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One housing association has already banned its tenants from using the kits, as landlords warn of ‘minefield’ over regulations
Landlords could block tenants from using plug-in solar panel kits because of “messy minefield” around planning rules, The i Paper has been told.
Labour ministers have been urged to create a clear legal framework for both landlords and renters so tenants can cut their energy bills by up to £110 a year.
The first self-install solar kits went on sale last week for £699, after the Government created new product compliance rules.
Prices are expected to drop to under £600 as more retailers start stocking the home renewables devices. One kit should be available for £599 in October.
The first compliant plug-in solar kits by British firm UKsol are designed to be set up in gardens, rather than clipped onto balconies.
Balcony products are expected to go on sale soon, aimed at flat-dwelling renters who have struggled to benefit from traditional rooftop solar. However, one leading housing association has already blocked tenants from installing them.
The Government has made it clear that decisions on whether to approve tenants’ requests to use plug-in solar are still ultimately a matter for landlords.
Ministers have written to the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) making it clear that they expect the new solar kits to be looked on “favourably”.
Climate minister Katie White said earlier this year that the Government could “consider” changes to the law if plug-in becomes a “friction” point between tenants and landlords.
But having changed regulations to allow the products to be sold, energy minister Martin McCluskey suggested last week that he didn’t think further legislation would be necessary.
“I don’t see a reason why a landlord should needlessly withdraw consent or not provide consent,” he told reporters.
However, the NRLA told The i Paper that there was no clear guidance for landlords on the regulatory issues.
“There is no clear guidance for landlords who have a duty to ensure their properties remain safe and free from hazards,” said the NRLA’s Meera Chindooroy.
“The Government should publish this as soon as possible to support conversations between tenants and landlords,” the deputy director of campaigns added.
Rule changes which came into force on 27 August mean plug-in solar kits are “permitted development” which do not generally require planning consent.
But there are a series of exceptions. Plug-in panels will need planning permission if they’re installed “on a wooden wall, balcony or enclosure or on any part of the exterior of a block of flats which is clad in timber”.
There are also a series of detailed “protrusion” limits – including rules that stop panels “protruding more than 0.4 metres beyond the plane of the wall” – if tenants and landlords want to avoid the need for planning permission.
Justin Dring, an expert at Independent Solar Consultants, who advises property owners, thinks many landlords could still say “no” to plug-in solar panels.
Landlords will “cite insurance concerns”, he said. Their fears are based on uncertainty over whether tenants will install the devices safely, or will install them a way that doesn’t meet planning rules.
“I could see landlords saying, ‘You’re not plugging that in in my property,’” Dring told The i Paper.
“When it comes to insurance, the liability question if a panel is dislodged in a storm, or damages a neighbour’s property, or causes an electrical fault, is genuinely unresolved territory.”
“It’s a really cloudy, messy situation – it’s a minefield,” said Dring. “For tenants and landlords, if things go wrong there may be fingers pointed in every direction.”
Dring added: “It would be better [for the Government] to set out the regulations and what requires planning permission much more clearly.”
Paul Shamplina, founder of Landlord Action, said the Government should set out planning guidance “more much clearly” using “practical layman’s language”.
Most landlords “will want to help their tenants save money, so hopefully there’s no issue in most cases, if tenants can explain clearly how it’s safe”, said Shamplina.
However, he warned that some landlords may well refuse tenants’ request. They might not want “the headache and hassle of working out if they need planning permission”, he said. “They might have insurance concerns, because they have enough risk on their plate.”
The German government changed the law to make it difficult for landlords to refuse tenants’ permission for plug-in solar.
But Shamplina urged Labour not to bring in more renters’ rights legislation in the UK.
“If the guidance is made clear, there’s no need to legislate. Legislation would only cause more strain on an industry that is suffocating.”
Wider uptake of plug-in solar among tenants in flats may depend on whether social housing providers allow the technology.
One leading housing association, Sovereign Network Group – which manages 86,000 homes in England – has already banned its tenants from installing plug-in panels.
“We’re not permitting customers to install plug-in or plug-and-play solar panels in the homes we manage,” said Alexia Evans, SNG’s chief people and transformation officer. She said plug-in systems “present electrical safety risks and may not be appropriate for every home”.
The Government has said an independent electrical safety study had already concluded that plug-in solar panels were safe, provided products were compliant.
Wickes said it will start selling plug-in solar kits “in the coming weeks”. Currys, Lidl, Asda, B&Q, Screwfix and Amazon are also expected to make products available.
Labour’s Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said plug-in solar was “a simple, affordable way for households to take control of their energy bills”.
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