Spray foam and lenders
The seller has a quote to remove the spray foam. Is that a RICS instruction, and what can removal do to the tiles?
No. A removal quote is a contractor pricing a job for the seller, not an instruction from the surveyor and not a RICS decision. RICS notes that taking sprayed foam off can damage the roof covering, and the quote does not prove these tiles will survive or answer the lender. Not every lender refuses a foamed roof, because their criteria are theirs.
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?
RICS’s consumer guide explains why foam worries surveyors and valuers: it hides the structure, and trapped moisture can rot timber that cannot be seen. The guide also warns that removal is not a casual scrape, because the foam is stuck to the covering and the covering can be damaged. A seller’s builder may have allowed for replacement tiles, or they may have assumed the tiles will come away clean. You cannot see which from the total on the last page, and this page will not invent a price. The home survey, if it has recorded foam and a concealed structure, has done its job by saying so. It has not appointed that builder.
Read the quote for what it actually includes: only cutting foam out, or also repairing the covering, the felt and the battens. Then ask the lender what they need, using the surveyor’s words rather than the builder’s headline. Do not treat the quote as the surveyor’s recommendation written in pounds. Do not treat it as proof the timber underneath is already rotten. Nobody has seen that timber if the foam is still there. A second roofer may describe the risk to the tiles differently. You are collecting opinions, not turning the seller’s paper into the RICS report.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you instruct removal, or have you only recorded that foam is present and the structure is hidden?
- Could you see the timbers the quote assumes are there?
- Please keep the contractor’s quote out of your findings. It is not your inspection.
What are the typical next steps?
- File the quote as the seller’s document.
- Ask the lender what they need, and do not assume a refusal or an acceptance.
- If a roofer discusses removal, ask them how the covering will be protected. RICS says removal can damage it.
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 a cheap removal line mean the tiles will be fine?
No. The risk to the covering is about the foam being stuck to it, not about the size of the quote. RICS flags damage. The quote must be read for what it includes.
Has the surveyor failed if they do not choose the contractor?
No. Choosing a contractor is not the home survey. The survey records the foam and the limit on what could be seen.