Solar panels in London: houses, blocks of flats and who has to agree

The permitted development right for solar panels on houses and blocks of flats in England was updated on 27 August 2026. Until 27 August 2027, either the old or the new rules can be followed. Panels on a pitched roof should project no more than 200 mm from the slope; on a flat roof, the highest part must be no more than 600 mm above the highest part of the roof, and in protected areas a flat-roof installation needs prior approval from the borough.

In a conservation area, panels on a house must not be fitted to a wall, balcony or roof enclosure that fronts a highway; on a block of flats, not to a wall fronting a highway. Panels are not permitted development on a building within the grounds of a listed building.

Source: planningportal.co.uk

A block of flats can have panels under permitted development, but planning is the smaller hurdle. The roof almost always belongs to the freeholder, and leases usually forbid alterations to the structure and exterior without consent. Panels for a single flat also raise questions about cabling through common parts and access for maintenance. In practice, solar on a London block is a project for the freeholder or the residents' management company, with each flat's share agreed in advance.

For converted houses split into two or three flats, the top-floor leaseholder may be the only one with easy access to the roof, but the lease still decides.

• who owns the roof: you, the freeholder or a management company
• consent under the lease, in writing, before ordering
• conservation area and listed building status in your borough
• flat roof in a protected area: prior approval needed
• scaffolding and pavement licences from the borough

Most roof work in London needs scaffolding on or over the pavement, which needs a licence from the borough, and sometimes a parking bay suspension for deliveries. A local installer builds this into its programme and quote. Ask who applies and whether the fees are included.

In London, most boroughs take part in the Warm Homes: Local Grant through a consortium led by the Greater London Authority, which can fund measures including solar panels for low-income households in privately owned homes with an EPC of D to G. A few boroughs, such as Barking and Dagenham, received their own allocation. Check with your borough or the GLA whether you qualify. Separately, installing solar panels in a home is zero-rated for VAT at present.

Source: gov.uk

Tell us whether it is a house or a flat, who owns the roof and your borough. We offer the request without your contact details to installers covering London. One installer can buy it, and before it receives your details we email you its name, address and phone number. The service costs you nothing.