Purchasing a home with solar panels - Possibly green deal loan/grant? How do i find out?

brummieaxgt

Hi All,

We have had an offer accepted on a property that has solar panels. The vender had inherited the property from her estranged father and apparnetly knows nothing about the property. 

What we are trying to determine whether the solar panels were installed under any green deal inititive or loan?
Is there any easier way to determine this?
I have gone onto teh goverment website for EPC's and the last two has no record of additional info regarding the solar panels.
I did get to the inverter and found the drawing issued the 7/05/2014. With this date in mind is it likely to be a goverment grant rather than loan?

Any help would be appreciated?

Baldytyke88

Your solicitor will likely have experience of this, ask them

Keep_pedalling

If the estranged father owned the panels then he should have been receiving the FIT payments and that should not be too difficult for the estate administrator to establish ownership. There is a good chance however that this was one of those rent a roof schemes where the provider is getting those payments and if the daughter has no paperwork to show who that was it is going to be a bit more difficult. If you need a mortgage this is going to be a problem.

Did that drawing have any company name on it?

brummieaxgt

Hi, thanks for the replies.
unfortunately the drawings have a company name but the company have since dissolved. I’ve reached out to the old director as his name was on the drawing. 

I will supply the solicitor all that I have and hopefully they can do all the diligence 

ThisIsWeird

I think you can get this from FITRegister@Ofgem.gov.uk.
Not sure what info you need - possibly the MPAN number and postal address. These are on a leccy bill.

Myci85

I think around that time lots of people were renting out their roof space for solar panels - that's around the time the ones on our house were fitted and they're through A Shade Greener. I've no idea how many other companies there may be. 
Like people have said, if you need to mortgage the property, you may well struggle without finding out more. Our mortgage company needed to see the lease for ours to satisfy themselves that the clause they needed was in there, I.e. that should they ever need to repossess the property, the solar panels will be taken down free of charge if they are seen to be affecting the sale. 

brummieaxgt

Thanks all,
Im going to get access to the house and delve some more.
I have read on the .GOV website that if the installation was part of a green deal it should be on the EPC as further supporting evidence. Ive check the EPC online and was issued the day following the drawing date and no additional evidence to show any loan agreement as per the green deal.
Drawing date of installation was 07/05/14 and EPC was 08/05/14. 

Is it a possibility a private scheme outiste the green deals exist?

I think the electricity bills maybe the key here also so will push to find out more.

Thanks again

QrizB

If it was rent-a-roof (like A Shade Greener), there should be something about it on the deeds or recorded at the Land Registry.

Myci85

QrizB said:

If it was rent-a-roof (like A Shade Greener), there should be something about it on the deeds or recorded at the Land Registry.

Oh yes that's true, there is on our deeds. 

ThisIsWeird

brummieaxgt said:

Thanks all,
Im going to get access to the house and delve some more.
I have read on the .GOV website that if the installation was part of a green deal it should be on the EPC as further supporting evidence. Ive check the EPC online and was issued the day following the drawing date and no additional evidence to show any loan agreement as per the green deal.
Drawing date of installation was 07/05/14 and EPC was 08/05/14. 

Is it a possibility a private scheme outiste the green deals exist?

I think the electricity bills maybe the key here also so will push to find out more.

Thanks again

Take photos of the PV generation meter which is usually adjacent to the inverter - the serial/meter numbers on there could be useful. Then email Ofgem.
Almost certainly they will be generating a (much reduced by 2014) FIT, but the Q is, who gets this? Ofgem should tell you the recipient, tho' they might require proof of your interest in the property - see what they say.
Very good chance it's a third party, and 'all' you will benefit from is the actual electricity being produced. This will be of limited use if you cannot use it during the times of max generation - 'daytime' - or you install batteries, but could save you, ooh, around £300 pa with careful planning. If the property has a hot cylinder, for example, then anticipate free DHW for much of the year. 
I understand these contracts can last 20-25 years, but don't quote me. That means they could be up there for another 15 years.
However, there is also often the option of buying the system complete with FIT from the installer, but it would have to be for a sum that makes it worthwhile for them. In your case, they will already have gained around 10 years worth of FIT income, but surely not at a rate that would have fully paid for the system. So, a buy-out figure would likely be, ooh, half the installation fee?, coupled with a compromise on the lost future earnings? Stab in the dark figure - £5k+
Clearly I have no accurate info here, but hopefully an outline of the possible options.
I'd certainly ask Ofgem if the vendor doesn't have/can't provide this info.

QrizB

If it is a rent-a-roof scheme, you could ask the vendor to buy out the lease as a condition of the sale. They might be content to do so.