Solar panel help please.

[Big Jimbo]

Evening all. I have just had an offer accepted on a house... it's a probate sale..... On the roof there are 18 solar panels. That's basically all i can tell you. I have no idea if they are 20w or 200w a piece. I know i have to make sure that they actually belong to the house, and not that the old boy sold his roof space, and the panels belond to some company. Providing they were his, the only other thing i can tell you from looking on google earth, is that they have been fitted since 2007. Would anybody on here have any idea if the old boy was receiving FIT payments, could these now be transfered to me ? Any idea how i would go about it. They are facing south west at about 40degrees. They may have had there day by now ? as i have said i have no idea about solar. Thanks for your help.

Edited July 2, 2021 by Big Jimbo
Spelling. Not my strong point

[Nickfromwales]

Can you search the MCS register? 
 

Edited July 2, 2021 by Nickfromwales

[Big Jimbo]

Thanks Nick, i will try that now.

[TonyT]

Feed in Tariff didn’t start until 2010.

[A_L]

The original install may have been under the renewables obligation and transferred to the FIT scheme as described (page 4) here 

 

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/letter-accredited-independent-microgenerators

[Johnnyt]

The dates of Google earth imagery are not always correct

Round this neck of the woods the same image is shown for 3 years.

The LPA have fallen foul on trying to use the imagery for enforcement and it has been shown to be unreliable

[Temp]

The executors should know if he's getting FIT income. They can check bank statements etc.  

 

If you rent out your roof do they put anything in your title deeds?  

 

Incidentally I hear probate is taking a long time at the moment.

[Big Jimbo]

Thanks for all the replies. I have had a look at the MCS registration site, but it won't let me in. I should have said that according to Google Earth the panels were fitted sometime between 2007, and 2017. My concern is that, as an old boy, he may have been talked into one of the rent a roof schemes, and i am aware that some of those are a total pain. Ie; you can't extend without the lease holders permission, you might be responsible for the maintainence, you don't get the fit payments. Although i don't need a mortgage, if i wanted to sell on, a lot of mortgage companies won't lend. If you can manage to track the leaseholder down, they will sometimes allow you to buy out of the lease, but normally at the remaining years of the fit payments, together with a premium.

I will have to go back to the exectutors to try and get some more info.....I bet they don't have a clue....My only alternative is to knock my offer down by a substantial amount.. I will keep you posted. Thanks for your time.

[Gone West]

We've just bought a bungalow with PVs and ST installed. Both of the previous owners unfortunately died last year so it was a probate sale. We found out various bits of information from the LA Building Control office and the executors. The good news is our PVs were installed in 2012 so attract a high FiT rate and the bad news is they are registered with SSE who are very slow at transferring them into our name.

Edited July 3, 2021 by Gone West