What to Do When a Solar Panel Installation Goes Wrong

Solar PV is having a moment. UK solar capacity has now passed 15 GW, and homeowners are signing up for new installs in record numbers as energy bills stay stubbornly high and the Smart Export Guarantee makes generating your own power genuinely worthwhile. The vast majority of those installations go smoothly, the panels go up, the system does what it says on the tin, and the homeowner gets on with enjoying lower bills.

But not every install ends that way. Some homeowners find themselves dealing with delays, defective workmanship, missing certification, or an installer who has stopped responding to calls. And when something does go wrong with a solar installation, knowing where to start can feel surprisingly murky. Here’s a practical guide to your options. 

Why things sometimes go wrong

Solar has grown fast, and so has the number of installers entering the market. Some are highly experienced. Others are newer, less consistent, or in some cases not certified at all. The work itself is also more complex than it looks from the ground. A typical install involves scaffolding, roof access, electrical wiring, an inverter, possibly a battery, and a connection to the grid via your Distribution Network Operator (DNO).

Each of those stages has its own way of going sideways if the installer cuts corners, gets out of their depth, or simply rushes the job. If you’d like a refresher on what a normal install actually looks like, the Hub’s guide to how solar panels are installed in the UK walks through it step by step.

Your first line of defence: choosing well

The single biggest thing you can do to avoid problems is to choose a properly accredited installer in the first place. Look for MCS certification, the UK’s quality mark for small-scale renewables. This certification is a requirement if you want to claim under the Smart Export Guarantee, and many home insurers and mortgage lenders now insist on it too. MCS-certified installers also have to be members of a consumer code, which gives you an extra layer of protection if a dispute arises.

Get everything in writing before work starts: the system specification, the price, the timeline, the warranty, and what happens if something goes wrong. Our guide to choosing a solar installer covers what to look for in detail.

First steps when something goes wrong

If you’ve spotted a problem, start by raising it with the installer in writing. Email is best, because it gives you a paper trail. Be specific about what’s gone wrong, when you noticed it, and what you’d like them to do to put it right. Keep photographs, dates, and copies of all correspondence.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, services have to be carried out with reasonable care and skill, in a reasonable time, and for a reasonable price. If your installer hasn’t met that standard, you can ask them to redo the work, or ask for a price reduction. A clear written request, citing the Act, often gets a constructive response, and reputable installers won’t want a dispute any more than you.

When to consider legal advice

Most cases are sorted out at this stage, but if your installer isn’t part of an approved scheme, the work has caused damage to your property, you’ve paid significant sums and the installer has gone quiet, or if the contract itself has been fundamentally breached, formal legal advice may be the more direct route.

A solicitor can review your contract, advise on whether you have a viable claim under contract law or the Consumer Rights Act, send a formal letter before action, and if necessary represent you in court. Cases involving substantial sums, damaged property, or installer insolvency tend to benefit from early legal input rather than late, because the right protective steps, such as preserving evidence and putting the installer on notice, are easier to take while events are still recent. 

For complex cases seeking advice from a building disputes solicitor can help you understand your options before committing to a course of action. Firms such as George Ide, which handles contractor and building disputes alongside its wider civil litigation work, will typically offer an initial consultation to help you work out whether legal action is proportionate to the issue at hand.

Alternative dispute resolution

If the situation doesn’t yet warrant legal action, or you’d prefer to try a faster, lower-cost route first, alternative dispute resolution is worth considering. As of January 2026, complaints about Renewable Energy Consumer Code (RECC) member installers are now handled by Green Homes Dispute Resolution (GHDR), a free and independent service for homeowners with problems involving renewable energy systems and EV chargepoints. GHDR investigates the complaint, makes a decision, and where it finds against the business, sets firm deadlines for putting things right.

The service is free for consumers and covers more than 5,500 member businesses across the UK. It’s a much faster and cheaper route than the courts, and for many homeowner disputes it’s a sensible place to start once the initial complaint to the installer hasn’t worked.

A footnote of reassurance

The picture isn’t bleak. The overwhelming majority of solar installations across the UK go up without incident, run reliably for decades, and pay back their cost many times over in lower bills and SEG income. The protections that exist, MCS, consumer codes, GHDR, the Consumer Rights Act, all sit there because the industry takes quality seriously. Knowing how those protections work simply means that if the unlikely happens, you’re not starting from scratch.