Buying a house with a leased solar array means the roof under the panels is off-limits for 15–20 years unless the lessee approves and you pay $2,500–$5,000 in removal costs. If the roof is 5 years from failure, you just inherited a very expensive coordination nightmare. I score remaining-roof-life against remaining lease term so the transfer negotiation has real numbers.
Roof-under-panel condition extrapolated from exposed field and attic side
Attachment integrity and manufacturer install-date pull
Thermal imaging for moisture patterns visible from above
Remaining-roof-life scored against remaining lease term
Panel removal/reinstall cost estimate for likely repair scenarios
Written scope for seller credit or lease buy-out negotiation
Full roof walk with solar-lease-transfer focus. Exposed-field shingle age scoring and extrapolation under array. Edge-of-array flashing and standoff inspection. Attic-side sheathing and rafter inspection from below. Thermal imaging for moisture patterns visible from above panels (when accessible). Manufacturer install-date and product-line pull. Remaining-roof-life vs remaining-lease-term math. Panel removal/reinstall cost estimate for likely repair scenarios. Written scope for buyer's seller-credit or lease buy-out negotiation.
NM buyers under contract on homes with leased solar arrays. Buyer's agents wanting an independent second opinion before closing. Homeowners considering assuming a solar lease from a family member. Investors evaluating rental properties with existing solar leases. Sellers wanting to price transfer risk fairly before listing.
Verbal Walk — $199 Standard Lease Transfer Report — $449 Detailed w/ Thermal Imaging + Attic Trace — $749 Investor / Multi-Property Lease Portfolio — $1,200+ Most solar lease transfer reports are $449–$749. Negotiating a seller credit or lease buy-out on a marginal roof typically recovers 10–40× the report cost.
Because the roof under the panels is now off-limits for 15–20 more years unless the lessee approves and pays for panel removal (typically $2,500–$5,000). If the roof is 5 years from failure, the buyer inherits a very expensive coordination nightmare. I score remaining-roof-life against remaining lease term so the transfer negotiation has real numbers.
Not without removing them, which requires lessee approval. What I can do: thermal imaging for moisture patterns visible from above, edge-of-array flashing inspection, exposed-field shingle age extrapolation, attic-side sheathing inspection from below, and manufacturer install-date pull. Combined, that's usually 85–90% of what a full walk would find.
That's the exact scenario this inspection prevents. Most solar leases require the homeowner to pay panel removal and reinstallation ($3,000–$7,000) for any roof work — that cost transfers to the buyer. My report identifies whether the roof is likely to need work inside the lease term so you can negotiate a seller credit or lease buy-out before closing.
Hail/wind + NOAA event correlation.
Map wet insulation before you recoat.
IRC / IBC / NMCID cited per finding.
Per-door pricing + rolled-up capex plan.
I've watched too many neighbors sign contracts they didn't understand for roofs they didn't need. That stops with a written report they own.