property Care Association announced a new membership category for spray foam removal contractors. On Wednesday 2 September 2026 the PCA brought together removal contractors, PCA members and other interested parties at its office in Huntingdon to discuss how a removal-contractor membership sector would work — membership and entry criteria, the relationship between assessors and removal contractors, independence and post-removal verification, technical standards, and whether a Code of Practice is needed. It sits alongside the PCA's existing Sprayed Foam Inspection Protocol, created in 2023, which you can read on the PCA's own guidance page, and the Sprayed Foam Assessor register added in 2024.
The PCA's stated aim: "The PCA is therefore looking to establish a dedicated membership sector for spray foam removal contractors, bringing reputable businesses together and setting clear expectations around technical competence, working practices and consumer care."
The government has said it will set out reform of the sector as part of its £15 billion Warm Homes Plan; detail has not yet been published.
Why a standards body is now looking at removers
The PCA's own register data gives the reason. Surveyors on the Sprayed Foam Assessor register found divergence from the protocol in 79% of properties inspected, defects in 35% of them, and recommended major works in 27%.
Those are the Property Care Association's figures, not SprayFoamCheck's. Source: Sarah Garry, PCA Chief Executive, in the PCA and HomeOwners Alliance letter to government, May 2025.
"We are receiving an increasing number of calls about the conduct of businesses operating within the spray foam removal sector. Some of the stories we are hearing about the advice being given to homeowners, sales practices and the costs being charged are deeply concerning. We believe action now needs to be taken." — Property Care Association, 25 August 2026.
The PCA describes the complete model it wants: "A homeowner could have their spray foam independently assessed, use a competent contractor where removal is necessary, and have the work independently verified afterwards."
That is the sequence this site exists for — the independent assessment before, and the independent verification after.
The PCA has also publicly warned about people posing as surveyors, using the PCA logo and showing fake identification. Removal is where the money is, and where a lot of the poor work has been.
What this does not change
- No removal standard exists yet. This is a membership category and a first meeting, not a published standard in force.
- Membership of a removal category will not make removal necessary in a loft that does not need it.
- Whether to remove at all still depends on what is in the roof — foam type, condition, ventilation, moisture. That is an inspection question, not a removal contractor's question. See What are my options?
What to do if you're holding a removal quote right now
- 1
Know what you have first
An independent inspection, £295 fixed, establishes foam type, condition, ventilation and moisture, and whether your paperwork matches the loft. Written report within 48–72 hours of the visit; express turnaround is 24 hours from the inspection visit, +£50.
- 2
If removal is warranted, ask the contractor two questions
Ask whether they intend to join the PCA removal category when it opens, and what standard they currently work to. A contractor who can answer both plainly is telling you something useful; one who cannot is telling you something too.
- 3
If a lender is involved, read the certification guide
Where a lender or their surveyor has asked for specific paperwork, start there rather than with a removal quote — see Is there a spray foam certification that satisfies mortgage lenders?
A standard for how removal is done is not a reason to have removal done. The two questions are separate, and only the first one has been in the news.
Where SprayFoamCheck sits
Inspections are carried out in line with PCA guidance. Jan is not a PCA member and is not on the Sprayed Foam Assessor register — stated plainly here, because the PCA is currently warning about people who claim association they do not have.
There is no removal arm and no referral fees. If your case needs a registered assessor, you will be told that. Otherwise the standard spray foam inspection is £295 fixed, carried out by Jan — DEA qualified (ABBE Level 3), PAS 2035 training completed.
Sources
- 1. Property Care Association — Sprayed foam insulation guidance (property-care.org)
- 2. Property Care Association — Spray foam removal: action is needed, 25 August 2026 (property-care.org)
- 3. HomeOwners Alliance — PCA and HOA letter to government, May 2025, with the register findings (hoa.org.uk)
- 4. House of Commons Library — Spray foam insulation and mortgages (commonslibrary.parliament.uk)
- 5. GOV.UK — Spending Review 2025, Warm Homes Plan funding (gov.uk)
- 6. GOV.UK — Reforming Consumer Protection for Home Upgrade Schemes (consultation) (gov.uk)
- 7. GOV.UK — Consultation document (accessible webpage) (gov.uk)
- 8. GOV.UK — Warm Homes Plan (gov.uk)