Buyers
Buying a Home With Solar: What to Check Before Contingencies Come Off
A practical sequence for the inspection period.
Establish four things before your contingency expires: whether the system actually produces, how it's owned, what the utility arrangement is, and whether you'll be able to see it working after you move in. The first needs an inspection, the second and third need paperwork, and the fourth is the monitoring account — which is the one nearly everybody forgets.
Start with ownership, because it changes everything
Before you evaluate the equipment, find out how it’s held. Owned outright means it conveys with the house. Financed means there may be a lien to clear. Leased or PPA means you’re being asked to assume somebody else’s contract, and you’ll need to qualify for it.
This single fact determines which documents matter, who you’ll be dealing with, and how long the process takes. Ask on day one.
Then find out whether it works
A system can look immaculate from the street and be down an inverter. The seller often genuinely doesn’t know: the failure shows up in a monitoring account they haven’t logged into since installation.
What an inspection establishes that a walk-around can’t: measured electrical values, the inverter’s recorded fault history, whether every module-level unit is reporting, whether rapid shutdown works, and what condition the mounting and roof penetrations are in. Here’s the full scope.
Establish the utility arrangement
Which net metering or net billing regime applies depends on when the system was interconnected, and it makes a real difference to what the solar is worth to you. The rules are not the same across programs — we’ve written up what’s confirmed and what isn’t. Get the utility’s position in writing for that specific account.
Don’t forget the monitoring account
The monitoring platform is registered to the seller. It does not transfer automatically. If nobody requests the transfer, you own a solar system you cannot see the output of — which means the first sign of a fault will be a utility bill that doesn’t make sense.
More on how monitoring transfer actually works.
A workable sequence
- Day 1–2. Ask how the system is owned. Request the agreement.
- Day 2–4. Order the solar inspection. Tell them your contingency date.
- Day 4–6. Report arrives. Read the recommended next steps first.
- Day 6–10. If there are findings, get pricing from a contractor you choose, and decide what to request.
- Before closing. Confirm the monitoring transfer process and the utility’s treatment of the account.
Sources
Need this settled on a live deal
The office is open Monday–Friday 9am–6pm, but inspections run on weekends and requests are open around the clock. We'll call to confirm the date and time.
Requesting an inspection isn't a confirmed appointment — we'll contact you to confirm timing.