Your situation
Plug-in solar for renters
Can renters get plug-in solar? You need your landlord's permission: there's no new legal right. Output compared for balcony, garden and flat-roof setups.
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 |
| South-facing, tilted 30° (garden stand) | 899 kWh136% of the first row | 783 kWh136% of the first row | 795 kWh131% of the first row |
| East-facing, vertical | 464 kWh70% of the first row | 408 kWh71% of the first row | 405 kWh67% of the first row |
Plug-in solar is the first kind of solar most renters can realistically own: it plugs into a socket, it’s designed to be removed, and it can move house with you. But it isn’t something you can put up without asking. The figures above compare the setups renters most often have access to.
Rules and permissions
Ask your landlord first, in writing. The plug-in solar law (SI 2026/848) and the new planning rules (SI 2026/896) don’t give tenants any right to install a kit (SI 2026/848; SI 2026/896). 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 says it’s up to landlords whether to agree (DESNZ; government response, p.33). You’ll sometimes read that landlords “can’t unreasonably refuse”; we haven’t found a primary source for that. Our landlord permission guide covers what to ask for.
If you rent a flat, the landlord may also need the freeholder’s or managing agent’s consent. The building rules on flats apply too: no timber balconies, and no timber, ACM, MCM or HPL cladding (IPS §5.8).
Planning and listed buildings. Planning permission and listed building consent are the user’s responsibility, as well as the owner’s permission (IPS §8.3.1). In England, most small kits fall under permitted development (see planning permission).
Insurance. The specification also tells users to check whether the kit affects any insurance (IPS §8.3.1). That means your contents insurance and possibly your landlord’s buildings cover. See insurance.
Registering, and moving out. You must notify the DNO when you install a kit and when you remove it permanently (Ofgem). When you move, deregister at the old address and register again at the new one. See how to register.
What to look for
- Nothing drilled. A landlord is more likely to say yes to a kit that clamps to a railing or stands on the ground than one that needs holes in a wall. Mountings must be reversible and non-permanent anyway, but must not rely on cable ties, rope, tape or straps alone (IPS §5.5.1, §8.3.2).
- Portability. Think about where the kit would go in your next home. A kit with an adjustable mount works in more places than one made for a single railing type.
- The electrics. You can’t change the consumer unit yourself. Check whether it has modern RCD protection, and if not, raise it with your landlord. See sockets and wiring.
- Payback within your tenancy. If you expect to move soon and aren’t sure you can take the kit with you, weigh the payback period against how long you’ll stay.