Should I buy a house with leased solar panels in Florida?

You can, but read the lease first. You'll usually have to qualify with the solar company, payments may rise each year, and ending it early can be costly. Get the transfer terms written into your purchase contract.

Do solar panels transfer to the new owner?

Owned panels come with the house. Financed systems are usually paid off at closing, and leased systems must be taken over by the buyer or paid off by the seller.

Is Babcock Ranch off the grid?

No. Babcock Ranch is powered by FPL's nearby solar plant and FPL's grid, which supplies power at night and on cloudy days from FPL's other plants.

Can you get a mortgage on a house with leased solar panels?

Usually, yes, but Fannie Mae's guidance says leased panels may not count toward the appraised value, and the lease payment may count in your debt-to-income ratio. Give your lender the full lease early.

How do I transfer an Enphase solar system to my name?

File Enphase's change-of-ownership request. Enphase says it moves the product warranty and monitoring account to you; check the deadline and fee in its warranty terms.

Buying a Florida Home With Solar: What to Ask

Quick answer

First find out whether the panels are owned, financed or leased. Owned panels come with the house; a lease or loan has to be paid off or taken over, which can mean a credit check and higher payments over time. Ask for the contract, warranties, a year of bills and production, and the utility's approval, and have the transfer terms written into your purchase contract.

Are the solar panels owned, financed or leased?

This matters more than anything else. Florida Realtors advises finding out whether the panels are owned, financed or leased before you sign a contract, noting that panels are almost always considered fixtures.

Owned and paid off: the system comes with the house, and you get all the savings.
Financed: the seller usually pays off the loan at closing, which also releases any UCC filing on the equipment.
Leased: the solar company owns the system. The FTC notes that with a lease or power agreement the company keeps the incentives, leases can run 20 years and some payments rise each year, and you still pay the utility's fixed charges.

What happens if I take over a solar lease?

You'll typically have to qualify with the solar company, and the lease terms carry over to you. Florida Realtors recommends an attorney-drafted clause in the purchase contract covering the transfer, deadlines and what happens if the transfer is delayed or denied, and warns that ending a lease early can be expensive.

Leasing companies change hands too. Lennar's SunStreet, which leased solar on homes in some Florida communities, was sold to Sunnova in 2021, and Sunnova filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2025. Ask who services the lease now and get their contact information. See solar lease vs. buy in Florida.

What documents should I ask the seller for?

The purchase, loan or lease contract, and Florida's solar disclosure form if one was signed at the original sale.
Equipment warranties for panels, inverters and any battery, plus the installer's workmanship warranty and whether they transfer.
The building permit and final inspection, and the utility's net metering approval.
At least 12 months of electric bills and the system's production history from the monitoring app.
Any roof work done since the panels went on.

Title searches don't always catch solar UCC filings, so ask about them directly. See does solar increase home value in Florida.

Do I need to do anything with the utility after closing?

Yes. Net metering is tied to the account, so after you open service in your name, contact FPL, Duke Energy Florida or Tampa Electric to make sure the system's interconnection and net metering stay in place. FPL's process requires an interconnection agreement and a bi-directional meter for any net-metered system. See Florida net metering.

Will a solar lease or loan affect my mortgage?

It can. Fannie Mae's appraisal guidance says leased or power-purchase panels may not be included in the home's appraised value, while owned or financed panels can add value if the appraiser supports it. A lease or a separate solar loan payment may also count toward your debt-to-income ratio, depending on how it's structured.

Florida Realtors advises having the title company check for a UCC-1 financing statement or lien tied to the panels before closing. Give your lender the full lease or loan papers early so there are no surprises at underwriting. See solar loans in Florida.

How do I transfer the monitoring app and warranties?

Enphase: the new owner files a change-of-ownership request, which Enphase says moves the product warranty and the system's monitoring account to the new owner; check the deadline and fee in the warranty terms.
Tesla: ownership moves after closing, once the new homeowner contacts Tesla; financed systems also go through the lender.
Other brands: ask the seller for the installer's contact details and the inverter or battery maker's account information.

Ask the seller to start the transfer before closing, so you can see the system's production history from day one.

Do new Florida homes come with solar?

Some have. In Babcock Ranch, often called a solar town, the power comes from FPL's 74.5-megawatt solar plant next door, which has a battery added in 2018; homes are on FPL's grid and draw from FPL's other plants at night or on cloudy days. Lennar offered leased solar through SunStreet in some Florida communities around 2017.

Builder solar is growing again around Orlando. GrowthSpotter reported in October 2026 that every home in Lennar's Bridgewalk community includes rooftop solar, and that Lennar is joining Sunbridge in Osceola County, where homes are required to have a Tesla solar roof or a rooftop system. Developer Tavistock has said Sunbridge homes get at least a 4.25 kW system, with batteries as an upgrade.

If you're buying new and want solar, ask the builder whether it's owned or leased, who services it, and whether adding panels later affects the roof warranty. Florida's solar rights law still applies in new HOA communities. See Florida HOA solar rules.

Sources

This guide is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice. Incentive programs change, so confirm current terms with your installer, your utility and a tax professional.

Buying a Florida home with solar: what to ask