Buying a house with solar panels might be worth it choosing whether to buy a house with solar depends on the financing and if a lease or ppa is involved whether the agreement and installation fit your life.
Buying a property with leased solar panels.
Both options are great choices for someone interested in a solar panel system so make sure to choose whichever is best for your own personal situation.
Buying a house with solar panels in a lease ppa if the house you are interested in has a leased solar energy system it means that the current homeowner sends a monthly payment to the company that installed the panels.
Buying a house with leased solar panels is more complicated.
When selling a home with leased solar panels you must either transfer the lease to your home buyers or purchase the panels from the solar company to conclude the lease early.
The buy out premium is usually the cost of the installation typically 10 15k plus a premium.
Be sure to read over all the agreement details and ask as many questions as you can.
Sometimes leases contain buy out clauses meaning the new owner can buy their way out of the lease.
If you re considering buying a leasehold property with solar panels the freeholder will need to be contacted to ensure that the necessary permission has been obtained.
Your conveyancer should be able to explain if any of the issues outlined above will affect your property purchase and if there are any major concerns.
There may be a buy out clause.
The homeowner enjoys low energy bills plus the prospect of the feed in tariff after 25 years.
Solar leases can last between ten and twenty years and it can be expensive to buy out the system or roll the lease into the house purchase.
Additionally solar leases can have escalating payments posing an ongoing liability.
Before you buy you ll want to find out more information about the lease terms.
The homeowner will have leased the panels from the solar power company usually for a 25 year term who then has the right to the feed in tariff payments.
The more information the seller can provide at the outset e g.
Buying a home with leased solar panels.
Obtaining mortgage loans with leased solar panels can be a bit more complicated.
The terms of the lease will also need to be carefully reviewed to ensure that installation of solar panels is permitted under the lease.
Get your solicitor to look at the solar panel lease before you make an offer.
Some solar panel leases have escalating payments.
Solar leases are typically for a 20 year term and can be costly to buy out.
Both options have their pros and cons so you ll need to review the terms and conditions of your contract to evaluate which is best for your particular situation.