Spray foam and equity release: why providers say no
Our contractors: 15,123 verified reviews across 8 platforms, rated 4.9 on GoogleEvery equity release lender contacted by the BBC in November 2024 said no to a home with spray foam in the roof. That does not mean no money is available to you. It means the usual route is closed, and you need one of the routes below instead.
The plain answer
Equity release lenders lend against your home, so they need a full survey of it, in the same way a mortgage lender does. Spray foam hides the roof timbers from that survey. Most equity release providers currently decline rather than work around it. A small number will consider a case with a construction related exception. An inspection tells you which position applies to you.
Why this happens
Equity release lets you borrow against the value of your home, usually without monthly repayments, and it is repaid when the home is eventually sold. Because there are no repayments along the way, the lender relies even more heavily than a normal mortgage lender does on the property itself holding its value and being in a condition their surveyor can confirm.
Spray foam sprayed over the rafters stops a surveyor seeing the timbers. Where a normal mortgage lender might accept a specialist report instead, equity release providers have, as a group, been far more cautious. BBC News surveyed the market in November 2024 and found that every equity release lender it asked said no outright to a property with spray foam in the roof.
Who this affects most
Spray foam went into a lot of roofs between 2015 and 2022. Many of those homes belong to older owners, the same people equity release is designed for. That is not a coincidence worth ignoring. If you had foam installed during that period and are now looking at equity release, you are in exactly the situation this page is written for.
It is worth saying plainly: this is not your fault, and it is not a sign anything is wrong with your home in the way it is sometimes made to sound. It is a paperwork problem. A surveyor cannot see what they need to see, so the lender says no. That is a solvable problem, even if the solution takes an extra step.
The named providers
What the survey found
As reported by BBC News, November 2024.
| Provider | Position as reported |
|---|---|
| Aviva | Among the providers surveyed. Declined to lend on a home with spray foam in the roof. |
| Just | Among the providers surveyed. Declined to lend on a home with spray foam in the roof. |
| Canada Life | Among the providers surveyed. Declined to lend on a home with spray foam in the roof. |
| Responsible Lending | Reported to allow a case by case exception under standard construction criteria, rather than a blanket refusal. |
| More2Life | Reported to allow a case by case exception under standard construction criteria, rather than a blanket refusal. |
Lender positions change and none publish their criteria in full. Last verified against the November 2024 BBC survey, September 2026. Confirm the current position with your equity release adviser before you apply anywhere.
What to do next
Five plain steps
Ask your adviser to check the specific lender's current position
Not the whole market. One lender at a time, in writing if you can get it, because positions do change.
Get the loft inspected before you apply anywhere
An inspection tells you what type of foam is there, its condition, and whether the timbers underneath are sound. It costs nothing and it comes before any application.
Ask about the report route
A small number of lenders will consider a specialist inspection report instead of requiring removal. This is worth ruling in or out before you spend anything further.
Consider removal if the numbers work for you
Removal costs a few thousand pounds for most homes and takes a few days. Weigh that against how much the equity release would release, and whether removal opens up more than one lender rather than just one.
Get everything in writing
Whatever a lender or adviser tells you on the phone, ask for it confirmed properly in writing before you act on it, and keep a copy safely.
No obligation, no deposit
Have someone look at it properly
An hour in the loft and you will know exactly where you stand, in writing, with photographs. If the foam is sound, that is what the report says and there is nothing to pay.
Book the free inspection
Two steps. No deposit, and nothing to pay if the foam is sound.
We cannot promise a lender will say yes
No one honestly can, including the lender's own staff before a real application is fully assessed. What we can do is inspect the loft, tell you plainly what is actually there, and if removal is needed, remove it properly and hand you the paperwork a lender's surveyor actually asks for. The lending decision stays with the lender, always, and anyone offering a firmer guarantee than that is telling you what you want to hear rather than what they genuinely know.
Common questions
Does spray foam rule out equity release completely?
Not completely, but it rules out most providers as things stand. The BBC's November 2024 survey found two providers reported to allow a case by case exception under their standard construction criteria, so it is worth checking rather than assuming every door is closed.
Would removing the foam definitely open up more lenders?
It removes the specific objection that the timbers cannot be inspected, which is the main barrier for most providers. It cannot guarantee approval, because the lending decision always rests with the lender assessing the full application, not just the roof.
Can I get an inspection without committing to anything?
Yes. The inspection is free and the report is yours either way, whether the answer is that the foam can stay or that it needs to come out.
Is this the same problem as a normal mortgage would have?
The underlying issue is the same, an inspection problem, but equity release providers have been reported as more cautious as a group than standard mortgage lenders. See where the lenders stand for the wider picture.
Who should I talk to first, a removal company or an equity release adviser?
Both, and in either order. An adviser can check the specific provider's current position, and an inspection tells you what is actually in your loft and what removal would involve. Neither answer changes because of which one you ask first.
Read next
Where the lenders stand
The wider lender picture, dated and sourced, beyond equity release alone.
Read thisSelling instead of releasing equity
If equity release stays closed to you, here are the other routes and what each one costs.
Read thisDo you actually need it removed?
Around two thirds of inspected lofts had no defect. Find out which kind yours is first.
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