Property problems
The weird and not-so-wonderful problems that come with owning a home.
Property fixes and removals
Not a leaking tap. Spray foam, cavity walls, surveys, cladding, knotweed, septic tanks. The awkward stuff, where you should understand the problem before you pay someone to sort it.
What needs fixing or assessing?
Spray foam insulation
Spray foam and your mortgage
The full guide: what lenders require, whether removal is needed, and the cost.
Understand thisWill spray foam affect my mortgage? Checker
Answer three questions to see your likely lender position and the next step.
Understand thisSpray foam removal
Why it blocks mortgages, what removal involves and finding a safe specialist.
Understand thisSpray foam removal cost
What drives the price, open vs closed cell and how to read a quote.
Understand thisOpen-cell vs closed-cell spray foam
The difference and why lenders are more cautious about closed-cell on a roof.
Understand thisThe spray foam removal process
What actually happens step by step, and the report a lender needs.
Understand thisDamp and timber
Woodworm and dry rot treatment guarantee
What an insurance-backed guarantee actually covers, and how to check one.
Understand thisStructural and compliance
Cavity wall insulation removal
When extraction is needed, the cost and the CIGA guarantee claim route.
Understand thisSeptic tank replacement
The binding rules, replacement cost and a local drainage installer.
Understand thisKnotweed survey for a mortgage
The survey, management plan and guarantee a lender needs, via a PCA specialist.
Understand thisSend an enquiry
Already know what it is? Tell us the job and your postcode and we read it and reply by email.
Send an enquiryFrequently asked questions
Can spray foam insulation stop me selling my house?
It can. A number of lenders decline or restrict mortgages on homes with spray foam insulation, which can hold up a sale. What happens next depends on the foam type, where it is, and whether you already hold a professional inspection report.
Does VettedHome vet the specialists you find through it?
No. If you enquire, we read it and reply by email; we do not currently pass it to a trade, and it commits you to nothing. We do not vet or recommend specialists. Check accreditation yourself on the relevant official register before any work starts.
Editor, VettedHome
Adam leads VettedHome's editorial coverage of UK home services. He is the founder and managing director of Muswell Rose, the commercial strategy and modern systems business behind a portfolio of UK information sites, and he researches and writes the plain-English guides that help homeowners choose between installers and trades, drawing on the standards set by the relevant bodies for each job, such as Gas Safe Register, NICEIC, MCS, TrustMark and the Property Care Association. He is clear about what to check before any work starts.
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