Spray foam and lenders
The report mentions foam removed last month next to rafters now visible. Has the covering's underside, which the removal does not let you pretend was inspected last year been tested, or only named?
The covering's underside has been named in today's conditions, not tested as it was last year. Foam removed last month means the rafters are now visible, and that is all the visit could use. The survey has not decided what the underside looked like while the foam was still there, and it has not tested timber that was hidden then. Removal does not let anyone pretend last year's roof void was inspected. What remains open is the history of the foam, any damage it left, and how a lender will read a roof that once had it.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Spray foam on the underside of a covering can mask rafters, felt and leaks until it is taken off. Once it is gone, the surveyor sees the timber and the covering as they are now: stains, missing felt or apparently clear wood. Those are present-day observations. They do not reconstruct the months the foam was in place, and they do not prove every bay was cleared. A clear rafter today is not a test of last year. Keep a seller's removal date separate from what was seen.
Ask the solicitor for evidence of who removed the foam, when, and what was found, and put that beside the survey rather than inside it. A lender that asks about spray foam will want its own papers. The home survey has not given a lending decision and has not confirmed the seller's date. If the underside still needs a closer look, say which bays were visible from the hatch and which were not. Do not describe the old foam as inspected.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which rafters are visible now only because the foam has gone?
- Does the report keep the removal date as a seller's account?
- Which parts of the underside were still hidden on the day of the visit?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the underside note as today's view only.
- Ask the solicitor for the removal paperwork.
- Tell any lender the foam history is not a survey test.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does bare timber mean the foam caused no harm?
Bare timber shows what the surveyor could see after removal. It does not prove the foam was harmless, and it does not prove the opposite. The visit did not test the timber and did not see the roof while the foam was present. A specialist can advise if the history still matters. This report has not closed that question.
Should the old installer be treated as having inspected the covering?
An installer who sprayed or later stripped foam was not carrying out this home survey. Their work, if it happened, is not an inspection of last year's underside that you can now adopt. Ask for any report they actually wrote. Until that exists, the only survey observation is what was visible after the foam had gone.