Key Takeaways
- As of June 2026, lender policy on spray foam has generally tightened, not loosened.
- Government pressure on lenders to accept grant-installed homes has so far had limited impact on written lending criteria.
- The PCA Spray Foam Inspection Protocol (2023) is increasingly considered by some lenders in low-risk cases — but acceptance is not universal.
- Most mainstream lenders continue to require removal plus RICS certification for new mortgage applications.
- Act on the current landscape — not on anticipated future flexibility that has not yet materialised.
Where Lenders Stand in 2026
The spray-foam mortgage problem emerged publicly around 2022–2023, as homeowners with Green Homes Grant or ECO-installed foam began encountering mortgage refusals in significant numbers. The Homeowners Alliance (HOA) and BBC coverage brought the issue into mainstream awareness. Research at the time found approximately 75% of providers restricting or refusing lending.
Since then, the landscape has not materially improved. If anything, a greater number of lenders have formalised their restrictive policies — moving from informal case-by-case reluctance to explicit criteria. Surveying bodies, including RICS, have issued clearer guidance confirming when surveyors cannot adequately assess foam-affected properties. This clarity has, paradoxically, made it easier for lenders to justify and apply restrictions.
The minority of lenders who were willing to consider case-by-case applications in 2022–2023 have, in some cases, tightened their approach following adverse experience with foam-affected properties. Others have maintained limited flexibility, typically where a PCA-protocol inspection shows demonstrably low risk.
Government Pressure to Lend on Grant-Installed Homes
One of the more significant developments since 2023 has been explicit government interest in the problem. The UK government — aware that hundreds of thousands of homeowners received spray foam under schemes it funded or encouraged — has pressed mortgage lenders to take a more flexible approach to grant-installed foam.
The argument is straightforward: homeowners acted in good faith following government-encouraged incentives. They should not now be rendered unable to sell, remortgage, or release equity from their homes.
However, as of June 2026, this government pressure has not translated into a coordinated, binding change in lender policy. Some lenders have noted it; some have committed to reviewing their approaches; none have announced a blanket policy change that makes grant-installed foam universally acceptable. The government’s position is that it will press lenders — but it has been explicit that it will not fund removal.
Whether this changes — through legislative pressure, a formal industry agreement, or individual lender announcements — remains to be seen. It would be unwise to delay necessary action in the expectation that it will.
The PCA Inspection Protocol’s Growing Role
The most substantive improvement in the landscape since 2023 has been the establishment and growing use of the PCA Spray Foam Inspection Protocol. Developed by the Property Care Association in 2023, this gives lenders — for the first time — a standardised, independent, professionally-produced document to assess spray-foam-affected properties.
Some lenders have adapted their criteria to consider PCA-protocol reports in low-risk cases: where the inspection shows correctly installed foam, sound timber, adequate ventilation, and no moisture damage, a minority of lenders are willing to proceed without requiring full removal. This is a meaningful improvement from the binary “decline all” approach of earlier years.
But acceptance is not universal. Many mainstream lenders continue to require removal and RICS certification regardless of inspection outcome. And even among those lenders willing to consider PCA reports, the threshold for “low risk” is not always clearly communicated — making specialist mortgage broker guidance essential.
Why Most Lenders Still Decline
Three factors keep the majority of mainstream lenders in a restrictive position:
Long-term risk appetite. Mortgage lenders carry risk on a property for 25 years or more. Even a low current risk from spray foam may, in their assessment, evolve into structural problems over a long mortgage term. Conservative risk models favour certainty — which removal provides, but foam in situ does not.
Surveying standards. RICS guidance makes clear that where foam prevents adequate timber inspection, surveyors must report that limitation. Until that guidance changes — which is a RICS-level decision, not a government one — most lender underwriting criteria will continue to treat the surveyor’s flag as a disqualifying condition.
Industry experience. Cases where foam was removed and significant hidden timber damage was discovered have reinforced lender caution. The concern is not purely theoretical — it is grounded in documented experience across the industry.
What This Means for Homeowners Now
The practical implication of the 2026 landscape is clear: if you need to sell, remortgage, or access equity from a foam-affected property, you should not wait for a policy shift that may not arrive in your timeframe.
The appropriate steps are:
1. Independent PCA-protocol inspection — to establish the objective state of your roof and produce the documentation lenders increasingly expect.
2. Specialist mortgage broker — to identify which lenders are currently most flexible and whether your inspection result is sufficient for any of them.
3. Professional removal plus RICS certificate — if your lender requires it, or if you want the certainty of full mainstream mortgageability.
The 2026 outlook is cautious improvement, not resolution. Act on the current reality.
The Bottom Line
The 2026 outlook contains cautious green shoots — PCA inspection reports gaining traction, government pressure creating awareness — but the dominant picture is one of continued lender restriction. Act on today’s landscape: inspect, broker, and remove-plus-certify if required.
Book an independent spray foam inspection or request a removal quote to take control of your situation.
This is general information, not financial advice — please consult a qualified mortgage broker about your circumstances.
Related reading: Why do mortgage lenders reject spray foam? · The PCA Spray Foam Inspection Protocol explained · Spray foam & the Green Homes Grant