Missing Your Cavity Wall Insulation Guarantee? How to Check

Most cavity wall insulation in Great Britain is covered by a 25-year guarantee from the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA). It covers defects in materials and workmanship.

The guarantee belongs to the property, not to you. It passes to the next owner when you sell.

CIGA can tell you whether a guarantee is registered for your address. Contact them with the full address and, if you know it, the approximate installation date.

If you have the original installer's paperwork, it may include the guarantee number. Keep that with your property records.

Poorly installed cavity wall insulation can sometimes cause damp, especially on walls exposed to driving rain. A guarantee gives a buyer a route to have problems investigated.

If there are signs of damp, a survey is more useful than a guarantee alone. How to Spot Damp and Mould Before You Buy a Home explains what to look for.

Some installations were never registered with CIGA, or were done before the guarantee scheme existed. Tell your conveyancer what you know, including who did the work and when.

If the walls show no signs of damp, many buyers accept the position with a clear explanation. A survey can help if they are unsure.

Record the installer, the date and any guarantee number against the job on Propvio. If you later have work done on the same walls, the history is in one place.

For related paperwork, see Understanding an Insurance-Backed Guarantee.