Spray foam and lenders
Why do some lenders ask about spray foam before they value the roof?
Because foam sprayed under a roof can stop a surveyor seeing the timbers and, if it was the wrong type or badly fitted, can trap moisture. RICS’s consumer guide explains those concerns. It does not say every lender refuses every house with foam. Ask the lender you are using.
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?
A valuation for the mortgage is not your home survey, but the valuer may still refuse to value until the roof can be seen or a specialist has reported. Your home surveyor should already have said if foam stopped them inspecting the rafters. That limitation is the fact to pass on. Do not soften it.
Ask the lender what they need: a product name, a guarantee, removal, or a specialist roof report. Then obtain that, not a different folder of paperwork. Removal is not the automatic first step. RICS warns that the wrong removal can damage the covering. Get a roofer’s method before anyone cuts.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Could you see the rafters, or did foam hide them?
- Do you know whether the foam is open-cell or closed-cell, or is that unknown?
- What sentence should I send the lender unchanged?
What are the typical next steps?
- Tell the lender early. A down-valuation on the day of the offer is a worse time to learn their rule.
- Collect the installer’s paperwork through the solicitor.
- Do not book removal until the lender and a roofer have both said it is required.
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 foam in a loft floor, between the joists, raise the same issue?
It is a different detail from foam stuck to the underside of the tiles. Say which one the surveyor saw. The lender’s question is usually about the roof covering and the rafters.
Will a second home survey change the lender’s rule?
No. The lender’s criteria are theirs. Another survey can describe the roof. It cannot make a lender value a roof they have decided not to.