Short answer: plug-in solar has been legal in Great Britain since 27 August 2026, but if you rent, own a leasehold flat or live in a managed building, get permission in writing before you buy. That is the Energy Saving Trust’s advice. Explicit consent matters most if the kit needs drilled brackets or an outdoor socket. Most refusals come from vague requests. A request that names the device, avoids drilling, offers an electrician’s circuit check, confirms DNO registration and insurance, and promises removal and making good when you leave is much easier to approve.
Fortyeight’s free permission pack generator writes these letters for you: a landlord letter, a freeholder or managing-agent letter, a conditions schedule and an insurer letter, each in England, Wales and Scotland versions. This guide explains what goes in them and why.
Why permission comes first
The legal rules for the device itself are the same for owners and renters. See plug-in solar UK rules. In short: up to 800 W AC, compliant with the government’s Interim Product Specification (IPS v2), one per household, registered with your network operator at myplugin.solar. Not permitted in Northern Ireland.
What differs for renters and flat owners is who controls the building. Clamping a panel to a balcony railing or fixing it to an outside wall changes the outside of a property you do not own outright. Your tenancy, occupation contract or lease probably has something to say about that. Buying first and asking later risks a £400–£800 kit (illustrative prices) that you cannot use.
What the rules say in each nation
As of 18 October 2026. This is a checklist, not legal advice. Your own agreement or lease is what binds you, so read it.
England
Check your tenancy agreement for clauses about alterations, fixtures, fixing things to walls or the use of balconies, and ask your landlord whichever way it reads. If you own a leasehold flat, the lease decides. External walls, balconies and railings are often retained by the freeholder rather than included in your flat, and many leases need the freeholder’s or managing agent’s consent for alterations. For planning, plug-in solar normally counts as permitted development in England (SI 2026/896). That does not apply to listed buildings, timber walls or balconies, road-facing walls or balconies in conservation areas, or panels that stick out more than 0.2 m next to a road or 0.4 m elsewhere.
Wales
Since 1 December 2022, under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, tenants are “contract-holders” and tenancy agreements are “occupation contracts” (Welsh Government). Your written statement says whether yours is a standard or a secure contract.
The default supplementary terms are in the Renting Homes (Supplementary Provisions) (Wales) Regulations 2022. Regulation 29 applies to most standard contracts and says: “The contract-holder must not make any alteration to the dwelling without the consent of the landlord.” “Alteration” includes any addition to the fixtures and fittings, putting up an aerial or satellite dish, and external decoration. A panel clamped to a railing is likely to count, by analogy with a satellite dish. Your written statement may change or leave out supplementary terms, so check it. For planning in Wales, the Energy Saving Trust says to check the requirements in your area, so ask the council.
Scotland
Most private lets that started on or after 1 December 2017 are private residential tenancies (mygov.scot). Under the Scottish Government’s model agreement, the tenant needs the landlord’s written consent, in advance, for alterations, changes to fixtures and fittings, and internal or external decoration. The government’s notes say it is “entirely up to the landlord” whether to agree. The exception is adaptations and auxiliary aids under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 or the Equality Act 2010, which a landlord cannot unreasonably refuse. A solar panel will not normally be one of those.
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 will let tenants of six months or more request larger changes that cannot be unreasonably refused. As of 18 October 2026, the Scottish Government says no commencement date has been set and further regulations are needed. Until then, consent is at the landlord’s discretion.
Tenement flats. In Scotland, common parts such as the outside walls are governed first by the title deeds. Where the deeds are silent, the Tenement Management Scheme (Schedule 1 to the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004) applies, with one vote per flat. That scheme covers maintenance and appointing or dismissing a property factor. It excludes alterations and improvements. So for anything fixed to a shared wall, check the deeds and ask the other owners, through the property factor if there is one. Renters in a tenement may need both the landlord’s consent and the owners’.
What a good request contains
Landlords and freeholders worry about four things: damage, fire, liability and getting the property back as it was. Answer each before they ask.
| Concern | What to offer |
|---|---|
| Is it legal and safe? | One device of up to 800 W AC, IPS v2-compliant, type-tested to G98 and on the ENA register. Attach the datasheet. |
| Damage to the building | Clamp or weighted mounting with no drilling. If brackets are unavoidable, agree the fixing points in advance. |
| Electrical risk | A socket on an RCBO-protected circuit that does not supply lighting or hard-wired appliances, plugged straight in with no extension leads. Offer an electrician’s check at your cost. Homes with rewireable fuses are unsuitable. |
| Paperwork | Registration with the DNO at myplugin.solar, a legal requirement, with a copy of the confirmation. |
| Insurance | You tell your contents insurer and confirm outdoor cover. The landlord or freeholder tells the buildings insurer. |
| Leaving | You remove the kit at the end of the tenancy and make good any marks. It stays your property. |
| Appearance | Panel position, colour and how far it sticks out, shown in a photo or sketch. |
Our conditions schedule sets these out as numbered clauses that the landlord can sign and return.
Is it worth it for a renter?
It depends on how long you will stay and which way your balcony faces. In Fortyeight’s model, a typical 2,500 kWh London household with an 800 W kit on a vertical south-facing railing generates about 594 kWh a year, uses about 80% of it as it is generated and saves about £133 a year at Flexible Octopus prices (27.93p/kWh including 5% VAT). East or west facing saves about £96–£98. A low-use household (1,600 kWh) saves about £113 with a south-facing panel. Kits pay 20% VAT and get no export payment, so surplus is wasted. See export tariffs explained.
At an illustrative £600, a south-facing kit pays back in about 4.5 years. Because you can take it with you, the clock does not reset when you move, but the next home needs its own permission and registration.
To see how much daytime electricity you actually use, download your half-hourly data (how to download smart meter data) and run the calculator.
If the answer is no
Ask what would change it: a different position, no fixings, a shorter trial, or a written removal deposit. If the issue is the freeholder or the other owners rather than your landlord, the letter for them is a separate document in the pack. Do not fit a kit without consent. Breaching your agreement can cost more than the kit saves.
Not legal advice — a checklist, as of 18 October 2026. Tenancy and lease terms vary, and you should check your own agreement. For help with a dispute, contact Shelter or Citizens Advice.