Property permission first
Plug-in solar for renters and leaseholders
A plug does not remove the need to understand who controls the outside surface, balcony, structure and electrical installation.
Published Reviewed
Tenancy, lease and building conditions differ. Check the tenancy, lease, ownership and management arrangements, and obtain every permission or consent they actually require, including checking insurance implications with the relevant party where the policy requires consent or notification.
Before you compare a kit
- Identify who controls the balcony, façade, roof, railing or ground area.
- Read the tenancy or lease for alteration, attachment, appearance and electrical clauses.
- Ask for written consent describing the location, attachment method, cable route and removal plan.
- Check building fire strategy, cladding restrictions, wind loading and falling-object risk.
- Check insurance implications with the relevant policyholder and insurer where the policy requires consent or notification.
- Only then evaluate the electrical and product route.
Fire-safety and building exclusions
The present route includes explicit fire-safety exclusions: do not treat timber balconies or locations involving combustible cladding as acceptable mounting surfaces. Applicable retrofit building exclusions must also be checked rather than overridden by landlord consent or product marketing.
DESNZ Interim Product Specification: Sets the route's mounting, fire-safety and building constraints. Open source.
Portable does not mean consequence-free
Panels can create wind, loading, fixing, water-ingress, cable-routing and escape-route risks. Do not drill, hang or route cables across shared areas without authority. A landlord's consent does not establish electrical or product compliance.
Electrical boundary
A route-compliant kit is intended for a suitable standard socket. If a socket or circuit needs adding or modifying, that fixed electrical work must comply with the applicable wiring requirements and should be carried out by a competent electrician. If suitability cannot be established safely, obtain professional assessment before connection.
DESNZ electrical safety study: Government-commissioned evidence on plug-in solar electrical-safety conditions and use. Open source.
Consent, planning, lease compliance, insurance acceptance, electrical suitability and product compliance are separate questions. Passing one does not pass the others.