08 January 2024 , 14:24
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A couple have warned of a spray foam insulation "scam" that left them £11,000 out of pocket and rendered their home unsellable.
Fiona and Andre Barton, both 60, were convinced by a cold caller to look into their home insulation amid the cost of living crisis. The pair agreed to a free loft survey from the company and were told by a surveyor that their home in Midlothian, Edinburgh, would benefit from spray foam insulation. They were then offered a limited-time discount if they signed up for the installation there and then, so the Bartons agreed to pay £4,926 to have the substance installed.
But when they tried to sell their property six months later, another surveyor arrived to write the home report and delivered the shocking news that homes with spray foam insulation were “unmortgageable”. The pair had to fork out an extra few thousand pounds to have the insulation removed in order to sell their property.
Fiona and Andre spent another £5,490 for the removal of the spray insulation, this time with a specialist company based in Liverpool. Their overall cost was made even higher due to the cost of the two skips needed to haul it away.
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The pair spent £11,000 from their savings all together (Fiona Barton / SWNS)Now, the Bartons are keen to help others dodge the scam by raising awareness. Which.co.uk says "in some cases, spray foam insulation may even render a property unmortgageable in the eyes of a lender".
Fiona told WalesOnline: “They sounded very professional and believable, otherwise we wouldn’t have gone ahead with it. The chap said he could come and have a look at our loft, because it may need to be upgraded with insulation. I thought our loft was fine because we’d had lots of insulation put in – but he came back down and he had pictures on his iPad showing us that the loft was damp. They arrived at just the right time, it was -5C outside, it was Christmas time, and they spun the story of our loft not being adequate.
“He’d taken some readings on a machine and said that it was looking pretty bad – but he had a solution with this spray foam insulation and would we like to hear further about it. We said yes, so a chap arrived that evening and gave us all this information about how marvellous it was and how it would definitely help to keep our house warm.
“He said it would reduce the cost of our fuel – and given the cost of living crisis, it seemed to be the right way to go. Spray foam insulation was something I'd never heard of before. I did a quick search for the company’s website and of course, the reviews were all five stars.
“He also said that if we decided to go ahead with it there and then, he would give us a reduction in the price. We decided that it sounded quite reasonable and we’d go ahead with it – and they quickly had it installed. When we had decided to sell our house, a surveyor came to do a survey for the home report. He started in the loft, so I opened up the hatch – and he said, 'oh, you’ve got spray foam insulation'."
According to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, spray foam is often applied incorrectly and can prevent ventilation. This stops surveyors from assessing roof conditions, resulting in lenders taking a zero-tolerance approach to properties with this kind of insulation.
“The surveyor told me we couldn’t put it to market at the moment, and asked if we had any information or contracts,” Fiona said. “I looked at my emails and found nothing – the only way I knew the company that had done it was because I’d paid by credit card, and I had the receipt.
Fiona Barton, 60 (Fiona Barton / SWNS)“That was when the alarm bells started going – I thought, 'Oh my god, we’ve been duped'. The surveyor said it was becoming an increasingly common problem for him – he was seeing it more frequently and they seemed to target older customers. It was very stressful. We’d put in the offer for the property we’re in now, so we only had a month legally to get our own property under offer.
“We found a company down in Liverpool who sold themselves as the UK’s specialist foam removal. They were charging an eye-watering amount – more than it had cost to install it, but we had no choice. We went with them and it took them two-and-a-half days. There was such a large amount that they had to remove from our loft. My world fell apart. We’d already bought our next house and we had to sell in order to move.”
The Barton’s insulation removal took two days – with the removal and installation costing a total of £10,956. Figures from Trading Standards Scotland show that as of mid-December 2023, 158 complaints had been received from consumers about insulation scams, a 42 per cent rise since 2021. TSS is urging people to check in with older relatives to ensure that they do not fall victim to similar scams.
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Councillor Maureen Chalmers, chair of Trading Standards Scotland’s Governance Board, said: “Dishonest traders and companies are attempting to exploit the cost of living crisis and are targeting those who want to make their homes more energy efficient, providing misleading information about products and implying that funding or grants are available for their products. We strongly advise homeowners to consult with a mortgage adviser who is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority before having spray foam insulation installed.
“Don’t engage with cold callers offering 'free' loft or roof surveys and never accept information offered from these sources without doing independent research, particularly if they tell you that there are grants or funding schemes available. Before agreeing to have any work done, have an impartial assessment carried out on your home to find out which energy efficiency measures will actually be beneficial to your property.
"Don’t agree to get an assessment done by a company who cold calls you – they will not be impartial. We would also ask people to look out for family members, friends and neighbours who may be vulnerable and to report any suspicious behaviour to Police Scotland.”