How to Cancel a Solar Panel Contract in the UK (2026 Rights Guide)
How to Cancel a Solar Panel Contract in the UK (2026 Rights Guide)
⚡ The short version
Signed a solar contract and want out? If you agreed it at home, over the phone or online, you can usually cancel for any reason within 14 days of signing, and the installer then has 14 days to refund you. If they never gave you proper cancellation details, that window can stretch by up to 12 months. Any finance has its own 14-day exit. After that, you’ll need to show mis-selling, a breach of contract or poor workmanship. Below you’ll find how to count your days, a letter you can copy, what to do about finance and your deposit, and your options if the installer digs in.
It usually hits the morning after. The sales visit ran long, the “today only” price felt like a bargain at 9pm, and now the paperwork looks like a £7,000 commitment you’re not sure you can afford. Or it’s a finance deal with an APR you didn’t really take in, or a rent-a-roof lease that’s now holding up your house sale.
UK consumer law gives you more room to back out than most people expect, but it rewards speed, and the installer won’t volunteer the rules. This guide explains which rules apply to your situation, how to cancel properly and what to do if the installer pushes back. It’s general information, not legal advice. If a lot of money is at stake, the Citizens Advice consumer service is free (numbers are in the escalation section).
The 14-day cooling-off period
If you agreed the contract at your home or workplace, anywhere that isn’t the installer’s own premises, or by phone or online, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 let you cancel for any reason, or none. That includes visits you invited yourself to get a quote. It doesn’t cover a contract signed in the installer’s own showroom or office after you went there on your own initiative, though the routes further down may still help.
How to count your 14 days
Day one is the day after you sign. Sign on 1 October and your window closes at the end of 15 October. What counts is when you send your notice, not when the installer reads it, so send it the day you decide. If it ever ends up in dispute, it’s up to you to prove you cancelled in time, which is why the steps below use email plus recorded post.
For a supply-and-fit contract there’s a second possible deadline. The law treats a contract covering both goods and installation as a “sales contract”, and for those the window can run until 14 days after the equipment is delivered to you. Some installers’ own terms mention a “second cancellation period” for this reason. I wouldn’t rely on it: count from signing, send your notice inside that and keep the longer window as a fallback if you’ve already missed the first.
When your window is longer than 14 days
Before you’re bound by a contract made away from the installer’s premises, they must give you clear written information about your right to cancel, including a cancellation form, and a copy of the signed contract. If they didn’t, your cancellation period is extended by up to 12 months. You also owe nothing for any work done in that time, and failing to give the notice is a criminal offence for the trader. Check your paperwork for a cancellation form. If there isn’t one, say so in your letter.
⚠️ The early-start trap: An installer can only start work inside your cooling-off period if you ask them to, and for a home sale that request has to be in writing or by email. Many contracts hide a tick-box for it. If you did ask and then cancel, you pay a fair proportion of the price for what’s been done up to the moment you cancel. If you didn’t ask, or you were never given proper cancellation details, you owe nothing for work done in the window. Be wary of an installer in a hurry: a typical install takes 4 to 8 weeks from first call to a live system, as our guide to how long a UK solar install takes explains, so there’s rarely a good reason to be on your roof in week one.
Some rogue installers fit everything in the first few days, then say the contract is “fulfilled” and can’t be cancelled. Don’t accept that at face value. The right to cancel is lost on full performance only if you asked for the work to start early and acknowledged that you’d lose the right, and that rule is written for service contracts, while a supply-and-fit deal counts as a sales contract. Installers also sometimes argue that fitted panels are “made to order” or “inseparably mixed” with your roof, which is open to challenge for standard panels that can be unbolted. If work has already finished, send your notice anyway and ring Citizens Advice.
How to cancel, step by step
If you’re inside the window, do this today. All of it is free.
- Find your dates. Note the day you signed, the day any equipment arrived and the day work started, if it has. Count 14 days from the day after signing.
- Put it in writing. Email the installer and send a copy by recorded delivery. Any clear statement that you’re cancelling works, and the model form in the regulations is optional. The template below will do.
- Say what you want. Ask for written confirmation, for all work and equipment orders to stop, and for a refund of everything you’ve paid, by the same payment method, within 14 days of them receiving your notice.
- Tell the lender. If you used finance, write to the lender too. The installer is supposed to pass your cancellation on, but I wouldn’t leave that to chance.
- Keep your proof, and sign nothing new. Save the sent email, the postage receipt, your contract, quote and savings estimate, and dated photos of the roof if anyone has been on site. Don’t sign a delivery note, handover pack or “start work” form while the cancellation is live.
- Diary the refund date. It’s 14 days from when the installer received your notice. If the money isn’t back by then, move to the escalation steps further down.
Cancellation letter template
Send this by email and by recorded delivery. Swap the square brackets for your details and delete any line that doesn’t apply.
Subject: Notice of cancellation: [Your name], [contract reference]
Dear [Installer name],
I am cancelling the contract dated [date of signing] for the supply and installation of a solar PV system at [your address], under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. This notice is sent within the cancellation period.
Please:
- confirm in writing that you have received this notice;
- stop all work, do not order or deliver any further equipment, and arrange to collect anything already delivered at no cost to me;
- refund £[amount] to me by [card / bank transfer], using the same payment method I used, within 14 days of receiving this notice, with no fee for the refund;
- if I have a finance agreement with [lender] linked to this contract, tell them it has ended under regulation 38 of the same regulations.
[Delete if it applies: I did not ask for any work to start during the cancellation period, so no deduction is due.]
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your phone number and email]
Cancelling solar finance
Solar deals often come as two contracts: the installation, and the credit agreement that pays for it. They have separate rules, and it’s worth using both.
Cancelling the installation ends linked finance
Cancel the installation inside its cancellation period and any linked finance, meaning a contract arranged by the installer or related to the main one, is terminated automatically at no cost to you under regulation 38 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations. The installer must tell the lender. Write to the lender yourself as well and keep the proof.
Your separate 14-day exit from the loan
If the finance is a regulated credit agreement (it should say so on the first page), you can withdraw within 14 days beginning with the day after the agreement is made, or the day you receive your copy if that’s later. You can give notice by phone or in writing; writing is safer. If the lender has already paid out, you must repay the credit plus the interest that has built up at the agreement’s rate within 30 days of giving notice. Withdraw from the loan alone and you’re still bound to the installer, so cancel both unless you have another way to pay.
Buy now, pay later and 0% deals
Since 15 July 2026, interest-free “buy now, pay later” credit from a third-party lender, repayable in 12 or fewer instalments over 12 months or less, has been regulated by the FCA. That brings access to the Financial Ombudsman Service and Section 75-style protection on purchases between £100 and £30,000. Agreements taken out before that date stay unregulated, and credit offered by the installer itself isn’t covered. Longer 0% loans should already count as regulated consumer credit. Our guide on whether 0% solar finance is a debt trap explains which deals tend to cause trouble.
Section 75: your credit card safety net
If you paid any part of the price on a credit card and the cash price of the item was between £100 and £30,000, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes your card provider jointly liable with the installer for a breach of contract or misrepresentation. That can cover a refund the installer has failed to pay after a valid cancellation, because the refund duty is written into the contract by law. A deposit alone on the card is enough to bring the whole price into scope.
With a debit card there’s no Section 75, but you can ask your bank to raise a chargeback, usually within 120 days of the payment. If a lender introduced by the installer funded the purchase, it can also be liable for the installer’s misrepresentations, and the Financial Ombudsman Service can look at that complaint for free. Our solar panel finance guide compares the funding routes.
Protecting your deposit: HIES, RECC and MCS
Deposit protection and your cancellation refund are two different things. The refund is a legal right against the installer. Deposit protection is insurance that steps in if the installer goes bust before finishing the job. You want both.
| Scheme | What’s covered | How long | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIES | Up to 25% of the contract value, capped at £5,000 | 120 days from the date you sign | Active only once you get written confirmation. The installer is expected to register you within 7 days of signing |
| RECC | Deposit and stage payments, usually up to 25% of the contract value, through an approved insurer | From about 35 days to 120 days or more, depending on the insurer | Check your certificate for the insurer’s name and the exact dates |
There’s a recent change worth knowing about. Until now, every MCS-certified installer had to belong to a consumer code such as HIES or RECC, and that’s where the deposit protection came from. Under MCS’s redeveloped installer scheme, code membership is no longer compulsory. Most installers are moving over during 2026, with the switch due to be complete by 31 March 2027, and they must instead buy MCS-approved financial protection for domestic contracts. The cover you get can now vary more from one installer to the next, and our guide to what the MCS badge actually covers goes through the detail.
🚨 Check before you pay a penny: Ask for the installer’s HIES or RECC membership number, or the name of their MCS-approved financial protection provider, and verify it with the scheme or insurer. Get the certificate in writing, because no certificate means no cover. Pay the deposit by credit card if you can, and keep it to 25% of the price or less. If the installer has already gone under, our solar installer gone bust guide covers what to do next.
Past the 14 days? Mis-selling, breach and poor workmanship
Missing the cooling-off window isn’t the end, but from here you need evidence rather than a change of heart.
Misleading or aggressive selling
Misleading claims and pressure tactics are banned under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which replaced the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) on 6 April 2025. The civil remedies that let you act on it still sit in the CPRs for now. You have three, and the practice must have been a significant factor in your decision to sign:
- Unwind: reject the contract within 90 days, generally counted from delivery or from when the work starts, and get a full refund, as long as it’s still possible to undo the deal.
- Discount: if you’ve lost the right to unwind, you can claim a price reduction. Under £5,000 it’s a fixed 25% to 100%, depending on how serious the practice was. Above £5,000, which covers most solar systems, the price is cut to the market price if you overpaid, and otherwise the fixed percentages apply.
- Damages: compensation for foreseeable losses beyond the price, including distress and inconvenience, on top of either remedy.
| What went wrong | Your likely route | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| Exaggerated savings or export income | Misleading action: unwind within 90 days, then a discount or damages | 90 days to unwind. Court claims generally 6 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 5 in Scotland |
| Fake “government approved” or “free solar” claims | Same route, and report it to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice | Same as above |
| “Sign today or lose the price” pressure | Aggressive practice: cancel if you’re inside the 14 days, otherwise unwind or claim a discount | 14 days to cancel, 90 days to unwind |
| Leaks, poor wiring or faulty kit | Consumer Rights Act 2015: the installer must put the work right or reduce the price. Faulty goods get repair or replacement first, then a price reduction or refund | Generally 6 years (5 in Scotland). There’s also a 30-day short-term right to reject faulty goods |
Evidence wins these cases: the written quote, the savings estimate with its assumptions, texts and emails, and 12 months of generation data. Our guide on how to check if you were mis-sold solar panels has a 10-question self-check and the full complaint ladder, and the 7 red flags guide shows the sales tactics to look for in your paperwork. Ignore anyone who cold-calls offering to “claim your compensation” for an upfront fee.
If the installer won’t cancel or refund
Rogue installers are betting you’ll give up. Work down this list. Most people get their money back at steps 1 to 3.
- Chase in writing with a deadline. Quote regulation 34 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations, which requires a refund within 14 days of your notice, and give them 7 days to pay.
- Go to whoever else holds your money. For a credit card, make a Section 75 claim with your card provider. For a debit card, ask for a chargeback. For a loan, write to the lender, then go to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you get a final rejection or hear nothing for eight weeks.
- Use the installer’s scheme. HIES and RECC both run free dispute resolution for their members’ customers, and MCS has its own complaints process for certified installers.
- Report it. The Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 (0808 223 1144 for Welsh speakers) passes complaints to Trading Standards. In Scotland, call Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000, and in Northern Ireland, Consumerline on 0300 123 6262. If you were lied to in order to take your money, such as a fake government refund, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 (Police Scotland on 101).
- Take it to court. The small claims track handles most deposit-sized disputes (claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales) and you don’t need a solicitor. Send a letter before claim first, with your evidence attached.
Unwinding a rent-a-roof or PPA contract
“Free solar” deals, mostly signed between 2010 and 2012, work differently. A funder paid for the panels and still owns them. It collects the Feed-in Tariff and export income, you get free daytime electricity, and you’ve signed a roof lease that typically runs 20 to 25 years and is often registered against your property title. You can’t simply give notice, and there’s no general legal right to force a buyout. What you can do depends on your lease.
Your realistic options:
- Check for a mis-selling claim. If the lease, or its effect on selling your house, was never explained, you may have grounds. Time limits make this hard on deals more than six years old, so take advice before you spend money on it.
- Negotiate a buyout. You buy the panels, which brings the remaining Feed-in Tariff income with them, and the lease is surrendered. Quotes in 2026 run from roughly £1,000 to £8,000 on later or low-tariff systems and £8,000 to £20,000 or more on early 2010–2012 systems. Our rent-a-roof buyout guide explains how the price is worked out.
- Ask for an early surrender or a variation of the lease. Operators sometimes agree, especially to clear a house sale.
- Wait out the term. Not appealing, but sensible if the lease is nearly over.
If you’re selling soon, your buyer can take on the lease, you can clear it before exchange, or you can agree a price reduction equal to the buyout cost. Our article on the free solar panels that could stop you selling your house covers the conveyancing side.
Last resort: removing the panels
If you can’t cancel and can’t live with the system, or a buyer insists it goes, removal is possible but you’ll pay for it. Our solar panel removal cost guide puts it at roughly £300–£600 for labour alone and £700–£1,500 once scaffolding is needed. Recycling the panels themselves should cost nothing, because the producer funds it under the WEEE rules.
Three checks before you book anyone. Disconnecting the inverter is notifiable electrical work, so you need a registered electrician. Removing the panels doesn’t cancel any finance you still owe. And a rent-a-roof lease may only allow removal once you’ve paid the buyout price. Taking the system off also ends any export income and may change your EPC rating.
Cancelling to switch installers?
If you’re backing out of one installer to hire another, watch the calendar. The 0% VAT rate on qualifying residential installs currently runs to 31 March 2027, then reverts to 5% from 1 April 2027. On a £7,000 system that’s about £350, so a long dispute can cost you real money. Our Find an Installer page lists MCS-certified companies by region. Whoever you choose, get the deposit protection certificate in writing before you pay.
Frequently asked questions
Can I cancel a solar contract after the panels are installed?
Sometimes, but it gets harder. If you’re still inside the cooling-off period, you can cancel even after installation: that’s 14 days from signing, up to 14 days after the equipment was delivered on a supply-and-fit contract, or up to 12 months longer if you were never given proper cancellation details. If you asked for work to start early, you’d pay a fair proportion for what’s been done. Outside those windows your routes are a mis-selling claim (unwind within 90 days, then a discount or damages), a breach of contract claim, or the Consumer Rights Act 2015 for poor workmanship. If you’ve simply changed your mind, the realistic option is removal, which usually costs £300 to £1,500 plus any finance you still owe.
What happens to my solar loan if I cancel the installation?
If you cancel the installation inside its cancellation period, any linked finance agreement ends automatically at no cost to you under regulation 38 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, and the installer has to tell the lender. Write to the lender yourself too and keep proof. You also have a separate right to withdraw from a regulated credit agreement within 14 days, beginning the day after it’s made. If the money has already been paid out, you repay it with interest within 30 days of giving notice. If the installer won’t refund a deposit you paid by credit card, you can claim from your card provider under Section 75.
Does my installer have to refund my deposit if I cancel?
Yes. If you cancel inside the cancellation period, the installer must refund what you’ve paid within 14 days of getting your notice, using the same payment method and without charging a fee for the refund. The exception is where you asked in writing for work to start early: they can then charge a fair proportion for work done up to the moment you cancelled. If they refuse, go to your card provider, lender or bank, then escalate to Citizens Advice or the HIES or RECC complaints process if they’re a member. Deposit protection insurance is a different thing: it covers you if the installer goes bust, not if they simply won’t pay.
If you’re inside 14 days, stop reading and send the notice today. Everything above can wait. If you’re past it, don’t write off your chances: build your evidence file, put your complaint to the installer in writing and work down the list.
