What the UK government and Parliament have said about spray foam

In short, ministers have said spray foam alone should not block lending, correctly installed foam should not need removal, and there is no removal funding for private homeowners^[3][7][2]. Two further themes run through the statements:

• Redress for scheme work. The installer first, then the installation warranty, with TrustMark support^[8], even if the installer has ceased trading^[9].
• Reform. The inherited quality assurance and redress system needs "root and branch" reform^[1].

The government has said lending decisions should be made case by case after a survey (August 2025)^[10], but each lender sets its own criteria^[11]: see mortgages and spray foam.

On 22 October 2026 DESNZ published a policy paper, "Spray foam insulation: remediation, removal and lending". It says many mortgage providers are open to lending on homes with spray foam, subject to their own requirements, and names Nationwide, Lloyds, Santander, Barclays, NatWest, Coventry Building Society, the Co-operative Bank and HSBC as examples; lenders can ask to be added to the list. It says only specialist surveyors experienced in spray foam can advise whether foam should be removed, points to the PCA's find-a-specialist tool and the 2023 inspection protocol, and warns that removing the foam will not always mean a lender will still lend. It does not mention the BBA suspension, grants for removal or any figures^[38].

The DESNZ paper of 22 October 2026 sets out these steps for homeowners^[38]:

1. Get specialist advice before deciding anything. Only specialist surveyors experienced in spray foam can say whether it should be removed, the paper says. It points to the Property Care Association's find-a-specialist tool and says to check that your surveyor is familiar with the Spray Foam Insulation Inspection Protocol (March 2023)^[38]. See do you need to remove spray foam?
2. Talk to your lender. Removing the foam will not always mean a lender will still lend, and improper removal could lead to further problems^[38]. See mortgages and spray foam.
3. Have your installation paperwork ready. If you do not have it, the installer or manufacturer should be able to provide it retrospectively^[38]. See what paperwork you should have.
4. Government-scheme work since 2020. It must have been done by a TrustMark-registered installer. If it was completed less than six years ago and the installer is still trading, use TrustMark's dispute resolution process: contact the installer and the scheme provider named in your paperwork (TrustMark's Find a Business page shows the scheme provider), then the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman. If the installer has stopped trading, contact your insurance-backed warranty provider, whose cover typically lasts up to 10 years; TrustMark can tell you who it is if the paperwork is missing^[38]. See installer gone bust?
5. Work before 2020. Check whether the installer is still trading. If not, look in your paperwork for an insurance-backed warranty or the name of a scheme or quality mark, and contact that organisation^[38].
6. Cold calls. Unsolicited offers to sell or remove spray foam can be reported to Trading Standards. If you think an installer passed your details to a removal company, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office^[38]. See cold calls and scams.

Every step turns on what is actually in your loft and what your paperwork shows, so get that evidence before anything is removed: see why get independent evidence first.

Dates are answer or publication dates where known; wording is paraphrased, so follow the link for the full text.

The Building Safety Regulator's moisture modelling (28 March 2024) found low risk for open-cell foam installed to BS 5250:2021 and high risk where foam is sprayed directly onto the roof covering^[15]. The regulator says it is theoretical modelling, not installation or survey guidance^[21]. More in condensation and roof timbers.

The fire research, published on 22 December 2025, found no penetration through any specimen within 60 minutes, but the foam behind the slate charred and appeared to smoulder^[19]. See is spray foam a fire risk?

None of these documents sets out a position on removal^[15][19].

No: in March 2025 a minister said owners bear the lifetime maintenance costs of their buildings, and that there are no government schemes to help private homeowners pay for removal^[2]. The Warm Homes Plan commits £15 billion over this Parliament, including around £5 billion for low-income households with "cost effective insulation where necessary", and does not mention spray foam^[5]. Nor does the Warm Homes: Local Grant for low-income households in England^[22].

For ECO4 work, Ofgem's complaints route runs from the installer to TrustMark, the warranty provider if the installer has ceased trading, and then the relevant ombudsman; Ofgem does not handle individual complaints^[23]. Most foam was fitted outside government schemes^[4]; for privately paid work, see Section 75 and the Financial Ombudsman.

Two common claims do not match the sources:

• "The government promoted spray foam through the Green Homes Grant." The scheme did not specify insulation types^[1].
• "Spray foam was formally removed from ECO4 or excluded from GBIS." No such decision was found, and DESNZ says its schemes keep no list of eligible products^[20].

The Great British Insulation Scheme closed on 31 March 2026^[24]. More in history and schemes.

DESNZ's consultation "Reforming consumer protection for home upgrade schemes" ran from 17 June to 10 September 2026; at 20 October 2026 no response had been published^[6]. It proposes:

• one consumer protection service for DESNZ-supported upgrades, possibly run by the planned Warm Homes Agency^[6]
• an independent ombudsman as the final step, able to make binding decisions^[6]
• a public register of approved installers, and scheme warranties covering installation quality^[6]
• enforcement within existing regimes, with no new powers^[6]

Spray foam is mentioned once, in noting that some consumers have been targeted for its removal^[6]. Citizens Advice's response asks for it to be mandatory across the whole market, including privately funded work^[25], and the Competition and Markets Authority asks for equivalent protection for self-funded work^[26].

The House of Commons Library briefing CBP-10658 (published 5 January 2026, updated 8 July 2026) is Parliament's main summary on spray foam^[27]. On a few points it differs from the primary sources:

It dates written questions by the date tabled, and does not cover the government's moisture and fire research, the BBA's UKAS suspension, the DESNZ consultation or the closure of GBIS^[27].

• The consultation response. None had been published at 20 October 2026^[6].
• The BBA's UKAS status. UKAS suspended all of the BBA's UKAS-recognised scopes from 26 February 2026, possibly until 25 November 2026 at the latest; existing UKAS-backed approvals stay valid until they expire, but no new ones can be issued (UKAS, 15 June 2026)^[29]. The BBA says it lodged an appeal on 26 March 2026^[30]. See product approvals and the BBA suspension.
• Standards. DESNZ's consultation says BSI is updating PAS 2035/2030, with publication expected around the end of 2026 or early 2027^[6].
• Fire research. The fire test report is still marked interim, pending a final BRE report^[19].
• Dates. ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026^[31]. VAT on roof and loft insulation is zero-rated until 31 March 2027, then reverts to 5%^[32].

• Wales. The Commons Library says no official Welsh information or guidance on spray foam is currently available (as at its July 2026 update)^[27].
• Scotland. Home Energy Scotland's pages now state that funding is not available for spray foam insulation (read 20 October 2026)^[33]. A Scottish Parliament research briefing of November 2023 said some spray foam measures could be funded; that line is now out of date^[34][33]. The same briefing says owners should check with their council whether a building warrant is needed^[34]. The regulations exempt most insulation work from needing a warrant, but it must still meet the building standards^[35].
• Northern Ireland. The Department of Finance's information note (August 2024) stresses that insulation work there normally needs a building regulations application^[36].