Spray foam removal grants and which lenders accept spray foam (UK)

If you've been told your spray foam needs to come out, the first question is usually who pays. The honest answer is that there's no government grant for removal. But there are claim routes that can cover the cost if the foam was badly installed, and more mainstream lenders now consider homes with spray foam than many people realise.

Is there a grant to remove spray foam?

No. In March 2025 a housing minister told Parliament there are "no government schemes to support private homeowners with the removal of spray foam insulation in lofts or elsewhere", adding that building owners are responsible for maintaining their buildings. In June 2025 the energy department said: "There is no government financial assistance available to have insulation removed." The latest government spray foam guidance, published 22 October 2026, doesn't mention any funding for removal either.

Be wary of anyone offering a "spray foam removal grant". We couldn't find any official scheme that pays for removal. The government has warned about a rise in cold calls and unsolicited offers to remove spray foam, and you can report these to trading standards.

What about ECO4, the Great British Insulation Scheme and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?

Scheme	What it pays for	Does it pay for removal?
Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)	Help from energy suppliers with insulation and heating upgrades for eligible households – for example homeowners on certain benefits whose home is rated D to G. Ofgem says ECO4 runs until 31 December 2026.	No. It funds energy-saving measures, and ministers have said there's no government financial assistance to have insulation removed.
Great British Insulation Scheme	Free or cheaper insulation. GOV.UK says installations must be complete by 31 March 2026, when the scheme ends, and its eligibility checker has closed.	No – same position as above.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales)	A grant towards replacing fossil fuel heating with a heat pump or biomass boiler.	No. It's a heating grant, not an insulation one. GOV.UK says you're still eligible if you've already had funding to insulate your home.

Where these schemes do matter is if your spray foam was installed under one of them – that gives you specific rights to have faulty work put right, set out below.

If your foam was installed under a government scheme

Government guidance says all installations under government schemes since 2020 must be carried out by TrustMark-registered installers. Ministers have said that where insulation was installed improperly under a government-backed scheme, consumers are entitled to remediation by their installer or, failing that, the guarantee, at no cost to the consumer. That applies even if the installer has stopped trading.

Find your paperwork. It should name the installer and the scheme provider, and include any insurance-backed guarantee. If you don't know who installed it under ECO, Ofgem can tell you through a subject access request (it needs two documents proving you live at the property).
Complain to the installer. Explain the problem in writing and what you want them to do. Keep copies of everything.
Escalate to the scheme provider. This is the trade association or certification body the installer registered through. You can look it up on TrustMark's Find a Business page.
Go to the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman. If it's still unresolved, TrustMark's process lets you escalate to the DRO, usually after a final response or 12 weeks, and within 12 months of your first complaint.

Time limits: government guidance says the TrustMark route is for work completed less than 6 years ago where the installer is still trading. TrustMark can't help if the installer has stopped trading or wasn't registered when the work was done.

If the installer has stopped trading: contact your insurance-backed guarantee provider. Government guidance says these typically last up to 10 years. If you can't find the paperwork, TrustMark can help you find the guarantee provider.

If it was installed before 2020: check whether the installer is still trading. If not, look in your paperwork for an insurance-backed guarantee or the name of a scheme, certification body or quality mark, and contact that organisation. For older ECO installs, Ofgem's complaints guidance lists the bodies that may help – for insulation this may be the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA) or the Installation Assurance Authority (IAA) – with Citizens Advice as a further step.

If you paid for it yourself

The government says most spray foam loft insulation was installed outside its schemes, so the protection available "depends on what was agreed at the time between the homeowner and the installer". In practice that means:

Check your contract and guarantee. Look for a manufacturer or installer guarantee, or an insurance-backed guarantee, and what it covers.
Complain to the installer if it's still trading, with your surveyor's report as evidence.
If you were misled. The House of Commons Library notes that if an installer misled you or left out important information in a way likely to deceive you, you may be able to seek redress under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Citizens Advice can help, and can refer matters to trading standards.

If you paid with a credit card or finance

If you paid some or all of the cost by credit card or with a point-of-sale loan (finance arranged when you bought the work), section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 may let you claim against the lender for the installer's breach of contract or misrepresentation. The Financial Ombudsman Service says it applies where the cash price was more than £100 but not more than £30,000. It doesn't apply to debit card payments, overdrafts, general-purpose bank loans, cash or bank transfers, although a card provider may be able to help through chargeback, which usually has a time limit of around 120 days.

Make the claim to the lender first. If it doesn't send a final response within 8 weeks, or you're unhappy with it, you can take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, normally within 6 months of the final response.

Be realistic about evidence. In published ombudsman decisions on spray foam loans, complaints have been turned down where there wasn't evidence that the foam was installed incorrectly or mis-sold. A written report from an independent surveyor following the March 2023 inspection protocol is the best starting point.

Which lenders accept spray foam?

As of 22 October 2026, government guidance says many mortgage providers are open to lending on properties with spray foam, subject to their own requirements. These include:

Nationwide
Lloyds
Santander
Barclays
NatWest
Coventry Building Society
The Co-operative Bank
HSBC

"Subject to their own requirements" matters. Lenders usually rely on their valuer or surveyor, who may ask for the installation paperwork or an independent specialist report, so being on this list doesn't mean every application will be accepted. The government says lenders can be added to the list at any time, and it also warns that removing the foam won't always guarantee a lender will lend.

Policies change. Lender criteria can change at any time. Tell your mortgage broker or lender about the spray foam at the start, and check their current position before you pay for a survey or removal. This page is general information, not financial advice.

Equity release is different: providers set their own property criteria and spray foam is often a problem. See our equity release guide for the options, including a lifetime mortgage that pays for removal from the loan.

Before you pay for removal

Get an independent specialist survey first. Government guidance says only specialist surveyors experienced in spray foam can tell you if it should be removed. See what a spray foam survey covers.
Gather the installation paperwork. If you don't have it, government guidance says the installer or manufacturer should be able to provide it retrospectively.
If you're claiming against an installer, guarantee or lender, ask them before removal starts what evidence they need. Removal destroys some of it.
Compare itemised quotes. See our removal cost guide for published price ranges.

How we can help

We can introduce you to independent assessors whose written report can support a guarantee claim, a complaint or a lender's questions. If removal is recommended, we can also introduce removal specialists who provide itemised quotes and post-removal documentation.

Related guides

Sources

Sources checked 29 October 2026. Guidance changes – always confirm with your lender and a qualified surveyor.

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