Owned vs Leased Solar: Who Repairs It and How to Tell (2026)
If you make a monthly payment to a solar company or its successor, you lease, as about 45% of 2024 US home solar buyers did (Wood Mackenzie), and that company must repair the system.
If you paid cash or pay a lender, you own it, and repairs are yours to arrange with manufacturer warranty parts.
An owned solar system is one the homeowner bought with cash or a loan and holds title to; a leased or PPA system is owned by a financing company that keeps the panels on the homeowner's roof in exchange for a monthly payment or a per-kilowatt-hour rate, and that company is responsible for repairs.
How to tell whether you own or lease your solar panels
| Check | Owned (cash or loan) | Leased or PPA |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly bill | To a lender (GoodLeap, Mosaic, Sunlight, a credit union) or no bill | To the solar company or its successor (SunStrong, Renewbrook, Sunrun) |
| Contract title | Purchase agreement, loan agreement | Lease, power purchase agreement, solar service agreement |
| Tax credit | You claimed the federal credit | The financing company claimed it |
| UCC filing on the property | Sometimes, for the loan | Usually, naming the lessor as owner of the equipment |
| Who repairs it | You, with manufacturer warranty parts | The lessor, under the lease |
| Selling the house | System conveys with the house | Buyer must assume the lease or you buy it out |
Common signs of each arrangement. Your contract is the final word.
Know what the system needs? Call the line for the job: solar repair, new equipment, or roof work.
Third-party ownership (leases and PPAs) was 45% of US residential solar sales in 2024, according to Wood Mackenzie, so roughly half of the people whose installer failed are lease customers whose repairs are someone else's job. The other half own a system nobody is responsible for.
Who is responsible for repairs on a leased solar system
The lessor. The lease makes the financing company responsible for maintenance, monitoring and production, and most leases carry a production guarantee that pays you if the system underperforms. When the original company fails, the lease portfolio is sold and the buyer inherits that duty. That is why Sunnova customers now call SunStrong, and why PosiGen customers hear from Renewbrook or SunStrong. If the servicer is slow, report the problem in writing, cite the production guarantee, and keep paying; stopping payments breaks the contract and does not speed up the repair.
Who is responsible for repairs on an owned solar system
You are. The manufacturer owes you replacement parts under the equipment warranty for the term in the warranty table, and nothing else. Labor, diagnosis and anything outside the equipment (racking, wiring, roof flashing, the monitoring gateway) are yours to pay for once the installer is gone. A diagnostic visit runs $100 to $500 in published 2026 ranges; the cost tables list every common job with sources.
Paid cash or pay a lender, and the installer is gone? Pick the line for the job: repair, new equipment, or roof work.
What a solar lease means when you sell the house
The buyer has to qualify with the lessor and assume the lease, or you pay the buyout price. Lessors publish transfer processes (SunStrong has a sell-my-home process for Sunnova accounts). A UCC-1 filing naming the lessor as owner of the equipment is normal and is not a lien on the house, though some lenders ask for a subordination letter. The buying and selling guide covers both sides.
Can I buy out my solar lease
Usually, after a minimum period (often five to seven years) and at a price set by the contract, which is typically the greater of the remaining payments discounted or the system's appraised value. The buyout converts a leased system into an owned one, which means you take over repairs. With an orphaned installer, that is worth weighing: the lessor's service obligation is the one thing a lease customer has that an owner does not.
Questions people ask
How do I know if my solar panels are leased or owned?
Check who you pay. A monthly payment to a solar company or SunStrong, Renewbrook or Sunrun means a lease or PPA. A payment to a lender, or no payment, means you own the system.
Who fixes leased solar panels when the company goes out of business?
The company that bought the lease portfolio. Sunnova and legacy SunPower leases are serviced by SunStrong Management; most PosiGen leases by Renewbrook through Omnidian.
Do I still pay my solar lease if the company went bankrupt?
Yes. The lease is an asset the bankruptcy sells, and the buyer takes over billing and service. Stopping payment breaches the contract. Pay as usual until the new servicer sends instructions.
Is a solar lease a lien on my house?
No. The lessor files a UCC-1 fixture filing that names it as owner of the equipment, not a lien on the property. Some mortgage lenders ask the lessor for a subordination letter at sale or refinance.
What percentage of home solar is leased?
Third-party-owned systems (leases and PPAs) were 45% of US residential solar sales in 2024, the highest share since 2016, according to Wood Mackenzie.
Not sure what the system needs? Call the solar repair line and describe what the app or inverter shows; roof work goes to the roof line.
- 1Call the line
- 2It rings a local company
- 3They give you the price
Roof, new equipment or solar repair. One call.
Have the inverter brand, your installer's name and the address ready. The company will ask about the job and quote its visit fee before anything is booked. Free call to an independent company in your area that takes this kind of work.