Can You Claim on a Spray Foam Guarantee?

What the guarantee actually promises

A spray foam guarantee is a contract with a particular company, not a general protection. The first job is to read it closely. Look for the length of cover, what is named as covered (usually the foam product or the application), what is excluded, and the process for making a claim. Many documents promise to put right defects in workmanship or in the product, and then exclude anything that follows from the condition of the roof, from ventilation or from damp. That wording matters, because the most common complaint about spray foam is trapped moisture and timber damage, which is exactly where a guarantee is most likely to say no.

Check also whether there are conditions on you. Some guarantees lapse if you alter the roof, have anyone else work on it, or fail to keep the paperwork. Others require a claim in writing within a set period of finding the fault. A guarantee can look generous in the sales brochure and read very narrowly in the contract.

Is the company still there?

This is the practical stumbling block. Spray foam was sold hard in a short period, and many of the firms that sold it have closed, been dissolved or restarted under another name. A guarantee from a company that no longer exists is, in effect, worth nothing, because there is nobody to claim from. Look the company up on the public register at gov.uk, and see whether it is active, dissolved or in liquidation. If it traded under a name that has changed, the paperwork may show a company number you can search.

Where the company has gone, the guarantee may have been underwritten or backed by a third party, such as an insurer, a manufacturer or a trade scheme. If yours names one, contact it directly. If it does not name one, assume there is no backing. A written workmanship promise from a business that has dissolved cannot be enforced, though you may still have other routes. Our page on spray foam mis-selling looks at what remedies exist where the sale itself was misleading.

Building the evidence first

Before you claim, document the problem. Photograph the loft, the foam and any stains, mould or damp, with dates. Keep the quote, invoice, specification, data sheets and any certificate. Note when you first saw the fault and what you did about it. If a surveyor has inspected the roof or a lender has raised concerns, keep their report. A claim with photographs and a written report from an independent roofer or surveyor is far harder to wave away than a phone complaint.

An independent opinion matters particularly where the issue is hidden behind the foam. We can survey a foamed roof for free, photograph the tiles, the foam, the exposed timber ends and the loft conditions, and write up what we find, and that report can go with your claim. We will not pretend that every problem is the foam's fault, and if the roof covering is the cause we say so. For the paper trail you should have, see what paperwork to have for spray foam.

It helps to be realistic about timing. Fungal decay develops slowly, so a fault may appear years after the foam went in, sometimes after a guarantee term has run out. Do not wait for the outcome of a dispute before checking the roof. A claim that is refused on a technicality is a poor reason to leave rafters damp, and a documented survey made now also shows when you first knew of the problem, which can matter to any later argument over time limits.

It is also worth asking whether the guarantee covers consequential damage, meaning harm to the structure that follows from a defective application. Many do not. Wording that says only that the installer will make good the foam, with no mention of the timber or the ceilings below, tells you what is realistically on offer.

If the claim fails

When the installer refuses, has gone or says the fault is outside the terms, you still have options, and none of them is a quick fix. You can write a formal complaint, use a dispute scheme if the firm belonged to one, and take advice from Citizens Advice about consumer rights, including claims against a trader who did the work without reasonable care and skill. The Citizens Advice website explains this in plain language. For the costs of removal, the typical range is reported as £40 to £80 per square metre, and a three-bedroom loft is often quoted at £2,000 to £4,500, so know your figure before deciding how hard to push.

Meanwhile, deal with any active damage, because a claim does not pause the rot. If water is getting in, make that safe first. We can advise on how removal works on our spray foam removal page, and the wider service is on our spray foam page. Your fixed quote follows the survey.