Solar Panels are increasing in popularity. While there may be benefits to a solar panel system, many times consumers do not read the fine print and end up in trouble. There are a host of issues to be aware of regarding solar panel contracts, such as:

1. Texas has a 3-day right to cancellation rule on contracts secured by door-to-door transactions; a company has an obligation to give you a written contract with notice provisions allowing you to cancel within 3 days of signing.
2. What does your contract say about the solar panel company’s responsibility to you if the contractor does a bad job? Often, the company selling the panels is not the company that installs the panels, and the contract may contain limits on selling company’s liability that affect your rights.
3. You may still have to pay the finance company, even if your solar panels are not completed.
4. The transaction is conducted in the homeowner’s language, but the documents provided are all in English.
5. The transaction is conducted in electronic format without allowing the consumer the ability to read the contract first, and not providing the consumer with an electronic or hard copy.
6. The contract may require mandatory arbitration in the event of a dispute—what is mandatory arbitration, and is it something a consumer might want to avoid?

Ross and Matthews can help. We can advise you on these and other issues if you are contemplating the installation of solar panels.