The answer first
Ask the seller for the MCS certificate, the electrical certificates, the G98 notification or G99 approval, and every warranty. An export tariff does not pass with the house, so the buyer registers their own. For a listed or conservation-area home, also ask for the planning permission, Listed Building Consent or prior-approval decision that covered the panels.
Why panels add to the paperwork
A solar system is equipment fixed to the building, wired into its electrics and registered with the local network. Each of those steps produces a document, and a buyer, a lender and a solicitor will each want to see some of them. The seller’s property information form asks about solar panels, and the answers lead to further enquiries. Starting the list early avoids a scramble just before exchange.
Who owns the panels
The first question is ownership. Most systems belong to the homeowner outright. Some older ones, though, were fitted under arrangements in which a company kept ownership of the panels and took a long lease of the roof space, collecting the payments for the electricity generated. A roof lease of that kind binds the buyer, can restrict work on the roof, and is looked at closely by mortgage lenders. If the seller says the panels are theirs, ask for the invoice or contract that shows it; if there is a lease, the solicitor will need a copy before the buyer goes further. Where the seller is unsure, the original contract and the payment statements usually show who was paid for the electricity, and so who owned the system.
The documents to ask for
- The MCS certificate. Issued when a firm on the MCS register completes the work, it records the system’s size, the equipment and the date. An export tariff needs it, and a missing certificate is hard to replace.
- The electrical installation certificate. This shows the circuit was tested when it was installed.
- Building regulations compliance. Usually a certificate issued through the electrician’s competent person scheme.
- The grid paperwork. For a system within the G98 limit, a copy of the notification sent to the network operator; for a G99 system, the operator’s approval, including any export cap.
- Warranties. For the panels, the inverter, any battery and the workmanship, with the transfer terms for each.
- The layout drawing and manuals. Useful for the next firm that works on the roof or the electrics.
- Any planning papers. Covered in the next section.
Planning papers for a listed or conservation-area house
Central Nantwich lies within a conservation area holding 125 list entries, according to the 2012 appraisal. If the house is listed, panels needed both planning permission and Listed Building Consent, and the seller should be able to produce the decision notices and the approved drawings, along with evidence that any conditions were met. Check the listing on the National Heritage List rather than relying on the estate agent’s description; why the centre is protected so closely is told in the 1583 fire and Nantwich roofs.
Unauthorised work to a listed building is a serious matter: the council can require it to be put right, and that obligation can fall on whoever owns the house at the time, not only on whoever arranged the work. If the papers are missing, ask the council what its records show before exchanging contracts. The rules for listed homes are on listed buildings and solar.
For an unlisted house in the conservation area, panels on a pitched roof are usually permitted development, but a flat roof needed a prior-approval decision, and panels on a wall fronting a highway needed full planning permission. Ask which applied, and for the decision if there was one. The current rules, set out in the General Permitted Development Order as amended in 2026, are explained on the conservation-area page.
The export tariff and older payments
An export tariff under the SEG scheme is a contract between the seller and their chosen supplier. It does not transfer with the house. After completion, the buyer picks a tariff and applies in their own name, which requires the MCS certificate and a meter that records exports. Ask the seller for the meter details and the date of the last reading so the handover is clean.
Systems registered before the Feed-in Tariff closed to new applicants in 2019 may still receive payments under that older scheme, which can usually pass to a new owner. If the seller mentions it, ask for the scheme statements and the name of the company that makes the payments, and contact that company after completion with proof of ownership. How exports and self-use work month by month is on export and self-use.
Grid connection records
The network operator for the address can be found with the Energy Networks Association postcode search. Check that the system’s size, including any battery, matches the notification or approval on file. A battery added after the panels may have needed its own notification or a G99 application. If an export cap was part of the approval, the inverter settings should still enforce it. The steps are explained on grid connection.
The roof under the panels
A surveyor can see the panels, the rails and the visible parts of the covering, and can usually look in the loft, but not under the array. Ask the seller when the roof was last repaired, whether work was done before the panels went on, and whether there have been any leaks since. On an older or timber-framed house, ask whether a structural check was made at the time. If the roof will need recovering within a few years, the cost of lifting and refitting the panels belongs in the calculation; the issues are described on timber-framed homes.
Plug-in kits
From 27 August 2026, SI 2026/896 treats plug-in panels as solar PV and keeps them off timber walls, balconies, enclosures and anything timber-clad. A kit hanging from the timber of a framed house or from a balcony rail is outside permitted development. Ask the seller whether any kit is staying, where it is fixed, and whether it is a product sold for use in the UK.
Village houses, gardens and outbuildings
A village house may have panels on a barn or garage, or an array in the garden, with a cable buried between it and the house. Ask for a drawing of the cable route and its depth, so that a future fence post or extension does not go through it, and for the planning position of any garden array larger than the 9 m² allowance. If the house heats with oil and the system includes a hot-water diverter, ask for its manual and settings. If there is a battery, ask where it is mounted and for its warranty and manual too. The background is on ground-mounted panels.
Flats with shared systems
In a block with panels on the roof, the system usually belongs to the building owner or management company. The lease, the management accounts and any agreement about sharing the output or the export payment should all be checked; the issues are set out on flats and solar.
After moving in
Register the warranties in your name where the terms require it, apply for an export tariff, set up access to the monitoring, and keep every document together. Tell the home insurer about the system, and note the inverter’s make and model in case it ever needs replacing. If something on the list is missing and the seller cannot help, the installing firm may be able to supply copies. For a question about a particular purchase, use the question form.