Solar Panels - untested - purchasing new home - owner passed away - how do we find out info

HomeAccount

Hello, we would really appreciate some advice please. We are new to solar panels and unsure where to find this information. 
We are in the process of purchasing a home with solar panels. The owner passed away and the property was left to a church/charity. The information they have is limited. The estate agent told us they are untested?! We are unsure on how to find out information on the solar panels and if they belong to any scheme. We are stuck because we don't own the house so understandably companies will not share info and the current trustees have no paperwork. We have researched surveys (level 2, 3) but cannot find one which will help us with this. They all say "we will attempt" so we could spend a lot of money for no results. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. 

WIAWSNB

Do you have access to the house - say another visit? 

Take pics of the inverter, and surrounding equipment - meters, etc. Make these crisp pics, so you can get the meter number - this is the generation meter, and usually just has a small LCD display.

From this number, I understand you can get info regarding whether it's 'grid-tied' (ie, works alongside the mains supply), or may even be gaining a FIT payment.

Ask Ofgem: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/feed-tariffs-fit/contacts-guidance-and-resources/scheme-contacts-fit

They might, however, not provide this until you buy! 

Bottom line - does it matter? 

Keep_pedalling

The main issue is whether the panels belonged to the previous owner or whether they are owned by a company who have leased the roof space and are receiving the FIT payments. This will be a particular problem if you need a mortgage for the purchase. 

The only people who can check this are the current owners who are likely to be the estate administrators.

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/feed-tariffs-fit/contacts-guidance-and-resources/dispute-resolution

eddddy

As above, perhaps the most important question is...

• Did the previous house owner own the solar panels?

• Or did they lease out their roof to a solar panel company who have installed their own panels on the roof? (Sometimes called a "rent a roof scheme".)

If the roof is leased to a solar panel company, in theory, the lease should be registered with Land Registry - so relatively easy to check. But there have been cases where the solar panel company failed to register the lease.

And if the roof is leased out, that might make getting a mortgage more difficult, and it might introduce roof maintenance and repair issues.

But those problems don't apply if the previous house owner owned the panels, and therefore, they are included in the sale to you.

Myci85

Our house has leased solar panels and this is registered with Land Registry as above, so it would be worth checking what they have. There is one entry against the address for our mortgage, and one against the airspace above the address for the solar panels. 

It is possible to get a mortgage with leased solar panels (we did last year) however it is dependent on mortgage lender and the wording of the lease contract. The latter could prove problematic to obtain if there is no paperwork.