Concerns about spray foam defects raised with energy and net zero department

The PCA has written to Miatta Fahnbulleh, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), seeking urgent action.

The letter was also addressed to Rushanara Ali, parliamentary-under secretary in the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Sarah Garry, chief executive at the PCA, said: "Home owners find themselves unable to sell their property or to release equity.

"Many are faced with large remediation bills. In some cases, they are being targeted by unscrupulous spray foam removal firms. Many are elderly and vulnerable and the reality is that the situation is getting worse, not better.”

The PCA helped author the Sprayed Foam Protocol alongside mortgage lenders and equity release firms. Last year it launched a register of surveyors, aiming to give residents and lenders assurance that professionals are adequately trained.

The trade body’s latest survey, based on 500 property inspections, revealed 79% of properties had diverged from this protocol in at least one way.

This concern comes after the National Housing Federation (NHF) revealed in January it was in talks with the government after nearly 40 firms were suspended from installing home insulation under official schemes.

The NHF began discussions with DESNZ after ministers suspended 39 installers after they were alerted to substandard solid wall insulation fitted since 2022 under two government-backed schemes.

The PCA has since published a guide for consumers who have had spray foam installed in their property, setting out concerns and signposting to advice. It has also issued a warning to homeowners to avoid installing spray foam for the time being.

Paula Higgins, chief executive of the HOA, said: “The current position is unfair to homeowners who have taken reasonable steps, and in many cases were encouraged by government grants, to install the product.

"It is not known how many of the properties referred to in the survey had spray foam installed with support of government grants. We will support the PCA and Trustmark to identify these properties and continue to press government for recourse to be available to them.”

The organisations are calling on the government to set up a roundtable of specialist property experts, lenders and equity release companies, to decide whether spray foam should continue to be included within government grants and to agree a process to allow the sale of properties retrofitted with spray foam.

DESNZ has been contacted for a response.