This one comes up a lot, usually from people who are thinking about solar but might move in a few years. Will the panels put buyers off? Will the house be harder to sell?
These days, no. If anything it is the other way round.
Why it used to be a worry
Go back ten or fifteen years and there was something in it. Panels were rare, some people did not like the look of them, and most buyers had no idea what they did or what they were worth. The early feed in tariff schemes also came with rent a roof deals, where a company owned the panels on your roof for 25 years. Those did cause problems with mortgages and sales, and that is where a lot of the worry comes from.
Rent a roof deals ended years ago. If you buy a system today, you own it outright, and it is part of the house like the boiler or the kitchen.
Why it is now an asset
Look down any street in Cambridgeshire and you will see solar on a good number of roofs. They are so common that people have stopped noticing them. What buyers do notice is running costs, and a house with low bills is an easier sell than a house with high ones.
Try this. Two identical houses next door to each other. One has a large electricity bill. The other has solar panels, a battery, and very little bill. Which one sells first? If I was moving house, a solar system already fitted, or at least a roof that suits one, would be one of my main criteria.
Estate agents have caught up too. A decent solar and battery system is now something that goes in the listing, along with the EPC rating it helps improve.
Things to sort before you sell
A system with paperwork sells a house. A system without paperwork raises questions. Before you put the house on the market, dig out:
- The MCS certificate. This proves the system was installed to the standard and is what the buyer’s solicitor will ask for.
- The electrical certificate and the DNO notification, which show the system was connected properly and the grid operator knows about it.
- Panel, inverter and battery warranties, and who to contact to transfer them.
- The export tariff paperwork if you are being paid for surplus, so the buyer can take it over.
- The monitoring app login, so you can hand it over.
If you have lost any of that, your installer should be able to help. We keep records of every system we fit.
If you are moving soon anyway
Solar pays back over years, not months, so if you are moving within a year or two the numbers are different. I covered that in a separate video, linked below. But for anyone planning to stay five years or more, the worry about selling is not a reason to hold off.
If you want a straight answer on your own house, we cover Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. We do a free survey and give you a clear written quote. Call 01480 400607 or read about our solar and battery installs.
Jason Pope
Owner, Selec Group