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Does Polyurethane spray foam insulation seal the loft space and stop air leakage?

YES - Spray foam insulation is a popular choice for homeowners due to its effectiveness in sealing gaps and providing superior insulation. It is typically applied as a liquid that expands into a foam, filling all gaps and voids to create an airtight seal. 

WARNING:

This stops your loft space from breathing, if your loft space was cold, not converted into a living space within the home, used to store boxes, suitcases etcetera, then your loft space was known as a "Cold roof". 

Under UK law the current building regulations state that your loft should be ventilated to allow the evaporation of any moisture that forms in the loft, by having polyurethane spray foam installed in between the rafters you are stopping any airflow and could be causing yourself issues with interstitial condensation and your installer has changed the use of the roof from a "Cold Roof" to a "Warm Roof" and building control regulations would have been needed.

I have heard that having spray foam insulation can cause mortgage issues, is this correct?

Yes - Throughout the polyurethane spray foam industry and specifically with the manufacturer's, distributors, installers and the sales companies who sell these products, there is one common misconception being disseminated through to homeowners and that is that using spray foam insulation does not cause or lead to mortgage issues. Some of these believe that because spray foam is not a traditional insulation material, lenders may be hesitant to approve mortgages for homes with spray foam insulation and they claim the government and the manufacturer's are working hard on getting spray foam approved.

The reason the mortgage companies do not lend against properties with polyurethane spray foam installed in the loft space is simply a case of not being able to certify that the structure of the property is sound and free from wood rot, damp or timber issues. What they cannot see, they cannot confidently report on.

The Property Care Association (PCA) provides resources and guidance on spray foam insulation, particularly for domestic roofs. They have developed an inspection protocol to help surveyors assess the condition of roofs with spray foam and make informed decisions about potential risks. The PCA also works with lenders and homeowners to address concerns about spray foam and its impact on property value and mortgages, does this mean mortgages are available with spray foam installed?  

This is a very good question and one that is being closely followed by the polyurethane spray foam industry, the mortgage and equity release markets, surveyors and consumers in general.

In short the answer you would hope would be yes, but it isn't and the reason is very simple, there is such a poor amount of professionally backed information regarding spray foam. It has been suggested by organisations in the past that round tables that included the manufacturer's, distributors, sales companies and the PCA were attempting to develop a protocol that would be acceptable to the mortgage and equity release funders, but as of yet, those funders, who at the end of the day take the financial risks have not been happy with the results of the protocol. The PCA say there are almost 250,000 homes affected by spray foam insulation and simply doing the math, you can understand why the mortgage and equity release sectors are jittery.

One of the benefits of spray foam is the energy savings and the energy efficiency, why don't mortgage funders like this?

One of the benefits of spray foam is the energy savings offered but at what cost?

By creating a tight seal, spray foam insulation helps prevent heat loss during the winter, there is no scientific proof that it keeps homes cooler in the summer. Some would argue that the energy efficiency can actually be viewed positively by lenders, as it demonstrates the homeowner's commitment to reducing energy consumption and lowering utility costs.

Unfortunately, this doesn't have any affect on the mortgage provider to offer a mortgage to a homeowner or a new purchaser. The funders are only interested in the risk of their money. If the timbers cannot be properly viewed or assessed as being structurally sound and free from damp, wood rot, timber decay or containing moisture, if the loft space doesn't conform to current UK building regulations and it isn't sufficiently ventilated to allow trapped moisture to evaporate and the roof to breathe, then the lenders err on the side of caution and decline the mortgage.

Why is polyurethane spray foam accepted in Canada and North America, but not in the UK?

Polyurethane spray foam is accepted in Canada and North America, but not in the UK because we have totally different standards. We personally think our standards protect our homeowners better than in other countries. 

First of all we have rules and regulations that are in place to protect our properties, we have building control and building regulations, and in certain cases, these regulations have been breached by insulation companies.

Our housing stock here in the UK is also very different from those overseas, we have solid wall properties that date back to the seventeen hundreds and earlier. Some of these are stone built with ventilation, which protects the properties from damp and other issues. We have Grade I and Grade II listed buildings and these are protected, yet the unscrupulous sales companies and installers have put spray foam in many of these properties.