Questions homeowners ask about getting out of a solar deal

How do I get out of my solar deal? The honest answer starts with the papers you signed. Below are straight, general answers to the questions homeowners ask most about solar loans, leases, and PPAs — getting out of a solar loan, what happens if you stop paying, what a UCC-1 filing is, what a company bankruptcy changes, and what our two workbooks do. Nothing here is legal advice; for that, a licensed attorney in your state is the right call. Your own documents decide what is open to you.

How do I get out of a solar loan?

There is no single switch: your signed loan papers control what is possible, and the usual routes are paying the loan off, transferring it to a buyer who agrees and qualifies, refinancing it, or raising specific problems documented in your paperwork. Which routes your loan allows is written in the loan itself — the payoff terms, the transfer rules, and the default clauses. Our two workbooks walk through your own papers clause by clause, so you can see which routes yours actually leaves open.

Can I cancel a solar loan after I signed?

Sometimes, but only inside a short window or on specific grounds. For a sale made at your home, federal law — the FTC Cooling-Off Rule — generally gives 3 business days to cancel, and the seller must give you a cancellation form. A federal right to cancel (called a rescission right) also exists for certain loans secured by your home. After those windows, it depends on the contract terms and the facts in your paperwork — a legal question for an attorney in your state.

What happens if I stop paying my solar loan?

The loan does not go away. Missed payments are generally reported to the credit bureaus, late fees and default interest can be added under the loan terms, and the lender can pursue the balance — and, for loans secured by the home or the system, can enforce that security. The exact consequences are spelled out in your loan’s default section. Stopping payment is the riskiest route, which is why reading that section of your own papers comes first.

How do you get out of a solar lease or PPA?

A lease or PPA (power purchase agreement — you pay for the power the panels make) usually ends only the ways the agreement allows: a buyout at the price or formula in the contract, a transfer to a home buyer the company approves, or the end of the term. Most run for many years, and many raise the price every year. The buyout clause, transfer rules, and end-of-term options are all in your agreement — the workbooks help you find each one in your copy.

My solar company went bankrupt. Do I still have to pay?

Usually, yes. A bankruptcy or shutdown of the installer or seller does not cancel a loan or lease you signed — those agreements are usually held or serviced by a different company, and the payment keeps coming due. What changes is who services the account and who honors warranties and monitoring. Your papers name the lender or lease owner, and the servicer can change over time; our bankruptcy guide explains how to find who holds yours now.

What is a UCC-1 fixture filing on solar panels?

It is a public notice, filed in land or central records, saying the solar system on the home belongs to someone else — the lease or finance company — until the deal is paid off or ends. Technically it is a notice of ownership, not a mortgage lien, but it can still slow a home sale or refinance until it is transferred or removed. After a payoff, the filing can be ended with a termination statement, called a UCC-3.

Is a UCC-1 filing a lien on my house?

No, not in the legal sense: a UCC-1 fixture filing is a notice that the panels are someone else’s property, not a lien against your home itself. In practice, though, title companies and buyers’ lenders often treat it like one, because the system cannot simply be sold with the house until the filing is dealt with. Whether a filing exists on your home is a matter of public record, and your financing papers usually say one will be filed.

Can I sell my house if I have a solar lease?

Yes, houses with solar leases sell — but the lease has to be dealt with at closing, usually by transferring it to the buyer with the company’s approval, or by buying it out. Buyers must agree to the lease payment and often must qualify with the lease company, which can narrow the pool of buyers. Your agreement’s transfer section sets the rules, fees, and timeline, so it is worth reading before you list the home.

What happens to my solar loan if I die?

The loan generally becomes a claim against the estate: the debt does not vanish, and the estate’s assets may be used to pay it before anything passes to family. A lease or PPA is handled under its own transfer and end-of-term terms. Family members are usually not personally responsible for a debt they did not sign, but the house and the system stay tied to the paperwork. An estate attorney in your state can explain how this works for your family.

Who pays the solar loan in a divorce?

Whoever the divorce decree assigns it to, as between the two of you — but the lender is not bound by the decree. If both names are on the loan, the lender can still look to either signer until the loan is paid off, refinanced into one name, or the home is sold. The loan papers show whose names are on the debt; the decree shows who was assigned to pay. Both documents matter, and a family-law attorney can connect them.

The salesperson promised me free solar and no more electric bills. My paperwork says something different. What now?

What you signed is what the companies will enforce, which is why the gap between the promises and the paperwork matters. Save everything: the proposal, the savings estimates, texts, and emails. The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported in August 2024 that dealer fees folded into solar loans typically run 10 to 30 percent of the cash price and can exceed 50 percent — one reason the financed amount surprises people. Our workbooks compare your papers against what you were told, line by line.

How do I request a payoff amount for my solar loan?

Ask the loan servicer — the company you send payments to — for a written payoff letter, and ask for a good-through date so the figure stays valid until a set day. Your loan papers and monthly statement name the servicer and its contact details; servicers can change, so use the name on your most recent statement. Keep the letter with your contract; it is one of the documents our workbooks ask you to gather first.

What documents should I gather before I do anything?

Start with the full signed contract and every addendum, the financing or lease disclosures, the sales proposal and any savings estimate you were shown, your production history if you have it, and recent utility bills. Add any letters, emails, or texts from the installer, lender, or servicer. Together these papers show what was promised, what was signed, and what it is costing you — and they are exactly what our two workbooks are built from.

What exactly am I buying from Exit My Solar Deal?

One package of two educational workbooks, built from the solar papers you provide: Your Actions, a do-it-yourself action workbook, and The In-Depth Version, a detailed findings workbook. They contain checklists, worksheets, and sample correspondence templates for your own use. Each book is delivered by email within 3–5 business days of purchase; delivery occurs after the 3-day cancellation window closes.

Are you a law firm? Is this legal advice?

No. Exit My Solar Deal is a publisher and retailer of educational workbooks. We are not a law firm, nothing we provide is legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. We do not contact lenders for you, negotiate, or represent you, and we promise no outcomes. The workbooks give you organized information about your own paperwork; for legal advice about your situation, a licensed attorney in your state is the right call.

Can I cancel my purchase from Exit My Solar Deal?

Yes — within 3 business days of purchase, for a full refund. Your purchase agreement gives you that right on every purchase, however the sale was made — the same 3-business-day window federal law (the FTC Cooling-Off Rule) and Texas law (Chapter 601) give buyers in sales made at their home. Your exact deadline is in your agreement. After the deadline, all sales are final. The full terms are on the Terms of Service page.