How can cavity wall insulation go missing?!

[mycavitiesareempty]

We bought our house in 2011, and according to the searches and docs that came with the house the previous owner had cavity wall insulation installed a year or so before we purchased, so beginning of 2011 or back end of 2010. There's a certificate guaranteeing the installation for 25 years, and the searches showed a building control notification for the installation, notified by British Gas.

There are trickle vents in our cavity walls, you can look down them and see, no obvious filling, so we contacted the installer/ backer (British Gas). They sent out their contractor who confirms, no cavity wall insulation has ever been installed. No holes, nothing, camera in wall shows no insulation. Engineer chap says highly unlikely to have been installed then removed as there would be filled holes or evidence in wall.

My inclination is some sort of mistake or stretching of the truth somewhere along the line. If anyone's had similar (realise this is a bit niche) or can advise, would be really grateful as I am foreseeing some sort of to do with someone.

It was never installed?! Cheeky. Not sure how it could have been signed off and guaranteed if it was never installed. Claim on the guarantee? File a post settlement claim? (Not sure how long after the purchase you can claim on the house). Good luck.

Maybe they came to install and found some problem that would make it inadvisable, eg not enough space or rubble bridging the cavity. Or maybe the crew were ill and the job wasn't rescheduled and the home owner change their mind. But the paperwork was still going through the system.
Do you want the insulation or not? If not it's a lucky escape, if so I'm sure you can persuade them to do it, it's only a days work on a normal house.

We had cavity wall insulation done at a previous house. After the initial survey and quote to do whole house..it turned out that actually they could only do it to one part of the ground floor...could that have happened here?

Thanks for responses everyone.

SasBel, that's the thing, I can't understand how he ended up with a guarantee for works never done. But like you say, johnd2, maybe the paperwork went through and he changed his mind or there was some sort of installation problem (although other houses on the street have been done and they are identical).

We do want the insulation I think.

Whatsitallabout, nope the guy said none at all - he had a camera in the wall for a look-see. But it was a good idea - thanks.