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Blocked · Inherited system

Previous owner won't release solar monitoring access

The previous owner is uncontactable, unresponsive, or actively refusing to help with the monitoring transfer. On most brands you don't need their cooperation: there are direct escalation routes that work on proof of ownership alone. GivEnergy is different: the current owner makes the transfer in the app.
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  • Previous owner's consent not legally required
  • Manufacturer escalation works on most brands
  • Legal options available if blocked
The key point

Solar panels and inverters are fixtures — they are legally part of the property and transfer to the new owner on completion. The previous owner has no legal right to retain control of monitoring systems installed at a property they no longer own.

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Rated 5.0 on Google Read all 151 reviews

Ronald was able to organise a brilliant electrician with extensive experience of GivEnergy systems local to me in the SW. I have now got a fully functioning system and suspect that my electricity bill will be substantially reduced or in credit over a year. Also when said electrician discovered an overvoltage in the my local grid, Ronald prepared a very lucid and comprehensive report of the situation which I have now supplied to my local grid. Cannot recommend Ron and Dan enough.

Ian Macmillan · Jul 2026 Google

STS installed/commissioned an extra Givenergy battery for me. Communication was great and the engineer did a great job and even tidied up the existing wiring which made it look a great deal nicer than it did. Very happy so far and grateful to the team for their professionalism.

Garry Hewett · Oct 2026 Google

Ron diagnosed the problem remotely - efficiently and order the part identified as the fault - this part came directly from to me and Ron visited within a few days and within the hour corrected the problem and since everything has been excellent -highly recommended - very pleasant manner and lovely to work with . Ivor Morris.

Ivor Morris · Jul 2026 Google

I wholeheartedly recommend. Many thanks to Ron. Amazing. Everything is fixed. And I feel safer now that I know where to come for support if anything else happens. I contacted STS for help via their extremely useful website which told me exactly what I had done wrong to require support. My GivEnergy battery had been dead for a while and an attempted firmware update had stopped the inverter. The support was prompt and very professional and over and above what I expected. I was helped every step of the way with clear instructions and e-mail support for questions. The issue was resolved within 24 hours and a technical report produces from log data to share with Octopus to try to get to the bottom of how the original issue occurred. Despite Ron saying that mine was a familiar issue with Octopus Intelligent Flux, this to me was service over and above expectations.

Gary Mitchell · Nov 2026 Google

Ronald was great to help me sort out my giv energy inverter issue since company has gone bankrupt in april 26.

Ankur Kr. Gupta · Jun 2026 Google

Diligent and reliable service.

Samuel Jakovljevic · Jul 2026 Google

Written by · Independent Solar Engineer Last updated

Escalation routes — in order of priority

Work through these in sequence. Most cases are resolved at step 2 or 3 without needing any contact with the previous owner.

GivEnergy: these routes do not apply

GivEnergy transfers are now done between customers in the app. The current owner updates the GivEnergy app, logs in, taps the account button at the top right of the home page, chooses Transfer Hardware and enters the new owner's email address. The new owner accepts from the email they receive. Read the transfer guide.

If you have moved into a home with a GivEnergy system, ask the previous owner or the estate agent to do this for you. GivEnergy Software says it is working on a way for the new owner to request the transfer themselves. We do not handle GivEnergy account transfers, because the owner can do them in the app.

The free Standard tier needs no login: the app finds the inverter over your home network, so you can monitor and control the system locally before any transfer. If you are still stuck after these steps, email premium@givenergy.co.uk with Log In as the subject. GivEnergy Software aims to reply within 14 days.

1
Submit a standard ownership transfer request first

If you haven't already, go through the standard channel first — manufacturer support with your serial number and proof of ownership. Even if this seems like it will require the previous owner's email confirmation, submit it. Some manufacturers process it automatically on proof of ownership without actually contacting the previous owner. See the monitoring access guide for the process by brand.

Allow 5 working days. If you get no response or a response saying they need the previous owner's confirmation, move to step 2.

2
Request escalation to a manager and state the situation clearly

Reply to your support ticket — or open a new one — and explicitly request escalation to a team lead or manager. State the following clearly:

•The property has legally changed hands on [completion date]
•You are the legal owner and have attached documentation confirming this
•The previous owner is uncontactable / unresponsive / refusing to cooperate
•You require the account transferred on the basis of your ownership documents

Use the word "escalation" — support teams respond differently to formal escalation requests than general support queries.

3
Request a new account creation (not a transfer)

Ask specifically whether the manufacturer can create a new owner account linked to your inverter serial number, rather than transferring the existing account. This effectively unlinks the previous owner without requiring their consent or email confirmation. Growatt are generally willing to do this with proof of ownership. SolarEdge has a stricter account linkage system but can be escalated to their UK technical account team.

4
Contact the UK distributor if the manufacturer is unresponsive

Manufacturers sell through UK distributors who have commercial relationships and can sometimes apply pressure that a homeowner cannot. Key UK distributor contacts:

•Sunsynk: Segen Solar or Solar Distributor (depending on installer)
•Growatt: Segen
•GivEnergy: GivEnergy Ltd is in administration; GivEnergy Software Ltd runs the app and portal and is still trading. The transfer is done in the app: see the transfer guide
•SolarEdge: Segen, BN Electrical, or other authorised SolarEdge UK distributors
5
Have your solicitor write to the previous owner and/or manufacturer

If the previous owner is actively blocking the transfer — particularly if they are still accessing the monitoring portal and changing settings at a property they no longer own — a solicitor's letter is the appropriate next step. This creates a formal record, is usually effective in prompting cooperation, and positions you correctly if further legal action becomes necessary. Your solicitor can also write directly to the manufacturer demanding account transfer on the basis of confirmed ownership.

If the previous owner is still actively accessing your system

This is rare, but it does happen — particularly where the previous owner was receiving Feed-in Tariff payments and wants to continue doing so, or simply doesn't realise they no longer have the right to access the system.

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On most brands, contact the manufacturer immediately and request an emergency account lock. Explain that the previous owner is accessing monitoring at a property they no longer own and is changing inverter settings without your consent. Most manufacturers will lock the account pending an ownership verification. Provide your proof of ownership and request urgent action. On GivEnergy, ask the previous owner or the estate agent for the transfer in the app, as the transfer guide explains.

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Change your home broadband Wi-Fi password. If the inverter is connected to your broadband, the previous owner cannot directly access it remotely — they can only access the monitoring portal data. However, changing your broadband Wi-Fi will cause the inverter to go offline temporarily, which breaks any data feed to the portal. You will need to reconnect the inverter to your new Wi-Fi credentials afterwards, but this removes a potential network-level route in. If it won't reconnect, we can set it up on site, from £195.

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Seek legal advice if changes are being made to your system. If the previous owner is actively changing inverter settings — charge/discharge schedules, export limits, mode settings — at a property they no longer own, this may constitute interference with your property and, depending on method, potentially unauthorised computer access. This warrants formal legal advice.

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Check whether the previous owner is still receiving FiT or SEG payments. If they are receiving generation payments for a system they no longer own, this is a matter for your energy supplier and, if relevant, your conveyancing solicitor. See the FAQ below on Feed-in Tariff transfers.

The legal position — what you own

Solar panels and inverters are fixtures

Under UK property law, solar panels, inverters, and batteries installed on or in a property are fixtures — they form part of the property. Unless explicitly excluded from the sale contract by the seller (which would be noted in your conveyancing documents), they transfer to the new owner on completion. The previous owner retains no ownership of, or right of access to, these systems.

If you are unsure whether the solar equipment was included in your sale, check your conveyancing documents — specifically the Fixtures and Fittings form (TA10). If solar panels are not explicitly excluded on this form, they are included in the sale.

Warranties and guarantees on the equipment (panels, inverter, battery) also transfer to the new owner, as they relate to the equipment — not to a named individual. However, you may need to notify the manufacturer of the ownership change to ensure warranty claims can be processed in your name.

Related guides

Identify your inverter System not generating GivEnergy guide SolarEdge guide All new-owner guides

Available on-site across Yorkshire & beyond

Need help transferring monitoring from a previous owner on a brand other than GivEnergy? We can handle the full process remotely, or visit on-site across our coverage area if hands-on access is needed.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Solar panels, inverters, and batteries are fixtures — they are legally part of the property and transfer to the new owner on completion unless explicitly excluded in the sale contract. The monitoring system and any associated warranties also transfer. The previous owner has no legal right to retain control of systems installed at a property they no longer own. If you are unsure whether the equipment was included, check the Fixtures and Fittings form (TA10) from your conveyancing documents.
On GivEnergy, ask the previous owner or the estate agent for the transfer in the app; on most other brands, contact the manufacturer immediately and request an emergency account lock. Provide your proof of ownership and explain that the previous owner is accessing a system at a property they no longer own. Most manufacturers will lock the account pending verification. Simultaneously, have your solicitor send a formal letter to the previous owner. If they are actively changing inverter settings, seek legal advice — this may constitute unauthorised interference with your property.
On GivEnergy, the current owner makes the transfer in the app, so ask the previous owner or the estate agent; on most other brands, escalate. The manufacturer's default process may request the previous owner's confirmation, but this is a process convention — not a legal requirement. Request to speak to a manager and state that the property has legally changed hands with documentation to prove it. Most manufacturers will override their standard process when presented with clear proof of ownership and a formal written request. If they refuse, your solicitor can write to them directly.
Your conveyancing solicitor should have the previous owner's details from the sale. If they can't assist, a formal letter sent to the previous address (redirected by Royal Mail if they set up a redirect) may reach them. On most brands, it is more effective to focus on the manufacturer escalation route rather than pursuing the previous owner directly — you don't legally need their cooperation. On GivEnergy, the current owner makes the transfer in the app, so the estate agent is the other person to ask.
Yes — most manufacturers can create a new owner account linked to your inverter's serial number without requiring the previous owner's input. Ask specifically for a 'new owner account creation' rather than an account transfer. Growatt are generally willing to do this with proof of ownership. GivEnergy is different: GivEnergy Software Ltd runs the app and portal and is still trading, and the current owner makes the transfer in the app. SolarEdge has stricter account linkage but can be escalated to their UK technical account team for resolution.
If the previous owner is still receiving Feed-in Tariff or Smart Export Guarantee payments for generation at your property, contact your energy supplier directly to notify them of the ownership change and request the payments be transferred or stopped. The previous owner was legally required to notify the FiT administrator at the point of sale. If they did not, your conveyancing solicitor can assist. Payments made to the previous owner for generation at your property after the sale completion date may need to be recovered through your solicitor.
For brands other than GivEnergy, our monitoring account transfer service costs £95 if you want the process handled for you. We contact the manufacturer, deal with the documentation, and get the portal into your name, typically within 3 to 7 days. The escalation routes described on this page can also be worked through yourself before deciding whether to hand it over. We do not handle GivEnergy account transfers, because the owner can do them in the app.
Allow around a week per escalation step. A standard ownership transfer request should be given 5 working days before you escalate to a manager or request a new account creation. On brands other than GivEnergy, our transfer service typically completes the whole process within 3 to 7 days by escalating directly with the manufacturer. A GivEnergy transfer is different: GivEnergy Software says it takes a minute in the app, once the current owner starts it.
Account transfer

Not GivEnergy? Stuck, or want the transfer handled for you?

For brands other than GivEnergy, our monitoring account transfer service takes the whole process off your hands. We contact the manufacturer, deal with the documentation, and get the portal in your name — typically within 3–7 days. A flat £95. We do not handle GivEnergy account transfers, because the owner can do them in the app.

  • Handles 18 major brands, not GivEnergy
  • Direct manufacturer escalation — no hold-music
  • Full system generation confirmation included

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