The short answer
Start by getting the surveyor's exact wording and asking what they want: a specialist roof inspection, timber moisture readings, paperwork from the seller or removal. Tell your solicitor and mortgage lender early, because some lenders decline foam and others decide case by case. Do not commit to removal until you know what evidence the lender will accept.
Read what the surveyor actually wrote
Survey notes vary. Some only record that foam is present and recommend further advice. Others say the condition of the roof timbers could not be judged and that the foam hides the underside of the covering. Those are very different findings, and the next step depends on which one you have.
Ask the surveyor three plain things, by phone or email, and keep it civil: they are recording what they saw, not making a judgement on you or the seller. What did they see, and from where, whether from the loft hatch or from a ladder? What risk are they recording, such as hidden timber decay or a lender issue? And what would they accept as an answer: a specialist report, moisture readings, an installation certificate or removal?
Write the replies down, with dates and names, as you go. A vague report followed by an email that names an acceptable outcome is far easier to work with than an assumption. Our guide to what a spray foam assessment report covers shows what a specialist document normally contains, so you can ask for the right thing.
Tell your solicitor and lender before spending money
A flagged survey reaches the lender through the valuation or the mortgage adviser, so waiting to be asked only loses time. The RICS consumer guide on spray foam asks owners to confirm with the mortgage provider and the insurer that their policies allow foam. Buyers are in the same position even if they did not install it.
The lender position is mixed. A BBC investigation reported in November 2024 found that some lenders declined foam altogether and others weighed each application individually. That is a dated report, not a current list, so ask your own lender what it needs for this property.
Your solicitor can ask the seller whether any certificate, guarantee or installer details exist. Our page on spray foam installation certificates explains which of these documents help and which do not.
What a specialist roof inspection adds
The usual next step is a closer look than a general survey can give. An inspection of a foamed roof from the loft and the outside records where the foam is, whether it covers the full slope or just patches, and what type it is. Where agreed, a small section is opened so the timber behind it can be checked with a moisture meter and by eye.
MyBuilder's 2026 spray foam removal guide puts an assessment at £100 to £200, and its roof inspection guide puts a survey in the range of £150 to £500, depending on the method. We record the findings in photographs of your roof, then price any follow-on work in a written quote. That separates the cost of knowing from the cost of acting, which matters when a sale is still uncertain.
An inspection does not decide for the lender, and nobody should promise you otherwise before the lender has spoken. It gives the surveyor and the lender facts to work from, and sometimes that is enough to allow a sale to go ahead without removal.
Removal, partial removal or something else
Removal is one outcome, not the default. RICS does not say foam must always come out, and the answer depends on how the foam was installed, what it sits on and what the lender will accept. Some situations point to removal: foam over timbers that are already damp, foam on a roof that is due for a new covering, or a lender that refuses to proceed with it in place.
Others point to a lighter response. A foamed section with dry timbers and the right ventilation route may be accepted by some lenders. Our answer on whether ventilation can be added instead of removal sets out where that route helps and where it falls short.
Whichever way you go, and before a single tile is lifted, ask for the decision in writing from the party that raised the issue. A buyer who removes foam on a guess can find the lender still has questions about the finish, the timber record or the new insulation.
Keep every email in one folder, including the surveyor's replies and any lender message. If a sale falls through and restarts with a new buyer, that record saves the next survey from repeating the same questions and the same delay.
Timing, the sale and what we can do from Stroud
A purchase has a clock on it, so sequence matters. Get the surveyor's wording first, the lender's requirement second and the specialist inspection third. Only then decide between removal and other responses. Spending on removal before the second step can mean paying for work that the lender does not consider enough.
If you are the seller, the same order applies and you may prefer to act before a buyer's survey. The guide on spray foam insulation removal in Stroud covers the full service, from inspection to making good.
Send us the survey page that mentions foam, the address and a few photographs from the loft. We will tell you what an inspection would look at, what it would cost as a typical range, and what the written quote would cover. Where the work needs a Building Regulations notification we handle that, and the waste leaves with us.