Owned systemGoes with the houseAnd usually adds resale value
Leased systemBuyer must qualifyThe solar company approves the transfer
PACE balanceWritten disclosure requiredFlorida Statute 163.081
When to startThe day you listNot the week of closing

The short answer

A Florida home with solar sells like any other home, with one extra step: sorting out the system's paperwork. If the panels are owned outright, they're part of the house and usually help the price. If they're leased, financed or paid for through a PACE assessment, there's an agreement or a recorded filing that has to be transferred, paid off or disclosed before closing.

None of that has to derail a sale. What derails sales is finding out late. Sellers should contact the solar company when they list, and buyers should ask for the actual solar agreement before they make an offer firm.

First: what kind of solar is it?

Everything else depends on this. Don't rely on the listing or on memory; pull the original agreement.

How it was paid forWhat happens at a saleWhat to watch
Owned outrightIt's part of the house and goes with the sale.Hand over warranties, permits and production history.
Solar loan secured by the equipmentUsually paid off at closing, like a mortgage, unless the lender lets a qualified buyer assume it.A UCC-1 or fixture filing may show up in the title search until it's paid.
Unsecured solar loanIt's your personal debt, so it stays with you, not the house.The system itself conveys with the home.
LeaseThe buyer takes it over once the solar company approves them, or the seller buys it out.The monthly payment, any annual increase and the years left all transfer with it.
PACE assessmentIt stays on the property tax bill unless paid off, and the seller must disclose it in writing.An FHA-financed purchase requires it to be paid off.

If a Florida system is described as a "PPA" or power purchase agreement, check the paperwork. Florida doesn't allow PPAs for rooftop solar, so it is almost certainly a lease.

Selling a home with solar

  1. Gather the paperwork before you list. The solar agreement, the separate disclosure statement Florida has required since 2017, permits, warranties, and 12 months of production data and utility bills. Buyers and their lenders will ask for all of it.
  2. Call the solar company's transfer team when you list, not when you accept an offer. Lease transfers need the solar company, the buyer and the title company to coordinate, and they move at the solar company's pace. Sunnova's seller FAQ, for example, said the seller stays responsible for payments until every transfer step is done, including receipt of the recorded deed.
  3. Decide on transfer, buyout or payoff. A buyer who wants the system can take over the lease if approved. A buyer who doesn't can ask you to buy out or prepay the lease, or pay off a secured loan, usually from the sale proceeds.
  4. Disclose it up front. Florida courts require sellers to disclose known facts that materially affect a home's value and aren't readily observable (Johnson v. Davis, 1985). Talk to your agent or attorney about exactly what to disclose, but a lease, loan or PACE balance tied to the system will surface in the title search anyway, and it's far better raised at listing than at closing.
  5. Clear any past-due balance. Expect a solar company not to complete a transfer while the account is behind.

UCC-1 filings, explained

A UCC-1 financing statement is a public notice filed by a leasing company or lender saying it owns, or holds a security interest in, the solar equipment. It is not a mortgage on your house. Its job is to tell title companies and future lenders that the panels belong to someone else, or secure someone else's loan.

Title companies will find it, and that's where many sales get nervous. It doesn't have to block anything. Sunnova's own seller FAQ described the standard process: work with the title company, buyer and lender to release the filing for the sale, then refile it once the buyer has formally taken over the agreement. Florida's solar disclosure law also requires the original contract to state whether a UCC-1 or fixture filing will be recorded, so check your disclosure statement first.

House key with a house-shaped keychain resting on closing paperwork beside a pen
Most solar surprises at closing come from paperwork nobody pulled early: the lease, a UCC-1 filing, or a PACE balance.

PACE at closing

PACE financing is repaid as an assessment on your property tax bill, which means it stays with the property, not with you, unless it's paid off. Two rules matter when a Florida home with PACE is sold:

  • Florida requires a written disclosure. Under Florida Statute 163.081, which has covered residential PACE since 2024, a seller must give the prospective buyer a written statement, in the contract or a separate writing, that the property is subject to a PACE assessment, at or before the time the seller signs the sale contract.
  • FHA requires it to be paid off. Since HUD's Mortgagee Letter 2017-18, FHA won't insure a mortgage on a home that still carries a PACE obligation. In an FHA-financed purchase, the PACE balance has to be paid off at or before closing, usually by the seller.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac also won't buy a mortgage on a home with a PACE lien that can take priority over it. Our guide to PACE financing in Florida covers payoff and the rest of the rules.

Buying a home with solar: what to check

  • The actual agreement. Owned, financed, leased or PACE, and in the owner's name or the company's.
  • For a lease: the full terms. The monthly payment, any annual increase, how many years are left, what maintenance is included, and what the solar company needs from you to approve the transfer. Transfers usually require a credit check; Sunrun says its check is a soft inquiry, while other companies have used a hard inquiry.
  • Who services it today. If the system came from Sunnova or SunPower, both went through bankruptcy, and SunStrong Management now services their existing customers.
  • Twelve months of production and utility bills. A system can fail silently for months. Compare production to the same months a year earlier; our guide to why a solar bill stays high covers what to look for.
  • Warranties. Manufacturer warranties on panels and inverters generally stay with the equipment. An installer's workmanship warranty is only as good as the installer still being in business.
  • The roof under the panels. Its age affects both insurability and whether the panels will need to come off for a reroof soon. See our solar and insurance guide.
  • The utility and its credit rate. What the system saves depends heavily on the utility. Check the rate in our net metering guide, and ask the utility what you'll need to file as the new account holder.
  • The title search. Look for a UCC-1 filing or a PACE assessment, and ask your agent or attorney whether to make the purchase contingent on the solar company approving the lease transfer.

Does solar add value to a Florida home?

For owned systems, the research says yes. Zillow's 2019 analysis found homes with solar sold for about 4.1 percent more nationally, with Florida among the top 10 states for that premium, and an earlier Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study put the premium for an average-sized system at roughly $15,000. Florida also excludes the added value of a residential solar system from your property tax assessment.

Leased systems are a different story. The buyer isn't getting equipment, they're taking on a payment, and some buyers would rather not. That's not a reason a leased home can't sell, but it's a reason to price and disclose it realistically. Our worth-it guide has more on the numbers.

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Common questions

Can I sell my house in Florida if I have leased solar panels?

Yes. The usual path is for the buyer to take over the lease once the solar company approves them. You can also buy out or prepay the lease so the buyer gets the system free and clear. Contact the solar company's transfer team as soon as you list, because the approval runs on their schedule, not yours.

Do solar panels increase home value in Florida?

Owned systems generally do. Zillow's 2019 analysis found homes with solar sold for about 4.1 percent more nationally and listed Florida among the top 10 states for that premium, and Florida excludes the added value of a residential solar system from your property tax assessment. Leased systems usually don't add the same value, because the buyer takes on a monthly payment rather than owning the equipment.

Does a buyer have to qualify to take over a solar lease?

Usually, yes. The solar company typically runs a credit check on the buyer before approving the transfer. Sunrun says its transfer check is a soft inquiry that doesn't affect the buyer's credit score. Other companies have used a hard inquiry, and some have let a buyer who doesn't meet the threshold post a deposit instead.

What is a UCC-1 filing, and will it stop my home sale?

A UCC-1 is a public notice that a leasing company or lender has an interest in the solar equipment. It isn't a mortgage on the house, but title companies will flag it. It doesn't have to block a sale: solar companies commonly release the filing for closing and refile it once the buyer has taken over the agreement.

What happens to a PACE assessment when I sell my Florida home?

It stays with the property on the tax bill unless it's paid off. Florida law requires the seller to give the buyer a written PACE disclosure at or before signing the sale contract. FHA won't insure a mortgage on a home that still carries a PACE obligation, so in an FHA-financed sale it has to be paid off at or before closing. Ask the buyer's lender early.

What should I ask for before buying a house with solar?

Ask for the actual solar agreement, not a summary. Check whether the system is owned, financed, leased or on a PACE assessment, the monthly payment, any annual increase, years remaining, who services it today, 12 months of production data and utility bills, the warranties, and the age of the roof under the panels. Have the title search checked for a UCC-1 or PACE assessment.

Who services a Sunnova or SunPower solar system now?

SunStrong Management. It took over servicing SunPower's existing lease customers after SunPower's 2024 bankruptcy, and Sunnova's customers after Sunnova's assets were sold in 2025. If you're selling or buying a home with one of these systems, the transfer runs through SunStrong.

Does the utility's net metering rate transfer with the house?

Ask the utility directly before closing. The utility account moves to the new owner, and rules on what the new owner must file, and whether any older grandfathered credit rate stays with the home, vary by utility. For example, OUC keeps full retail credit through 2045 for systems connected by June 30, 2025, so a buyer in OUC territory should confirm how that applies after a sale.

This page is general information, not legal or financial advice. For a specific sale or purchase, talk to a Florida real estate attorney, your title company and your lender. Sources: Florida Statute 163.081 · Florida Statute 520.23 · HUD Mortgagee Letter 2017-18 · Sunrun: buying a home with Sunrun solar · Sunnova transfer FAQ · pv magazine: SunStrong takes over Sunnova systems · Aurora Solar: Zillow and Berkeley Lab home value research

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