By Rob Hallberg
Solar panels are great for electrical savings and the environment, but you must be careful when buying a home with them. Your first question should be, “Is the system owned or leased”?
If the system is owned then your primary concerns are with the condition, maintenance and output of the system. Your home and roof inspectors can help, but for a solar installation I would obtain a solar system inspection from a licensed contractor.
If the equipment is leased your issues are much more complex. As a home buyer, you will be required to either take over the lease or convince the owner to pay it off in advance of the sale. In most cases you will be have to take over the lease so the first step is to obtain a copy of the leasing agreement.
Since leased equipment is maintained by the leasing company, you should obtain a copy of their last inspection. If it is recent and the system is performing per the manufacturer’s specifications, then you are probably fine. If it has been a while and/or the home or roof inspector see some possible issues, then ask the owner to contact the solar company and schedule an inspection. And congratulations on buying Solar!
