Plug-In Solar on a Flat: What Renters and Leaseholders Need to Know
The people with the most to gain from plug-in solar are often renters and flat owners. They cannot access rooftop solar, they pay full grid rates, and a south-facing balcony is exactly the kind of space a plug-in system is designed for. The consent question is the complication. Here is how it works.
Renters: the Renters’ Rights Act 2025
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 prevents landlords from unreasonably refusing a tenant’s request to install energy efficiency improvements, including microgeneration equipment. Plug-in solar sits clearly within this category. A landlord can still refuse on reasonable grounds — building structure, lease conditions, listed building status — but a flat refusal with no reason given is challengeable.
Submit a written request before installing anything. Describe the system (certified plug-in kit, panel on a bracket, standard socket connection or hardwired), how it mounts (no drilling into structure, removable), and confirm you will take it when you leave. The landlord has 42 days to respond. Silence beyond that can be treated as consent. If refused unreasonably, the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) is the route for England. Keep all written correspondence.
Leaseholders: freeholder and management company consent
Leaseholders own their flat but not the building structure, roof, external walls, or usually the balconies. Any fixing to those elements requires a licence to alter from the freeholder or management company. Whether a balcony bracket for plug-in solar counts as an alteration depends on your lease wording. Many leases require consent for anything fixed to an external surface. A freestanding panel on a balcony with no fixings is a greyer area — do not assume it is permitted without checking.
Submit a written licence-to-alter request. Managing agents often refuse on reflex — escalate to the freeholder directly. If refused unreasonably, the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) advises on your position and the First-tier Tribunal handles challenges.
The electrical connection in a flat
Most modern flats have individual consumer units per flat. The certified socket-connection route plugs into your own socket on your own circuit — with consent to install the panels physically, the electrical connection is yours to manage. Check whether your consumer unit is individual to your flat or shared (some older blocks have communal electrical infrastructure) before buying anything.
For the full consent process and G98 notification, see our regulations page and landlord rights article.