Spray foam and lenders
Should you remove spray foam before exchange, or wait for the lender and a roofer?
Wait until you know who is asking and how it would be removed. RICS warns that removal can damage the roof. A seller who rips foam out to secure a sale can leave you with broken tiles and still no proper view of the timbers. A lender may not even require removal.
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?
Ask the lender first. Ask a roofer, second, for a method that does not destroy the covering, and for a price. Ask the solicitor to keep the work, if it is agreed, in writing with a standard of making-good. Do this before exchange. After exchange in England and Wales you have generally bought the roof as it stands, foam included, unless the contract says otherwise.
If the foam stays, go into the purchase knowing the structure was not inspected. That can be an acceptable risk in a roof that otherwise looks young and dry at the edges. It can be unacceptable in an old roof with stains. The survey’s other roof notes are how you tell. There is no rule that foam always means walk away.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- If the foam stays, what remains unknown?
- If someone removes it badly, what damage would you expect to see afterwards?
- Are the visible parts of this roof otherwise sound?
What are the typical next steps?
- Get the lender’s requirement in writing before any foam is touched.
- If removal is agreed, specify the method and who inspects the timbers once they are visible.
- If you cannot get a proper look and you cannot accept that, withdraw before you are bound, if the contract allows. Ask your solicitor.
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
Can the seller just cut a hatch in the foam for the valuer?
A hatch shows a small patch. It can also create a leak. It is not a survey of the slope. Ask the valuer what they asked for, and ask a roofer whether the hatch helps or harms.
Who pays for removal?
Whoever you and the seller agree, in the contract. The survey does not send the bill to either of you. There is no set price to split.