How to get out of a solar contract in 2026: the help available, compared

Your options at a glance

Which route fits depends on two things: how long ago you signed, and whether the problem is a defect you can point to (panels that do not work, a bill that did not fall) or a sale that was misrepresented. The table compares the five routes.

The figures for Stonegate Firm are what the company states on its own site or in its own materials. We have not verified them independently. Read our partner standards for how companies get on this list and what removes them, and the extra rules we apply to timeshare and solar companies.

Stonegate Firm review

What it is. Stonegate Firm is a consumer services company best known for timeshare cancellation that also takes solar cases, which it describes as relief for homeowners who were misled, pressured or lied to when purchasing or leasing solar. It states that it is not a law firm; clients receive legal representation through an affiliated firm, Stonegate Law, at what the company says is no additional cost. Details here come from the company's own website, stonegatefirm.com, and its press materials.

How it works. You complete a short eligibility form about the system, the loan or lease and what went wrong. If the company accepts the case, it assigns a case manager, documents the misrepresentation, puts the complaint to the seller or financier in writing and negotiates through its affiliated attorneys. The company does not publish a solar-specific process page, so ask on the first call what the steps and milestones are for a solar file.

• Fees: the eligibility check is free. Service fees are quoted after the review and are not published. Get the fee, payment schedule and refund terms in writing before you pay anything.
• Refund terms: the company states a full refund if it fails to deliver the strategy set out in its service agreement, and separately that every case is different and past results do not guarantee future results. The refund covers the company's work, not the outcome with the solar company.
• Legal oversight: attorneys through Stonegate Law, described by the company as a separate entity.
• Scale: the company says it has served tens of thousands of clients and ranked No. 18 on the 2026 Inc. 5000 list, a ranking based on revenue growth.

Best for: homeowners with a misrepresented sale (a promised zero bill, a promised tax credit they could not use, a lease described as ownership, a signature taken on a tablet without the terms shown) who want the dispute handled for them.

What to watch. Solar is a newer line for the company than timeshare, so ask how many solar cases it has handled and what outcomes those produced. Keep paying the loan or lease while the case runs unless a lawyer representing you says otherwise in writing. And keep a copy of everything you send.

Check your eligibility with Stonegate Firm

The other routes: installer, lender, state and lawyer

The installer. For anything physical, start here: panels producing less than quoted, a roof leak, permits never pulled, an inspection never passed. Put the problem in writing, cite the production estimate in your contract, and ask for a repair date. Installers that have gone out of business are common; if yours has, the equipment warranty from the manufacturer and the lender's or lessor's obligations are what remain.

The lender or lessor. The finance company owns the payment relationship, and often the panels. It can correct billing, issue a payoff or buyout figure, and process a transfer when you sell the house. It cannot fix the system, but it has a strong interest in keeping you paying, which gives you some room to negotiate when the system does not perform.

A complaint to your state. Your state attorney general and, in many states, the contractor licensing board take solar complaints. Several states now require specific disclosures on solar contracts. A complaint costs nothing, creates a record, and sometimes triggers mediation; it rarely produces a refund on its own. Our guide to solar panel scams and your options covers how to file.

A private lawyer. With clear evidence of fraud and a contract large enough to justify it, a consumer attorney in your state can seek rescission or damages, sometimes on contingency. You pay directly, hourly or from the recovery.

The cancellation window

Under the federal Cooling-Off Rule, a sale of more than $25 made at your home, or anywhere other than the seller's permanent place of business, can be cancelled in writing within three business days, and the seller must have given you a cancellation form at signing. Many solar sales qualify. Some states extend the window, and some give extra time to older buyers. If you are inside it, send the cancellation the way the form describes, keep proof of sending, and do not let the installer start work. If no cancellation form was provided, the window may not have started; a lawyer or your state's consumer office can tell you.

Which cases qualify for help

• Strong: a written or recorded promise that the contract does not deliver (a zero electric bill, a specific saving, a tax credit, "you own the panels"), a signature taken without the terms shown, a contract signed by someone without authority, or a system that never passed inspection.
• Workable: production well below the estimate in the contract, an installer that disappeared, a lease or PPA that is blocking the sale of the home.
• Weak: regret about the price, a bill that is lower but not zero, or a change of mind after the window with no misrepresentation to point to. These are better handled with the lender (buyout or transfer) than with a dispute.

Have ready: the signed contract and any financing agreement, the sales proposal or quote, texts and emails with the salesperson, your electric bills from before and after, and photos of the installation and any damage.

Red flags with any solar help service

• Advice to stop paying the loan or lease before anything is resolved. The lender can report, collect and in some cases place a claim on the home.
• A fee before any review, or a fee that is due in full on the first call.
• A promised outcome, such as "we will get your panels removed and your loan cancelled."
• No named attorneys when legal work is claimed.
• A new solar contract offered as the solution to the old one.

The Federal Trade Commission's guidance on solar power for your home and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's work on solar financing risks are worth reading before you sign anything new.

How we're paid: HomeownerPedia publishes free guides for homeowners. If you use the next step on this page, you continue on the website of our partner, Stonegate Firm, a consumer firm that reviews solar contracts and pursues relief when a sale was misrepresented. It pays us for referrals, and what you enter there goes directly to it, not to us. You decide whether to move forward. HomeownerPedia is an independent guide, not a law firm. What you can do about a solar contract depends on your agreement and your state.

Questions homeowners ask

How we picked these services

We don't take a fee to be listed, and placement is not for sale. Every service here was checked on the same five points, using what each company publishes and what readers tell us. Partners do pay us when you use their link, and that never changes the order.

• Process: what the company actually does with a solar complaint, from the first review to the resolution.
• Fees and timing: whether you pay before anything happens, and what the company says it refunds and when.
• Legal oversight: whether licensed attorneys handle the dispute, and through which entity.
• Honesty about risk: whether the company tells homeowners that missing loan or lease payments has consequences.
• Complaint record: public reviews and regulator records, and how the company responds to them.

Every company here also passed our partner standards: registration and licensing, complaint history, fees, marketing promises and what you see before you sign. If a service stops meeting the bar, it comes off the list. Tell us at hello@homeownerpedia.com if your experience with any of them didn't match what you read here.