Buying a house with 'free' solar panels. [Merged]

g1mun

Hi, I hope I am posting this in the right place!

I am in the process of buying a house which has had 'free' solar panels fitted. The owner of the house has very little paper work and isn't giving much information away. After looking into the scheme more, I have found it it is likely that the owner signed the roof to the company - yet she has not given us any proof of this. I have also found out that there is a charge on the airspace of the house for 25 years. The company has since gone bust - who owns the airspace of the house? What happens to the solar panels? Can they be removed? Am I about to buy an unsellable house ?

P.S I am a first time buyer, budgets are tight... I don't want to be caught in a scam or a situation where I would have to spend out a lot of money.

Please help!!

dj1471

These are all questions for your solicitor, you're paying them to advise you on issues such as this.

LeoTLion

Valid questions, and ones you should be getting your solicitor to find answers to.

Unless the answers provided are satisfactory, I would suggest you do not proceed with the purchase.

There will be other houses, without these added complications, so wait for something more appropriate to come along.

You really don't want to be back on here in 4/5 years saying some company has come out of the woodwork and is demanding a payment of X thousand pounds because it wasn't sorted properly during the purchase process.

George_Michael

It's pointless having solar panels on a property unless you have the correct microgeneration certificate and energy performance certificate for the house.
Without these, you will unable to apply for the feed in tariff for the energy produced and you will not know if the panels have been correctly and safely installed and if they are supplying any power to your property.

ashp_2

There was someone selling a house posting here not long ago on this subject. They had Solar panels on the roof, company had gone bust etc. I will see if I can find the thread.

You may struggle to get a mortgage unless the situation with these Solar panels is crystal clear.

CashStrapped

Your conveyancing solicitor should be dealing with all this, this is what you pay them for. Have you asked them?

If you are a first time buyer on a "tight budget" do not make the mistake a lot of first time buyers can make and skimp on due diligence, otherwise you will pay a lot more later.

So, ensure your conveyancing solicitor is doing their job, ensure you have a good one (all the required accreditation) etc.

matelodave

As above, that's what you pay the conveyancing solicitor for, to sort out all the legal problems and to make sure that you don't get stuffed for something after you've bought the place.

He should ask the seller's solicitor to gather all the paperwork and to make sure that you are either covered or that indemnity insurance is taken out.

If he doesn't do it properly then you can take him to the Law Society if something crops up in the future so make sure that you are using a properly insured and accredited conveyancer

AdrianC

If the panel supplier have gone into administration, then the lease of the roof is an asset of the business which the administrator will likely have sold on. You need to follow that trail to identify who that is.

Do you know who the supplier was?

teddysmum

The complication of selling on is one of the reasons against 'rent a roof' solar, raised when people discussed the pros and cons of this 'free' electricity.


I would avoid like the plague, unless the position was crystal clear and in your favour. Also, if the owner of the system has dumped it, you could be left with an irreparable pile of rubbish and extra costs should you need any roof repairs.

bris

The company may have went bust but someone somewhere will have taken over the contract. This means you have to honour it and give them the readings every 3 months.


If it's not you dream home I would walk away.

g1mun

It says Ideal home group PLC on the paperwork, but the charge on the house for airspace says 'Free solar ltd'.