Spray foam cold calls and removal scams: how to check a caller

No. A cold call is a sales approach, and not every claim a caller makes is false. Trading Standards services describe practices ranging from selling regardless of suitability to scare stories used to sell removal^[1].

Insulation cold calls are common: insulation was the second most common nuisance-call topic in 2023 among about 10,000 users of a call-blocking service, Which? reported^[8]. A June 2026 government consultation notes that some consumers have been targeted for removal of products like spray foam^[9].

A caller can also be right about the foam. The case file Urged to remove the foam: the main loft needed action, the smaller section did not followed repeated unsolicited approaches near Wigan. The useful question is what independent evidence shows about your loft: see do you need to remove spray foam?

The warnings describe two waves: calls selling spray foam, then calls selling its removal, sometimes to the same households^[1][10]. Warwickshire Trading Standards says rogue installers reappear, sometimes under a new company name, to cold-call former customers about removing the foam they installed^[1].

Tactics reported include:

• a free loft survey, then claims of damp or mould that foam would fix^[11]
• claims that your existing loft insulation is hazardous or unsuitable^[12][13]
• persuading people to give up the cooling-off period^[14]
• callers falsely claiming to act for the government or an official scheme^[15]
• removal heavily overcharged, sold where it is not needed, or sold to homes with no foam^[14]

Check the claim yourself, using contact details you find independently. The Property Care Association (PCA) warned in June 2025 about people posing as its surveyors, said it has no in-house surveyors, and asked householders to verify anyone who calls (as cited by the House of Commons Library)^[3].

In a July 2026 statement reported in the trade press, the PCA said so-called surveyors had visited pensioners showing fake ID with the PCA logo, and some fraudsters had produced fake reports in the names of genuine PCA members^[2]. Others told homeowners their property was on a "national database" of homes likely to lose value unless the foam was removed^[2]. The PCA advised an independent assessment before accepting removal advice from any firm with a commercial interest^[2].

In August 2026 the trade press reported that the PCA had announced a membership category for removal contractors, described as a benchmark rather than regulation of the market^[18]. If a firm says it is a PCA member, check with the PCA directly.

• The Energy Saving Trust says it never cold calls, doorsteps or sells to householders^[19].
• Trading Standards Scotland said in September 2024 that Trading Standards services were not working with any spray foam removal companies in Scotland^[17].
• Since 6 April 2025, falsely claiming approval or endorsement by a body, or displaying a trust mark without permission, has been a practice the law treats as unfair in all circumstances^[20].

Treat it as a red flag. Some cold callers have claimed to represent Asthma + Lung UK or the British Lung Foundation^[21]. The charity says it endorses no insulation product and has never said any insulation material is unsafe^[21]. The British Lung Foundation and Asthma UK rebranded together as Asthma + Lung UK on 28 February 2022^[22].

Which? reported in October 2024 on callers claiming a "recent study" had found fibreglass harmful to lungs; a 91-year-old was quoted £4,000 for spray foam that a second opinion found unnecessary^[23]. The Energy Saving Trust says claims that existing mineral wool must be removed "to comply with regulations" are false^[24]. In January 2024, Welsh charities including Age Cymru warned older people, citing a trader who claimed a government grant would cover most of the cost^[25].

Red flags described by Trading Standards, Citizens Advice and others:

• you did not ask for the call or visit, and you are pressed to decide^[26]
• the caller wants to do the "free survey" themselves; Trading Standards Scotland says a cold-calling firm's assessment "will not be impartial"^[16]
• you are told the foam, or your existing insulation, must come out^[13]
• a grant is promised for removal, though the government says no scheme exists for private homeowners^[5]
• PCA ID, a "national database", or a report in a PCA member's name (tactics the PCA described in July 2026, reported in the trade press)^[2]
• the caller seems linked to the firm that installed your foam^[4]
• you are asked to pay everything upfront^[19]
• very cheap quotes, very fast completion or unrealistic savings^[27]

What to do on the call or at the door:

1. Don't agree, sign or pay anything. Trading Standards Scotland advises never engaging with cold callers offering free loft or roof surveys^[11].
2. Write down the name, company, number, date and what was said; in one ombudsman case, a homeowner's notes made at the sales visit were accepted as an accurate record^[28]. Then check the company yourself, using contact details you have found independently.
3. Get independent evidence before any removal. Warwickshire Trading Standards advises an independent surveyor's report first, noting removal can cost thousands and may be unnecessary^[1].
4. Don't pay in advance. The consumer guide from the PCA, the Insulation Manufacturers Association and partners also says not to accept cold-call offers of installation or removal^[29]. Citizens Advice suggests at least three quotes and a deposit of no more than 25%^[27].
5. Look out for older relatives and neighbours^[11].

In many cases, yes. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 set a 14-day cancellation period for off-premises contracts, which include contracts made in your home, but not contracts made at the trader's own premises^[6]. If the trader did not give you the cancellation information, the period can be extended by up to 12 months^[30].

A trader must not start work within the cancellation period unless you expressly ask, on a durable medium for an off-premises contract; if you then cancel, and you made no such request or were given no cancellation information, the regulations say you pay nothing for work done in that period^[31].

If you paid by credit card, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 can make the card provider equally liable with the supplier for misrepresentation or breach of contract, for a cash price over £100 and not over £30,000^[32]. This is general information, not legal advice: see your consumer rights with spray foam and Section 75 and the Financial Ombudsman.

Contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 (Welsh language 0808 223 1144; Relay UK 18001 0808 223 1133), Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm^[7]. Its advisers can pass complaint information to Trading Standards, which consumers cannot do themselves (as checked in October 2026)^[7].

The government's October 2026 policy paper also says cold calls and unsolicited offers to sell or remove spray foam can be reported to Trading Standards^[36]. Citizens Advice advisers can pass your report on to Trading Standards, as above^[7].

• You think the installer passed your details to a removal company: the October 2026 government paper says you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)^[36].
• Someone used the PCA's name: News on the Block (30 July 2026) said anyone worried about a spray foam scam could ring the PCA on 01480 400000, which is the PCA's main office number rather than a dedicated helpline^[2].
• Scotland: report to Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or at consumeradvice.scot^[12]. Trading Standards Scotland also advises reporting to Police Scotland^[11].
• You have already paid: keep every document and payment record.