Your consumer rights with spray foam insulation (plain English)

It says the installer must carry out the service with reasonable care and skill^[1]. This term has applied to service contracts since the Act came into force on 1 October 2015^[1].

Some guidance says an installation service must be "fit for purpose" and of "satisfactory quality". In the Act, those two are terms about goods; the term for the service itself is reasonable care and skill^[1]. In one spray foam decision the ombudsman looked at both reasonable care and skill and satisfactory quality, and found no breach shown on the evidence available after the foam had been removed^[9].

If a service does not meet the standard, section 54 points to two remedies: having the work done again (repeat performance) or a reduction in the price^[1]. Damages or ending the contract can still be available as well^[1].

Trading Standards' guide for installers (November 2025) expects a product approval from a body such as the BBA or Kiwa, design to BS 5250:2021 and photographs before, during and after the work^[10]. What the product approvals require in detail is set out in how spray foam should be installed, and the legal terms are in the spray foam glossary.

If you agreed it in your home, usually yes, within 14 days: contracts made away from the trader's premises carry a 14-day right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013^[2]. Trading Standards' guidance for spray foam installers notes the same 14-day period^[11].

If the trader did not give you the cancellation information, the cancellation period can extend by up to 12 months^[4]. Check your paperwork for a cancellation notice and the date you signed.

A common claim is that any order made online, by phone or in person can be cancelled within 14 days. The statutory right covers distance and off-premises contracts, not contracts made at the trader's premises^[2].

The point is not entirely settled for spray foam. In one decision the ombudsman remarked, without giving a reason, that the cancellation rules excluded the kind of goods bought, while Trading Standards' guidance for spray foam installers simply notes the 14-day period^[9][11].

The trader must not start within the cancellation period unless you expressly asked it to, and for a contract made at home that request must be made on a durable medium, a record you can keep^[3]. Citizens Advice has reported cold callers getting people to waive the cooling-off period^[12].

If you made that request and then cancel, regulation 36 says you pay a proportionate amount for what was done^[3]. It also says you pay nothing for that period if the trader did not give you the cancellation information, or if no express request was made^[3].

If someone is pressing you to agree to installation or removal on the spot, see how to check a spray foam caller. If you are still deciding whether to have foam installed, the step-by-step guide for people thinking of installing covers the questions to ask first.

Since 6 April 2025, misleading actions, misleading omissions, aggressive practices and failures of professional diligence are banned under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA)^[13][5]. The Act also lists 32 practices that are unfair in all circumstances, including displaying a trust mark without authorisation and falsely claiming approval or endorsement^[13].

The Act allows for consumers made vulnerable by age, health, credulity or circumstances, where a trader could reasonably foresee it^[13]. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute's position is that almost all consumers could count as vulnerable when buying spray foam^[11].

For sales before 6 April 2025, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 applied; in 2022 the government said they already banned misleading actions and omissions, including "leaving out or hiding important information"^[14].

Mis-selling tactics reported by Citizens Advice include cold calls, door-to-door selling, false claims that the product is government-approved, targeting vulnerable people and high-pressure sales without explaining risks^[15]. Warwickshire Trading Standards has reported residents being falsely told a government grant would cover the cost^[16].

Who enforces it. Local weights and measures authorities can apply to the courts for enforcement orders, and the CMA can now decide some cases itself, impose penalties and direct compensation^[13][17].

What it means for you directly (as at October 2026). The Act's new rights for consumers to seek redress themselves (sections 232, 234 and 235) were still not in force^[5]. Until regulations under section 233 take effect, the redress rights in the 2008 Regulations continue^[13].

It depends on the facts and the date of the sale; the ombudsman has said each case turns on its own merits^[18]. Trading Standards' guidance for installers (2025) tells them to advise homeowners to check with their mortgage provider before going ahead, and to get written approval^[11]. That is presented as guidance, not as a stated legal duty^[11].

For sales between 2018 and 2021, ombudsman decisions found no evidence that installers could have known lenders would object, so silence about mortgages was neither a misrepresentation nor a breach in those cases^[19]. What lenders publish now is on spray foam and mortgages, and how these decisions were reasoned is on Section 75 and the Financial Ombudsman.

Contract claims have a six-year limit under section 5 of the Limitation Act 1980, and the ombudsman applied it strictly in two spray foam Section 75 decisions^[6][7]. In one, the foam was installed in February 2016 and the claim made in 2023; in the other, installed about March 2019 with a claim in August 2025^[6][7].

If you are anywhere near six years from the sale, get advice quickly. If you paid with credit, the Section 75 route and its time limits are explained in Section 75 and the Financial Ombudsman.

Start with the free Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (as listed in October 2026)^[8]. The Welsh-language line is 0808 223 1144, and Relay UK users can call 18001 0808 223 1133^[8]. Advisers can pass your complaint to Trading Standards, which you cannot do yourself^[8].

Citizens Advice complaints about spray foam more than doubled in 2024 compared with 2023^[15]. Most spray foam loft insulation was installed outside government schemes, where your protection depends on the contract^[20][21].

• The installer. The Commons Library's suggested route starts with the installer or its oversight or membership body^[22].
• TrustMark, for government-scheme work; it cannot help once the business has ceased trading^[22][23]. See spray foam installer gone bust.
• Your lender, if you paid by credit card or finance: Section 75 can make the lender responsible alongside the supplier for misrepresentation or breach of contract, within the Act's price limits^[24]. The Commons Library route does not mention this^[22].
• Further advice. After that, the Commons Library points people to Which?, Citizens Advice or a legal adviser^[22].

Scotland note. The Advice Direct Scotland consumer helpline is 0808 164 6000, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, with online reporting at consumeradvice.scot, as listed by Trading Standards Scotland (checked October 2026)^[25]. The Scottish Parliament's information centre also points consumers to Advice Direct Scotland^[26].

Wales note. Use the Welsh-language Citizens Advice line above if you prefer. The Commons Library says no official Welsh information or guidance on spray foam was available as of the briefing's July 2026 update^[22].