Spray foam and lenders
A firm quotes to strip the foam and does not mention the tiles. Why should you ask what the removal does to the covering before you send the figure anywhere?
Not ready to send. A figure for stripping the foam that never mentions the tiles has not said what removal does to the covering. RICS warns that taking foam off can damage tiles. A quotation silent on the covering may be pricing only the spray, and leaving you with broken or lifted tiles nobody has included. Ask, before the number is forwarded, whether the tiles stay, who makes good, and what the total becomes if the covering is harmed. Until that is written, the figure is not a complete account of the job.
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?
Foam is stuck to the structure it was sprayed on. Stripping it is not the same as lifting a quilt off joists. The person pricing the work should say how they will separate the foam from the underside of the covering, and what happens if tiles crack, slip, or lose their fixing. If the quotation does not mention tiles, do not assume they are safe, and do not assume they are included.
The survey can say the foam is present and that the rafters could not be seen. It does not turn a silent quotation into a specification. Ask the firm to add a sentence on the covering, in writing, and to say what is excluded. Not every lender requires removal, so do not commission the strip only to have a number. First learn what the removal does to the tiles, then decide who, if anyone, should see the figure.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does the quotation say anything at all about tiles or slates?
- What making-good is excluded if the covering is damaged?
- Which part of the roof did they actually see before pricing the strip?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the firm what removal does to the covering, in writing.
- Do not send the figure until the tiles are mentioned.
- Keep the survey's limit on unseen rafters next to that question.
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
If the quote is only for foam, are the tiles automatically untouched?
No. Removal can damage tiles. A quote that never mentions them has not said what happens to the covering when the foam is stripped.
Should you forward the figure so the seller can start discussing it?
Not yet. Ask what the strip does to the tiles before that number goes anywhere, and do not treat silence as a promise the covering will survive.