Is the free loft insulation survey a scam?
A free loft survey is not a scam when you asked for it. It is a warning sign when it arrives as a call or a knock you did not ask for, with a problem already diagnosed or a "government scheme" attached. Trading standards say those calls are a way to get a salesman into your home.
Is a free loft insulation survey ever genuine?
Yes. Any firm has to look at a loft before it can price the work, and most do not charge for the visit. What matters is who started the conversation.
The warnings are about the other kind. Surrey's trading standards service puts it this way:
"Scammers may offer a free loft survey, but this is often a tactic to identify potential victims and pressure them into unnecessary work."
Surrey County Council Trading Standards, loft insulation advice.
You do not need a stranger to tell you what your loft has. In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, 29,189 houses and bungalows carry the line "Increase loft insulation to 270 mm" on their most recent energy certificate, written by an independent assessor. Our loft checker shows what yours says, free.
Sources: Surrey County Council Trading Standards, loft insulation; our own count from government energy certificate data, explained on how we work out our figures. All read 10 October 2026.What do the scam calls and doorstep visits say?
The stories change. The offer of a free look in your loft does not.
A caller says the old glass fibre is "now below quality", or causes damp, and offers a free survey to check. Asthma + Lung UK, whose name some callers have used, says it has never suggested any insulation material is unsafe.
In one call reported in Cambridgeshire, a man said he was an "insulation clerk" from the county council. Cambridgeshire County Council says to ask for ID from anybody claiming to be from a local authority.
The caller says a government grant will pay to replace what you have. Under the real grant, you apply first and your council contacts you.
Once inside, the "surveyor" reports damp, mould or pests in the roof and recommends spray foam. In the case below, an expert witness found the reported problems were exaggerated or made up.
Bromley's trading standards service says the official advice for any call like this that you did not ask for is to hang up.
Sources: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Against Scams Partnership warning, published by Brampton Parish Council, 3 November 2022; Asthma + Lung UK, scam warning; Cambridgeshire County Council, scams; Suffolk County Council; Bromley Trading Standards. All read 10 October 2026.Can loft insulation really cause condensation or damp?
Condensation in a loft is real. Replacing sound mineral wool with spray foam is not what the published guidance says to do about it.
The story works because part of it is true. An insulated loft is a cold loft, and warm damp air from the house can turn to water when it gets up there. NHBC, which provides warranties on new homes, says most cases of condensation in roof spaces are temporary. It says the usual and most practical way to remove water vapour from a roof space is to ventilate it.
Nothing in that guidance says mineral wool causes condensation, or that it should come out. We found no recall of loft insulation anywhere. What causes condensation in a loft.
Source: NHBC, condensation in your roof space. Read 10 October 2026.Want your loft looked at by someone you chose?
The survey is free and you get a written price before any work starts.
How do I tell a real grant offer from a fake one?
With the real grant, you make the first move. You apply, and then your council gets in touch with you.
The government's Warm Homes: Local Grant is applied for on GOV.UK. It says that if you are eligible and your council has funding available, the council will arrange a home survey, and will usually contact you within 10 working days. The council then organises and pays for the work it has agreed with you.
So a call out of the blue that says you already qualify is not how the scheme works. If you have applied and are not sure a caller is genuine, ring your council on a number you looked up yourself. We do not do grant funded work, so you will not hear about a grant from us. Who qualifies for a grant in Cambridgeshire.
Source: GOV.UK, apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant. Read 10 October 2026.Has this happened in Cambridgeshire?
Yes. A firm was sentenced in December 2025 after offering free loft inspections to elderly homeowners in Cambridgeshire and three other counties.
Suffolk County Council reports that Riva Surveyors Ltd was ordered to pay £48,891 in fines and compensation at Ipswich Crown Court on 9 December 2025, and that a senior salesman received a suspended prison sentence. Between July 2019 and February 2020 the company cold called or visited elderly homeowners across Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. Once inside, its "surveyors" falsely reported serious roof defects and urged people to buy spray foam.
Of 20 people affected, six went ahead. Two later had to pay to have the foam removed so they could remortgage or sell.
The "insulation clerk" call above was reported to the county's scams partnership in 2022. The house he said had a 1985 insulation grant was built in 1992. In 2020, people in Fenland were visited by traders claiming to be council officers offering loft insulation. Fenland District Council said it was not carrying out such work and did not endorse any company offering it.
Sources: Suffolk County Council, 9 December 2025 sentencing; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Against Scams Partnership warning, published by Brampton Parish Council, 3 November 2022; Fenland warning, published by Cheveley Parish Council, November 2020. All read 10 October 2026.I let them in or signed something. What can I do?
You usually have 14 days to cancel a contract you agreed at home, and longer if you were never told about that right.
- 14 days to cancel. For a service agreed in your home, the law gives you 14 days after the day the contract was made. Citizens Advice says this applies whether the contract was written or spoken.
- Longer if you were not told. The business has to tell you how to cancel. If it never did, the period can run for up to 12 months more.
- The catch is starting early. Citizens Advice says that if you asked for the work to start inside the 14 days, and you were given the cancellation details, you will have to pay part of the price. If work began without your approval, you can cancel and get a full refund.
- If you were misled or pressured. Citizens Advice says you may be entitled to a refund if the work started less than 90 days ago. It has a template letter for cancelling something you agreed to at home.
This is a summary of published guidance, not legal advice. The Citizens Advice consumer helpline is 0808 223 1133.
Sources: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 and regulation 31; Citizens Advice, cancelling building or decorating work; Citizens Advice, if you were misled or pressured. All read 10 October 2026.Short answers
Who do I report a loft insulation cold caller to?
Cambridgeshire County Council says to report doorstep traders to the police on 101, or 999 if it is happening now. For advice, the Citizens Advice consumer helpline is 0808 223 1133. Fraud is reported on 0300 123 2040. The council scams page has all three.
Is the government giving out free loft insulation?
There is a grant for some lower income households in homes with a poor energy rating, and you apply for it yourself. Nobody is given it by a phone call. GOV.UK has the application. What pensioners can get.
Should I answer the door to a loft insulation caller?
Cambridgeshire County Council says the best thing is not to answer the door to anyone you were not expecting, and not to buy anything at the door. It says door stickers to deter cold callers are available from your local library.
How do I get my loft checked without the risk?
Choose the firm yourself, get more than one written price, and sign nothing on the day. Our loft checker shows what your energy certificate already says before anyone visits.
Book a survey you asked for
If your loft needs insulating, pick who looks at it. Our survey is free and takes about twenty minutes, and you get a written price before any work starts.
Written by Ben Criddle, who runs Complete Loft Services. Published . Facts checked on .