The Buyer on my House had their Mortgage Valuation Refused!?

I am selling my house and the Valuer has refused to give my set buyers a mortgage, because there is some retro fitted insultation in the loft space. He has said they have to take this out or discount for the cost of the roof. This wasn’t a problem when I brought the house and the insulation has been there many, many years. Is there anything that can be done?

This is unlikely to be the Surveyors choice, moreover he is guided by the guidance for the particular lender. Often they have quite detailed guidance on what they will and will not accept in terms of construction types. This is not something you can challenge, of course as it is between the buyer and the lender, as the buyer will probably not have a direct relationship with the Surveyor.

I have heard of these types of insulation being frowned upon by lenders, despite the fact that Building Control Bodies do approve the system. There is limited research on this type retro-fitted insulation and its long term effects. The lenders presumably take a negative view for good reason, and they have been stung in the past with defects, meaning the property suffers from limited marketability, meaning they are nervous about its value as an asset, in case of failure to maintain mortgage repayments.

Unfortunately, there is little you can do in this situation. As I have said, it is really up to the buyer to take action. I do not know how difficult or easy these systems are to remove or whether you would rather discount for a replacement roof. Either way, it sounds like you have been caught out by change in policy and procedure of lenders which can happen as the years go by.