Your situation
Plug-in solar for leasehold flats
Solar on a leasehold flat: why you need freeholder or managing agent consent for plug-in solar, the building rules, and output by balcony direction.
PVGIS solar data
The numbers
Estimated yearly output of a typical 890 Wp kit (800W cap), from PVGIS solar data for each place. Get yours.
| Setup | London | Manchester | Edinburgh |
|---|---|---|---|
| South-facing, vertical (balcony railing) | 661 kWh | 575 kWh | 607 kWh |
| West-facing, vertical (balcony railing) | 444 kWh67% of the first row | 395 kWh69% of the first row | 399 kWh66% of the first row |
| South-facing, tilted 15° (flat roof or terrace) | 846 kWh128% of the first row | 740 kWh129% of the first row | 742 kWh122% of the first row |
Owning a leasehold flat means you own the flat, but usually not the external walls, balconies or roof. Those normally belong to the freeholder, so a plug-in kit fixed to them needs the freeholder’s agreement. The figures above compare the positions leaseholders most often have.
Rules and permissions
Freeholder or managing agent consent. The DESNZ product specification says users “are responsible for obtaining any necessary permissions from the property owner, landlord, freeholder, managing agent or relevant authority prior to installation including agreeing how any costs associated with installation will be apportioned” (IPS §8.3.1). The government’s guidance says leaseholders and residents in managed buildings should get any permissions needed, and that approval is a matter for freeholders (government response, p.33; DESNZ). The 2026 rules created no new right for leaseholders to install. Your lease will say what alterations need consent. If it’s unclear, ask your managing agent before you buy. Our landlord permission guide covers what to ask for.
Cladding and balcony rules. Kits must not go on timber balconies, timber cladding, ACM, MCM or HPL cladding systems, or on buildings undergoing external wall remediation (IPS §5.8). Your managing agent should know what the external walls are made of.
Planning in England. Plug-in solar on a block of flats is permitted development, except on a listed block, on wooden walls, balconies or enclosures, or on timber-clad parts. In conservation areas, nothing may go on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure that fronts a road (SI 2026/896). Listed blocks may also need listed building consent (s.7). We found no plug-in-specific planning change in Scotland or Wales.
One kit per flat, registered. Each flat with its own consumer unit counts as one household and can have one kit (IPS §3.3). Register it with your DNO; see how to register.
What to look for
- A clear request. Freeholders are more likely to agree to something specific: the exact kit, where it goes, how it’s fixed, and confirmation that nothing is drilled and it can be removed.
- Non-permanent mounting. The specification requires mountings to be reversible and non-permanent, and not held by cable ties, rope, tape or straps alone (IPS §5.5.1).
- Shared roofs. A flat roof or terrace may be common parts even if only you can reach it. Check before using it.
- Your socket and wiring. The plug must go straight into a fixed socket inside your flat. See sockets and wiring.
- Insurance. The building insurance is usually the freeholder’s. Ask whether the kit affects it, and check your own contents cover. See insurance.