Short answer: Check whether the panels are owned or leased, ask for the installation certificate, electrical certificate, warranties and grid notification, find out the inverter's age and whether a Feed-in Tariff transfers, and tell your solicitor and lender early. A health check before completion shows whether the system works as it should.
Owned or leased?
This is the first question to answer. Owned panels were paid for by the seller and pass to you with the house, along with any Feed-in Tariff income if you register as the new owner.
Leased panels, sometimes called rent-a-roof schemes, were fitted by a company that rents the roof space. Typically the company keeps the Feed-in Tariff income and the homeowner uses the electricity the panels make. The lease can run for many years and passes to the buyer, so read its terms. Some lenders are comfortable with these leases and some ask questions, so tell your solicitor and lender early. The seller may be able to buy out the rest of the lease before the sale.
The paperwork to ask for
Ask the seller for:
- The installation certificate and handover pack from the original installer.
- The electrical installation certificate for the solar circuit.
- Warranty documents for the panels, inverter and any battery.
- Proof the system was notified to the network operator, National Grid Electricity Distribution in Derby.
- Feed-in Tariff paperwork, if the system gets FIT payments, and the name of the FIT licensee.
- Recent generation meter readings, or access to the monitoring app.
Missing paperwork doesn’t mean the system is faulty, but it makes the other checks more important.
The inverter’s age
The Energy Saving Trust says an inverter will usually need replacing after about 12 years, while panels last 25 years or more (Energy Saving Trust). The Feed-in Tariff closed to new applicants in April 2019, so on a system fitted before then, an original inverter may be near the end of its life. It isn’t a reason to walk away, but it is a cost to plan for, or to raise with the seller.
Buying a Derby house with panels?
A health check before completion shows whether the system is working. Call to book one.
Is it working?
Ask for two generation meter readings some months apart, or screenshots from the monitoring app. PVGIS gives a south-facing Derby roof about 979 kWh per kWp a year (PVGIS). If the system is producing much less than that, there may be a fault, shading or a failed inverter. A maintenance health check before completion gives you a clear picture.
The Feed-in Tariff
Ofgem says a FIT system keeps its accreditation through repairs and replacement parts, as long as it still meets the scheme rules and is not removed altogether (Ofgem). If you are buying an owned system with FIT payments, you register with the FIT licensee as the new owner.
Derby Homes properties
If you are buying a former council home that had panels fitted by Derby Homes while it was a tenancy, ask the seller and your solicitor who owns the system now and who is responsible for maintaining it. Derby Homes’ own guidance to tenants is on its solar panels page.
Bottom line
Find out whether the panels are owned or leased, get the paperwork, check how old the inverter is and whether a Feed-in Tariff transfers, and consider a health check before completion. Leased panels raise the most questions, so involve your solicitor and lender early. Call 01332 919162, 9am to 7pm, 7 days.