Leased solar panels

Martyn1981

Hope56 wrote: »

Thank you Eric.
It's more to do with my buyers mortgage lenders. They need to know who is responsible for them, as in maintenance and repairs.

I'm confused. Actually, that's why I started, then deleted a response similar to Eric's, on the grounds of, if nobody else owns them, then ...... you do?

If they are yours, then that's a nice extra to sell with your house, not a negative.

Here's a question or two for you. Do you know where the inverter is, does it appear to be working? Does your meter stop increasing during sunny periods? If it's a digital meter, do you see a solid red light during sunny periods instead of a flashing red light (indicating export)? Does the meter reading alternate every few seconds between a number and 'rEd' showing that it has detected reverse energy?

To be blunt, if you can't prove it's yours, you can't really remove it. But if it is yours, then you wouldn't really want to remove it, just sell it with the house.

EricMears

Martyn1981 wrote: »

To be blunt, if you can't prove it's yours, you can't really remove it. But if it is yours, then you wouldn't really want to remove it, just sell it with the house.

I think I'd be inclined to argue from the opposite direction ! If you (and your solicitor) can't find any proof that somebody else owns them then it should be safe to assume that you do.

But well worth checking that they really are working as Martyn suggests and if you want a final check that nobody else claims them then switching the inverter off for a few weeks should flush any absentee leaseholder out of the woodwork.

Martyn1981

EricMears wrote: »

I think I'd be inclined to argue from the opposite direction ! If you (and your solicitor) can't find any proof that somebody else owns them then it should be safe to assume that you do.

But well worth checking that they really are working as Martyn suggests and if you want a final check that nobody else claims them then switching the inverter off for a few weeks should flush any absentee leaseholder out of the woodwork.

Yep, I totally agree with you, my poor English. I meant if there was some doubt, evidence or argument about ownership. In the absence of any evidence/argument I would also assume that legally ownership lies with the home owner.

snilloct1957

Wasn't there something in the media recently about new solar installations no longer being able to attract FIT? If the installation was x years ago and the installer didn't follow through with the registration, are the panels now just an ugly hindrance? May be mistaken, someone out there will know...

KevinG

snilloct1957 wrote: »

... are the panels now just an ugly hinderance?

They are not an "ugly hindrance", they will reduce the electricity bill and there is still the possibility of selling the export as well. I don't happen to think most solar panels are ugly, but that's another matter.

snilloct1957

KevinG wrote: »

They are not an "ugly hindrance", they will reduce the electricity bill and there is still the possibility of selling the export as well. I don't happen to think most solar panels are ugly, but that's another matter.

I have solar panels myself, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The point I was trying to make is that the homeowner may now be out of time to register the installation to receive the FIT. In which case, the panels are just an ornament that may prevent a house purchase going through, unless they can be removed economically.

snilloct1957

From the Which? magazine website:-

"The Feed-in tariff is now closed to new applicants. To qualify, you have to have had your solar panel system installed, with an MCS certificate, and your FIT licensee must have received your application by 31 March 2019.

To quality for the FIT, your renewable technology must have been installed by a reputable company accredited by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). The technology must be MCS-accredited and installed by an MCS qualified professional."

From the previous posts it doesn't seem likely the panels have been registered, and they're now "surplus to requirements" and could put off potential purchasers of the property.



l

ajbell

You seem confused about solar panels, they do not require an MCS certificate to produce electricity and save you money, only to qualify for the FIT payment.
Assuming the current owners did not fit them then their solicitors should have gone through this process and they must know the ownership.

tim_p

Hope56 wrote: »

Thank you Tim
I have plenty of documents, however it seems the panels have never been registered.

Still confused!

So you didn’t pay for them to be installed? They were on the roof when you bought the place?
Presumably then, someone with more money than sense, back in 2012 or before would have spent easily upwards of £5K (depending on size of array) to put them on the roof and yet didn’t bother to sort out the FIT? (Hence the more money than sense comment)

The 2012 FIT, again depending on size of array, had the potential to bring in £1K a year.

Is there a GM? (Generation meter) what does it read?

Hexane

EricMears wrote: »

... if you want a final check that nobody else claims them then switching the inverter off for a few weeks should flush any absentee leaseholder out of the woodwork.

It could, but only if they are remotely monitoring them and taking action when they notice a monitoring anomaly. Don't lease type schemes require a generation meter reading to be taken on-site to get payments anyway? It does remind me of the "meter-running-backwards" debacle where various people reported the situation to their supplier, and the supplier acknowledged it and in some cases failed to do anything about it for years. Companies are supposed to act in their own financial interests, but sometimes don't.