Buying a house with existing solar panels brings two separate questions: what physical equipment and obligations came with the property, and who is entitled to any generation or export payments.
Neither can be answered safely from a seller’s screenshot of a solar app.
Establish who owns the system
Ask the seller and conveyancer for the original purchase/installation documents and any agreement concerning the roof, equipment ownership, leases or third-party rights. Confirm who holds warranties, whether terms transfer, and how monitoring account administration will be handed over.
Record the actual panel and inverter models, system capacity, commissioning date, and a reliable installer or support contact if available. Missing papers should prompt requests and investigation, not made-up substitutes.
Check the network and certification records
Request the final equipment schedule, commissioning/test paperwork, relevant MCS or accepted equivalent evidence, and available DNO notification or approval records. Their exact relevance depends on the age, nation and arrangement of the installation.
Do not infer that a missing document proves the system is unsafe or that a particular certificate establishes an active export account.
Is there an old Feed-in Tariff?
The Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme closed to new applications in 2019, but older eligible installations may still have generation and export-payment arrangements.
Ask for:
- The FIT licensee and installation/accreditation reference.
- The registered generator and what transfer steps the licensee requires.
- The latest generation meter readings and payment statements.
- Whether export is paid on a deemed or measured basis.
- Any changes already made to the installed system.
Do not cancel the FIT generation arrangement simply to apply for SEG. Generation and export payments are distinct. The same exported electricity cannot be claimed through both a FIT export payment and SEG; switching the export element needs an exact, written comparison of terms and consequences.
For current records and procedures, check the relevant licensee and Ofgem.
If no FIT applies
Establish whether an export agreement exists and how the new occupier can register with an eligible supplier. The import electricity MPAN on the bill does not substitute for confirming the export MPAN and related account status.
The SEG/export MPAN guide separates the five steps that owners often confuse. For Northern Ireland, use the applicable regional electricity and renewable-support arrangements rather than Great Britain’s SEG process.
The handover test
Can you identify the system owner, relevant agreements, how monitoring access is transferred, who pays for imports, who—if anyone—pays for export and which documents prove each? If one answer is unclear, record it as an open item with a named follow-up contact.
Never go onto a roof or open electrical equipment to verify a seller’s claims. Ask qualified professionals for technical inspection or compliance questions.
For a complete owner-file template and next-month routine, read Solar Panels Installed — Now What?.