Last Monday BBC News featured an article with the alarming headline “Lenders reject homes with spray foam insulation”. Old news for those of us working in the property industry, but could this signal the start of the mainstream media highlighting the plight of those affected? The article then stated that as many as a quarter of a million homes could be affected, most having been incentivised to have the work carried out with government advice and grants under the Green Homes Grant scheme. But as several lenders now either refuse to lend, or will only consider applications on a case by case basis, many home owners feel betrayed and abandoned as they face the reality of remortgaging or trying to sell a hard to mortgage property.

Last week we quoted Tom Bill, head of UK residential research at Knight Frank, when speaking of the Renters Rights Bill. He remarked that “Interventions in the housing market have a well-established track record of unintended consequences” and that certainly applies to spray foam.

Over the last two or three years we have sold several houses with spray foam insulation and as with any property with an issue, or requiring work, auction buyers in general are less phased or less likely to be deterred by irregularities.