PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING
Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the Forum rules. While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.A Shade Greener
z.j.c
Posts: 42 Forumite
Hey
Currently in the process of buying a house which has A Shade Greener solar panels.
After some discussions with the solicitors I've been told they need to obtain a deed of variation for the lease.
Does anyone have any experience on if this is easy and how long it may take?
Solicitors have quoted 4 weeks! But we are already well behind were we wanted to be and I don't know if it's more hassle than it's worth.
Thanks
Currently in the process of buying a house which has A Shade Greener solar panels.
After some discussions with the solicitors I've been told they need to obtain a deed of variation for the lease.
Does anyone have any experience on if this is easy and how long it may take?
Solicitors have quoted 4 weeks! But we are already well behind were we wanted to be and I don't know if it's more hassle than it's worth.
Thanks
0
Comments
-
Take some proper advice.
This sounds like a "rent a roof" scheme, where the solar PV company paid for the panels and they receive the FIT payments for the duration of the contract (probably 25 years from when they were installed)
Yes you get the free electricity, if you are there in the daytime to use it, otherwise it gets exported to the grid.
If you go ahead, you are contracting (the deed) to allow them to continue using your roof for the remainder of the contract. So if you ever wanted to re tile the roof, you have a problem. You can't simply take them down either if for instance you don't like the look of them. And there will be certain rights they have about access to repair and maintain the panels and some other equipment.
It might be "more hassle than it's worth" but there is nothing you can do. Buy the house with this burden in place, or don't buy it. There is sometimes a third option, that is to buy out the remainder of the contract, then they become your panels and you receive the remainder of the FIT payments for the rest of the contract. But that won't happen quickly either, and they might not even consider that option.0 -
Hi
I have no problem with the panels being on the roof and A Shade Greener do all the repairs I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience getting the deed of variation from them and how long it takes.0 -
We have just purchased a house with solar panels on from A Shade Greener.
Our solicitor was a tad confused in what she was trying to get with a signed agreement for payments to be assigned to us by the vendors. After many emails and trying to explain to my solicitor that I didnt get any payments, 2 days from exchanging and nearly missing our second agreed exchange and completion dates, she finally spoke directly to A Shade Greeners legal team on the phone, agreed we just needed A Deed of Variation and agreed we could proceed to exchange!
It certainly didn't take the 4 weeks once the solicitors realised what we needed but trying to get them to understand that we didn't get payments took over 4 weeks!0 -
Hey
Thanks for your comments it's reassuring once you had got over the payments issue you didn't have many other problems.
The problem I have is my solicitor quoted 4 weeks for this deed of variation to be issued by A Shade Greener but then proceeded to tell me it's the sellers solicitors who need to arrange this deed.
It's hard to get any updates now because if I want an update I need to email my solicitor who then emails the sellers and communication is taking ages.
We have missed 2 exhange dates now because despite telling my solicitor they lease would need updating he didn't do anything until he received the lease and then proceeded to tell me it needed updating when I knew.
I was a little jubious that it would take 4 weeks for a deed of variation. Think a few phone calls are needed today to find out why its taking so long.0 -
Hope you managed to get some answers today. I thought ours was frustrating situation with missing just the one exchange date but now you have missed 2!
I read many horror stories of the 'rent a roof' solar panels after we had started the purchase ball rolling from mortgage companies won't lend on properties with them to the companies being allowed free unagreed access to the property! I have found none of these problems and my mortgage company had no issues and A Shade Greener is one of the bigger approved companies that have all the regulations that are required.
We get free electricity and in the contract one chance to remove the panels for free if we need to repair the roof. Hopefully we won't need to repair the roof anytime soon! Good luck and hope your solicitors pull their finger out!0 -
Managed to speak to the sellers of the house on Friday to see if we could find out what was going on.
Turns out the hold up is A Shade Greener themselves. They haven't responded to the sellers solicitors request to update the lease.
The sellers and the sellers solicitors have both been chasing them but no one is answering emails or responding to phone calls/voicemail's.
All we need them to do is update the lease and its problem solved but it seems there not very responsive to anyone at the minute.
I tried to get in touch with them myself Friday but had the exact same issues no one seems to want to answer the phone. :mad:0 -
Not sure what's happening then as A Shade Greener answered the vendors with all details required and also spoke directly to my solicitors.
I know on the forum there was some posts on A Shade Greener where people couldn't contact them and someone posted another contact number. Sorry can't be of more help but I can't remember where other than I had done a search for A Shade Greener when I was researching issues with rent a roof solar panels.0 -
Hi, did you get your agreement sorted. I am also trying to purchase a property with a shade greener solar panels. Did you eventually get a contact number for the legal team apart from the generic customer number. Many thanks0
-
We get free electricity and in the contract one chance to remove the panels for free if we need to repair the roof. Hopefully we won't need to repair the roof anytime soon! Good luck and hope your solicitors pull their finger out!I have no problem with the panels being on the roof and A Shade Greener do all the repairs.
I have solar panels, never heard that they will help with roof repairs. Mine is a council house, at the moment, the panels are with 'Better homes Yorkshire'.0 -
sevenhills wrote: »I have solar panels, never heard that they will help with roof repairs. Mine is a council house, at the moment, the panels are with 'Better homes Yorkshire'.
They don't help with roof repairs. What they will do is remove their panels for free, just the once in the term of the contract, so you can get on with roof repairs, which you pay for yourself, then they put the panels back.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 343.2K Banking & Borrowing
- 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 449.7K Spending & Discounts
- 235.3K Work, Benefits & Business
- 608K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 173K Life & Family
- 247.9K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards