A grandmother has been left "trapped" in her own home after handing over more than £13,000 to rogue builders to remove spray foam insulation, only to be left with a leaking roof, a £20,000 repair bill, and no certification – leaving her unable to sell up.
The Ordeal of Patricia Salt
Patricia Salt, 76, from Brentford, West London, explained that she and her late husband, John, had spray foam insulation fitted to their 1980s end-of-terrace three-bedroom house back in 2006, in a bid to make their home more energy efficient.
The insulation worked perfectly well, but nearly two decades on, following her husband's passing, Patricia revealed she was cold-called by a company claiming the insulation could cause serious structural damage. She subsequently paid £7,770 for its removal, funding it through a bank loan.
However, she soon discovered that the majority of the spray foam had not actually been taken out. After forking out a further £5,760 to have it properly removed, she has been left without the necessary certification to prove the work was carried out.
Patricia, who shares her home with her 16-year-old grandson Liam, is now unable to release equity or put her property on the market without proof that the spray foam has been removed, reports MyLondon.
Further Misfortune
The retired office administrator and translator has also suffered further misfortune, with her roof now leaking and a quote of £20,000 for a full replacement.
Patricia, a mother of two and grandmother of four, told PA Real Life: "I used to have black hair before this, now I'm grey. I feel trapped in my own home, I'm just completely stuck. All I keep thinking is, when I was working, if I was as unprofessional as all these builders, I would have been sacked over and over again."
Background of the Insulation
Back in July 2006, Patricia explained that she and her husband, John, had spray foam insulation fitted in their loft for £4,050 after spotting the material showcased on television. Spray foam is a chemical substance created from two components which, when mixed together, expand to 30-60 times their liquid volume, sealing gaps and difficult-to-access areas.
She described the insulation as initially "perfect" – throughout winter, their property would be the only one in the street where snow stayed on the roof, indicating minimal heat was leaking out.
In 2023, John died aged 79, roughly a week after experiencing a stroke – and the year after, Patricia had a hip replacement, which she found "very stressful".
The Cold Call and Initial Work
Patricia explained that in June 2025, she received an unsolicited phone call from a housing firm, which she prefers not to identify, alleging to be government-backed. She said the caller informed her they knew she had spray foam insulation and recommended it should be examined, as it might present a danger to the roof.
Patricia said a surveyor, suggested by the caller, came to her property and concluded that the insulation was "rock solid" and had stopped adequate ventilation of the rafters, generating a danger of rot and possible roof collapse. This frequently happens when closed cell spray foam - which hardens into a solid mass and has historically been used to hold together old, deteriorating roofs - has been applied rather than open cell spray foam insulation.
She revealed that builders, recommended by the surveyor whom she prefers not to identify, subsequently quoted £7,770 to strip out the spray foam insulation and replace it with foil quilt insulation. She chose to proceed and took out a bank loan to fund the cost.
She said: "They were very quiet, they hardly said a word. They went up to the loft, made a lot of noise, and quickly said it was done. They put a foil-covered quilt on the roof, so I couldn't see the internal work they'd done. As far as we knew, they had done a good job and removed all of the spray foam. Because of my hip I couldn't get up the ladder and look for myself."
Suspected Scam and Further Calls
Patricia admitted she is uncertain whether the original cold caller was genuine or potentially connected to the surveyor and builders as part of a broader scam. In January 2026, she claimed she received a further call from a different supposed government agency, asserting they had been informed that spray foam insulation remained in her property.
She said: "They had no record of a certificate being issued to confirm the work had been carried out, so they sent another surveyor. They found that almost all of the foam was still there, apart from a tiny portion that had been dug out alongside the rafters. I was very, very cross." Patricia revealed her family were also "very angry", and that when she attempted to reach the builders, she found they had altered their company name on multiple occasions. Patricia claims they failed to respond to any of her calls.
She enlisted another roofing firm a few weeks afterwards, who successfully extracted the remaining spray foam insulation for £5,760, but she is still awaiting receipt of a certificate confirming the work.
Patricia said she has since approached a roof specialist in a bid to secure certification, but after being informed he was "looking into it" via text message, she has heard nothing more. She said that during the successful removal work, the new builders spotted several cracked roof tiles, which has subsequently caused leaks.
Fortunately the damage has been confined to the attic and has not impacted the main living spaces of the property, apart from one small section of Liam's bedroom. She said the builders advised a complete roof replacement at a cost of £20,000.
She said: "I loved the house – we moved in 1999, we loved the area, but the headache of all these things that have been going wrong have blighted my view of the house considerably."
Unable to Sell or Release Equity
Patricia said she investigated releasing equity from her property to cover the repairs, but has been unable to do so because she does not possess a certificate to demonstrate the spray foam insulation has been removed. She explained she has now launched a fundraiser in an attempt to gather the funds required for a new roof. Patricia said she contemplated relocating, but when she contacted estate agents to start the process, she found she couldn't move forward due to the absent spray foam certificate.
Beyond this, Patricia was informed she couldn't sell because of her late husband having a tenancy in common arrangement in his will. As tenants in common you can own different shares of the property, your share of the property does not automatically go to the other owners if you die, and you can pass on your share of the property in your will.
She stated: "We both had the same arrangement in our wills. It was intended to protect our children, in case the widowed partner remarried, so that everything would not pass to a new spouse's children."
She explained she is presently obtaining legal counsel to address the tenancy matter, but even if she manages to sell, she will still need a certificate concerning the insulation work. She stated: "I'm tearing my hair out over it, I just feel so stuck."
