Solar on Edinburgh Tenements and Flats

Solar on an Edinburgh tenement or a block of flats starts with who owns the roof and what the title deeds say about alterations. A house and a shared roof are different jobs. The survey of the building shows what the roof, the cable routes, and the planning rules allow.

If the title deeds are clear, follow them. The Tenement Management Scheme applies where the deeds say nothing, are unclear, or contradict each other. Scheme property includes the roof, the rafters, and any structure supporting the roof, and any part the deeds say is common property of two or more owners.

Tenement Management Scheme · Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004, Schedule 1 · correct as of 3 October 2026

Maintenance decisions under the scheme, where it applies, are taken by a majority, with one vote for each flat. Maintenance means repairs and replacement, cleaning, painting, and the day-to-day running of the building. It does not include alteration or improvement, unless the improvement is part of the maintenance. Decisions about improvements, for example a communal satellite dish, are unanimous unless the title deeds set the voting procedure. Solar is an alteration, so read the deeds before you treat it as a maintenance vote. A solicitor can read unclear deeds. If the building has a factor, ask what role the factor has.

Common repair, common sense: guide to managing tenements · correct as of 3 October 2026

One arrangement puts panels on the roof to supply electricity to common areas, such as stair lighting, on the common supply. Another gives flats their own allocation, with a cable from the roof to each consumer unit. The second needs a route for each cable and a way to split the layout. The survey of that building shows which arrangement the roof and the wiring can take.

You can usually put solar panels on your house without a planning application when they stick out by 1 metre or less from the wall or roof. You need to apply if the house is listed, in the grounds of a listed building, or in a World Heritage Site. In a conservation area, the panels go on the back of the house, or on a side that faces away from the road.

Scottish Government Circular 1/2024 (28 May 2024) · correct as of 3 October 2026

The same national rules cover flats. Solar on a flat follows the solar rules, and a heat pump follows the heat pump rules. In a conservation area, or in the grounds of a listed building, other changes to the outside of a flat need a planning application.

Circular 1/2024, flats · correct as of 3 October 2026

On a listed Edinburgh building, or in a conservation area, the council looks for panels away from elevations the public can see. Where listed building consent is required, it stays in place. A flat roof behind a parapet and a pitched roof facing the street are different drawings. Photographs of the roof and the street go with the planning question. The area page is Edinburgh.

Edinburgh listed building and conservation area guidance · correct as of 3 October 2026

Tenement roofs vary. Some have a flat area. Others are steep slate with chimneys and dormers. The survey records usable area, the structure and condition of the covering, whether repairs are due first, wind exposure, and safe access for the install and later maintenance. Slate needs a fixing method that suits slate.

Cables from the roof to a flat may run through a common stair, a riser, or an external route. Those routes need agreement, and they have to meet the building standards that apply to that path. The route is often what decides whether individual systems are practical. The quote describes the route or says that none was found.

A battery needs a location that meets the product's ventilation and clearance rules. In a flat reached by a common stair, that location matters. Some flats have no suitable space. The survey says which case the flat is.

The Home Energy Scotland table covers heat pumps, heat network connections, solar thermal, solar PV-T, biomass, wind, and hydro. Standalone solar PV and a home battery sit outside that list. The PV-T line is limited to solar PV-T systems. Check the page for the home before you rely on funding.

Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan · correct as of 3 October 2026

Home Energy Scotland is the free advice service funded by the Scottish Government. The scheme page lists the measures and the current grant and loan rules. Read that page for the amounts. Where the funding pays for a renewable system, check that the installer and the product are MCS certified. Micro-hydro is the published exception. That check belongs to the application.

Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan · correct as of 3 October 2026

Talk to the other owners, read the deeds, and ask the council about planning with photographs, before the layout is fixed. Then ask for a survey. The proposal sets out the options for that building. Owners agree before the work. Solar panels describes the installation. A house roof in the same city is solar panels for Edinburgh homes. Listed buildings and conservation areas are in solar on listed Edinburgh homes. What the visit records is what happens on a solar survey. The workshop is Unit 2b Eastfield Industrial Estate, Penicuik, EH26 8HA. The quote form is the way to ask for the survey.