You, as owner or tenant
Do I have the right to alter the roof, or does someone else need to agree?
Keep: Title, lease or tenancy extract showing who controls the roof.
Bright Ray / Your home, considered
Planning and property permissions: who needs to agree to home solar?
Before solar goes on a roof, several people or bodies may need to agree, depending on who owns the home and what kind of property it is. This guide lists who to ask and what to ask them. It does not state the current rules.
Some homes need an earlier conversation
Rented or leasehold home
Who owns the roof and structure, and has that person or body agreed to solar in writing?
Conservation area
Does my address sit within a designated area, and has the council confirmed what applies?
Listed building
Is my home listed, and has the relevant authority confirmed what consent is needed?
Check the position for your address
Planning questions
Your local planning authority
Do planning rules apply to solar at my address, and can you confirm that in writing?
Building and electrical safety
Local authority building control
Which building and electrical requirements apply, and how will the work be signed off?
Connection to the grid
Your network operator
What does the network operator need from me before the system is connected?
Who has to agree?
Owning a roof does not always mean you can decide alone. Leases, mortgages and the type of building can all bring other parties in.
The table beside this section sets out each party with a question to put to them and the record worth keeping.
Start with your own paperwork
Your title documents, lease or tenancy agreement and mortgage terms often show quickly who else needs to be asked.
Does anything in my lease, tenancy or mortgage terms restrict changes to the roof?
Ask early
Consent from third parties can take time, so raise it before you commit to a contract or a date.
Is the contract conditional on any permission I still need to obtain?
What if my home is a little different?
Leasehold flats, conservation areas and listed buildings often raise additional questions. They are not automatically barred from solar, but they are worth checking before you spend time on a design.
Treat each of these as a question to answer, not an assumption either way.
Leasehold or flat
The roof and structure may belong to someone else, and shared parts often need freeholder or management company consent.
Who owns the roof, and who must consent to equipment being fixed to it?
Conservation area
Local designations can affect what is allowed, especially on roofs facing the street.
Does my property sit in a designated area, and does that affect solar?
Listed building
Listed status usually means separate consent is involved for changes that affect the building's character.
Is my home listed, and what consent would be needed?
Where are the current rules?
Rules and procedures change, so this page does not try to state them. Go to the body responsible for each question and ask for the current position for your address.
Where a provider says something is not needed, ask them to put that in writing and name who they have checked with.
Local planning authority
Your council can say whether planning considerations apply to your property and whether any area designations affect it.
Does my property need any planning consent, and how do I confirm that?
Building requirements
Building control and the installer's competence arrangements relate to structure and electrical safety.
Which building and electrical requirements apply, and who will notify whom?
Network operator
Your local distribution network operator handles connection notifications or applications for generating equipment.
Does my system need notifying or applying to the network operator first?
What should I keep?
Keep a folder of every consent, refusal and confirmation. They help if there is a dispute, and a future buyer or conveyancer may ask for them when you sell.
Emails count, provided they clearly state who agreed to what, and when.
Written consents
Signed or emailed permission from landlords, freeholders, lenders or management companies, with any conditions attached.
Can you confirm your consent in writing, including any conditions?
Official decisions
Letters or notices from your council or network operator that relate to your address.
Will you send me a written decision or reference for my records?
Provider confirmations
Anything your provider says about who is responsible for each application, notification or approval.
Can you list which permissions you are handling and which are down to me?
Start with one email
Ask what permission support Bright Ray provides
If you are considering solar, tell us about your home and who owns it, and ask what help with permissions, if any, Bright Ray can offer.
