Industry leaders from the Residential Property Surveyors Association (PCA) and the Property Care Association (PCA) are calling for urgent regulation of the spray foam insulation industry as lenders tighten restrictions leaving as many as 250,000 homes unmortgageable.

Sprayed polyurethane (PU) expanding foams are used in the lofts of houses, either to stabilise a failing roof covering, or to provide extra insulation. But a tightening of lending criteria has left thousands of homeowners unable to sell their properties as buyers get refused loans where spray foam is present in the loft.

RPSA chairman, Alan Milstein says: “This has become a significant problem recently. Many of the installations we see are poorly executed.

Currently there is no regulation of installers and almost any cowboy salesman can get hold of the chemicals and the equipment to spray foam into the homes of unsuspecting ‘at risk’ owners. This has to stop and proper regulation is urgently needed.”

Steve Hodgson (pictured), chief executive of PCA, adds: “In the coming years we have a huge task to retrofit energy efficiency measures into more than 25 million homes. We need to be sure that any installations are carried out properly and professionally. The improper use of spray foam insulation can have devastating consequences.

Both organisations have called for mandatory training and qualification of installers, effective audit and review procedures, and a strict non-supply policy by manufacturers to any installer who is not properly accredited.

While cash sales and sales at auction are possible in these situations would-be buyers and investors are likely to be put off by the lack of future saleability.

SOLUTIONS

A spokeswoman for Propertymark says: “We certainly don’t want to see the EWS1 cladding situation where owners get stuck in properties. From a general market perspective we would be cautious of anything that would stagnate the market and would be happy to support customer solutions.”

A spokesperson for The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says: “RICS supports the principle of regulation of this industry and is engaging with industry to agree a collaborative approach and resolution. We’d also encourage anyone looking to modify their property to conduct thorough due diligence – i.e. is this right for the property – and never to accept “cold-call” or unsolicited offers to install new sprayed foam insulation or to remove existing installations. This is particularly important for at risk groups, such as the elderly, who have been disproportionately targeted.”

Read more about BASPI and spray foam.