Moving House? What Happens to Your Solar and Battery

When you sell a home, the solar panels, inverter and home battery almost always stay with it. They are fixed to the roof, wired into the switchboard and connected to the network at that address, so moving them is rarely practical. The useful work is making the handover clean: gathering the documents, releasing the monitoring app and closing your accounts properly. If you are the buyer, it means checking the system's condition before you commit.

Solar and batteries usually form part of the sale

Permanently attached equipment is generally treated as a fixture that passes to the buyer unless the contract says otherwise. If you plan to keep anything, raise it with your conveyancer or solicitor early so the contract of sale lists it as an exclusion. They are the right people to advise on contract wording. Our role is to explain what removing equipment would physically involve. If the system is under a lease, finance agreement or power purchase agreement, tell your conveyancer early, because that agreement may need to be paid out or transferred.

A working system can be a genuine selling point, particularly when buyers can see lower bills. There is no set formula for how much value it adds, so we suggest giving your agent facts rather than savings claims: system size, installation date, equipment brands, remaining warranty periods and twelve months of electricity bills.

The handover pack a buyer will want

Pull these together before listing. They answer most buyer questions and save the new owner a lot of chasing later:

• The Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW) issued when the system was installed
• The installer's details and the system design or single-line diagram
• Panel, inverter and battery model and serial numbers
• Manufacturer warranty documents and the installer's workmanship warranty terms
• Network connection approval, including any export limit
• The shutdown procedure and the location of the isolators
• Any recent service, inspection or cleaning reports

If paperwork has gone missing, the original installer can often reissue copies.

Passing on warranties, monitoring and accounts

Manufacturer product warranties generally follow the equipment, but some manufacturers ask new owners to register the change of ownership, so check each brand's terms. Workmanship warranties depend on the original installer's conditions.

Monitoring is where handovers most often go wrong. The inverter or battery app is linked to your personal account, and the monitoring gateway connects through your Wi-Fi. Before you leave, remove or transfer the site in the app rather than factory-resetting anything, and give the buyer what they need to claim it. Once your internet service is disconnected, the system will show as offline even though it keeps generating, and the new owner simply reconnects the gateway to their own network. If a gateway is damaged or no longer supported, a Replacement Monitoring Gateway is listed in our energy market from $290 (indicative).

Other arrangements to close or hand over:

• Your electricity account. Feed-in credits settle on your final bill. The buyer arranges their own plan, and the meter stays with the house.
• Virtual Power Plant enrolment. A VPP agreement is usually with you, not the property. Check the exit terms and tell the buyer the battery will need to be enrolled again if they want to join.
• Care plans and service agreements. Ask whether they end at sale or can be transferred.

Why relocating panels or a battery is rarely worth it

Owners who have recently invested in a battery sometimes ask whether they can take it with them. It is possible, but the numbers rarely stack up:

You pay for labour twice, the new site may suit different equipment, and warranty terms may be affected by reinstallation. A relocated battery is also not a new installation, so don't assume it will attract the federal battery discount again. In most cases, leaving the system for the buyer and designing a new one around the new home works out better. If you are moving to a rental or an apartment where a new system may not be possible, a portable power station can keep small essentials running in an outage, although it is no substitute for a home battery.

Buying a home that already has solar

An existing system is a bonus, but it isn't automatically in good shape. Before you exchange contracts, work through these checks:

1. Age of the inverter. String inverters commonly last around 10-15 years, so an older unit may need replacing soon.
2. Documents. Ask for the handover pack above. Missing compliance paperwork is worth raising.
3. Monitoring access. Confirm the seller will release the app so you can see how the system actually performs.
4. Visible condition. From the ground, look for cracked panels, sagging cables, discoloured isolator enclosures or signs of birds nesting underneath.
5. Roof condition. If the roof will need replacing soon, removing and reinstalling the panels adds to that job's cost.
6. Size versus your needs. A small, older system may not suit a household with an EV or plans for more appliances.
7. Battery readiness. Find out whether the inverter can accept a battery or whether an AC-coupled battery or hybrid inverter would be needed. Our solar batteries page explains both paths.

For peace of mind, a fixed-price on-site system check ($249 for residential systems up to 10 kW) or a System Performance Audit (from $390) gives you a written report. Both prices are indicative. Once you have moved in, the solar and battery calculator helps you see whether the system suits your household.

Next steps

Whether you are leaving a system behind or inheriting one, our team can inspect it, restore the monitoring and advise on upgrades such as a battery. If you are planning solar for your new home, request a quote and we will arrange an in-home assessment, then design around your roof and usage. Incentive values step down over time, so we confirm them at quote and prices remain indicative until the assessment.

Frequently asked questions

Should I have my solar serviced before I sell?

It is not required, but it can help. A clean array, a recent inspection report and working monitoring show buyers the system has been looked after, and they reduce the chance of a problem being raised during negotiations. If the inverter is showing error codes, having it diagnosed before listing is usually better than leaving buyers to guess what they mean. Keep the report with your handover documents.

What if the solar stops working soon after I move in?

Note any error message on the inverter display or in the app once monitoring is reconnected, and don't open isolators or enclosures. If the manufacturer warranty is still current, equipment faults are generally claimed through the installer or manufacturer, and your conveyancer can advise on anything relating to the contract. A professional fault diagnosis visit identifies the cause and explains what a repair would involve.

Does a buyer need to reapply to connect the solar to the grid?

Generally no. The network approval relates to the connection at that address, and the system stays connected when ownership changes. The buyer does need an electricity account with a plan that suits a solar home, including a feed-in tariff. If the system is later expanded or a battery is added, a new network application is usually needed, and the installer handles that as part of the work.