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The saga left them in a maddening holding pattern.
Photo Credit: iStock
A United Kingdom homebuyer said that after purchasing a house with rooftop solar panels in 2025, access to the system’s feed-in tariff may hinge on missing paperwork from previous owners.
As they shared on the r/SolarUK subreddit, the saga left them in a maddening holding pattern. 
In a Reddit thread, the homeowner said Ofgem identified Good Energy as the property’s feed-in tariff provider after they bought a house with existing solar panels. 
But when they tried to transfer the account into their name, they said Good Energy told them it could not move forward because its records for earlier owners were incomplete.
In response, the buyer said they sent over the documents they had, including proof of ownership, information about the seller, the seller’s solicitor’s details, and the paperwork they received during the purchase. They said the issue was still unresolved after repeated requests for updates and a formal complaint.
The original poster summed up the issue this way: “It seems really frustrating that I can’t get any benefit from the solar panels due to action/inaction of previous owners.”
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This kind of complication is especially relevant for buyers who assume rooftop panels automatically transfer with the property in every practical sense. While the hardware may remain on the roof, the account tied to tariff payments may still require a separate administrative transfer.
For buyers inheriting an existing solar setup, the income attached to it depends on whether the ownership paperwork is complete before the sale closes.
Homeowners can get stuck between different parts of the energy system when trying to resolve incentive-program issues tied to records created before they bought the property.
Buyers can verify solar paperwork before closing whenever possible. That can include confirming the tariff provider, requesting proof of previous ownership transfers, and making sure the seller’s documents include records connected to the system’s registration.
If the paperwork is already missing, a formal complaint record and an escalation pathway may be the best consumer tools available.
A commenter pointed the homeowner to a practical next step of opening a dispute on the Energy Ombudsman website once eight weeks had passed.
At first, the original poster balked at the advice because they believed Good Energy was not covered based on the page titled “Information for disputes with network operators” on the website. 
However, a commenter confirmed the company was responsible.
“Good Energy is absolutely covered by the Energy Ombudsman for standard supplier disputes,” they wrote. “As an energy supply company, they are legally required to be a member.”
With that in mind, the OP could get some justice.
“The Ombudsman has the legal power to force Good Energy to clear the backlog, issue an apology, and potentially pay you compensation,” the commenter noted.
Home solar can come with plenty of fine-print headaches beyond the panels themselves. 
• One solar owner was hit with ‘ridiculous’ charges from a utility company despite generating rooftop power.
• In Australia, residents warned that ‘free’ solar panel ads looked like a brazen scam.
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© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

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