# Buying a house with solar panels: what should I check? > Buying a Derby house with solar panels: owned or leased, the paperwork to ask for, the Feed-in Tariff, inverter age, and a health check before you complete. URL: https://ecosolarpanelsderby.co.uk/guide/buying-a-house-with-solar-panels/ 1. [Home](https://ecosolarpanelsderby.co.uk/) 2. [Guides](https://ecosolarpanelsderby.co.uk/guide/) 3. Buying a house with solar panels: what should I check? Learn # Buying a house with solar panels: what should I check? [Eco Solar Panels UK](https://ecosolarpanelsderby.co.uk/) services and repairs solar systems across Derby. If you are buying a house that already has panels, these are the questions to settle before exchange. Published 30 September 2026 · Updated 30 September 2026 · By Eco Solar Panels UK **Short answer:** Check whether the panels are owned or leased, ask for the installation certificate, electrical certificate, warranties and grid notification, find out the inverter's age and whether a Feed-in Tariff transfers, and tell your solicitor and lender early. A health check before completion shows whether the system works as it should. ## Owned or leased? This is the first question to answer. Owned panels were paid for by the seller and pass to you with the house, along with any Feed-in Tariff income if you register as the new owner. Leased panels, sometimes called rent-a-roof schemes, were fitted by a company that rents the roof space. Typically the company keeps the Feed-in Tariff income and the homeowner uses the electricity the panels make. The lease can run for many years and passes to the buyer, so read its terms. Some lenders are comfortable with these leases and some ask questions, so tell your solicitor and lender early. The seller may be able to buy out the rest of the lease before the sale. ## The paperwork to ask for Ask the seller for: 1. The installation certificate and handover pack from the original installer. 2. The electrical installation certificate for the solar circuit. 3. Warranty documents for the panels, inverter and any battery. 4. Proof the system was notified to the network operator, National Grid Electricity Distribution in Derby. 5. Feed-in Tariff paperwork, if the system gets FIT payments, and the name of the FIT licensee. 6. Recent generation meter readings, or access to the monitoring app. Missing paperwork doesn’t mean the system is faulty, but it makes the other checks more important. ## The inverter’s age The Energy Saving Trust says an inverter will usually need replacing after about 12 years, while panels last 25 years or more ([Energy Saving Trust](https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/solar-panels/)). The Feed-in Tariff closed to new applicants in April 2019, so on a system fitted before then, an original inverter may be near the end of its life. It isn’t a reason to walk away, but it is a cost to plan for, or to raise with the seller. Buying a Derby house with panels? A health check before completion shows whether the system is working. Call to book one. 01332 919162 (+441332919162) ## Is it working? Ask for two generation meter readings some months apart, or screenshots from the monitoring app. PVGIS gives a south-facing Derby roof about 979 kWh per kWp a year ([PVGIS](https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/)). If the system is producing much less than that, there may be a fault, shading or a failed inverter. A [maintenance health check](https://ecosolarpanelsderby.co.uk/solar-panel-maintenance/) before completion gives you a clear picture. ## The Feed-in Tariff Ofgem says a FIT system keeps its accreditation through repairs and replacement parts, as long as it still meets the scheme rules and is not removed altogether ([Ofgem](https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/feed-tariffs-fit/feed-tariffs-fit-generators)). If you are buying an owned system with FIT payments, you register with the FIT licensee as the new owner. ## Derby Homes properties If you are buying a former council home that had panels fitted by Derby Homes while it was a tenancy, ask the seller and your solicitor who owns the system now and who is responsible for maintaining it. Derby Homes’ own guidance to tenants is on its [solar panels page](https://www.derbyhomes.org/your-home/solar-panels/). ## Bottom line Find out whether the panels are owned or leased, get the paperwork, check how old the inverter is and whether a Feed-in Tariff transfers, and consider a health check before completion. Leased panels raise the most questions, so involve your solicitor and lender early. Call 01332 919162 (+441332919162), 9am to 7pm, 7 days. ## Questions people also ask ### Do solar panels affect getting a mortgage? Owned panels rarely cause problems. Leased panels, where a company rents the roof space, can raise questions from lenders because of the lease terms. Tell your solicitor and lender as soon as you know, so they can review the lease. ### Does the Feed-in Tariff transfer to the new owner? It can. Feed-in Tariff payments belong to whoever owns the system and the right to the payments, so on a sale the new owner usually registers with the FIT licensee. With leased panels, the FIT usually goes to the leasing company, so check the lease. ### How old should the inverter be? The Energy Saving Trust expects an inverter to need replacing after about 12 years, while panels last 25 years or more. If the system was fitted in the early 2010s and the inverter is original, budget for a replacement. Related service [Solar panels in Derby](https://ecosolarpanelsderby.co.uk/) Installation, batteries and after-care across Derby and the East Midlands. [View service](https://ecosolarpanelsderby.co.uk/) Talk it through Lines open Monday to Sunday, 9am to 7pm. 01332 919162 (+441332919162) ## More guides - [Learn My solar inverter has stopped working. What now?](https://ecosolarpanelsderby.co.uk/guide/solar-inverter-not-working/) - [Decision Guide Is this a good solar quote?](https://ecosolarpanelsderby.co.uk/guide/check-a-solar-quote/) - [Decision Guide How much do solar panels cost in Derby?](https://ecosolarpanelsderby.co.uk/guide/solar-panel-cost-derby/) - [Decision Guide Removing solar panels for a new roof: what does it cost?](https://ecosolarpanelsderby.co.uk/guide/solar-panels-roof-replacement/) - [Learn Do I need planning permission for solar panels in Derby?](https://ecosolarpanelsderby.co.uk/guide/solar-panels-planning-permission-derby/)