Tenant farmer solar: landlord consent and the law (2026)

A rooftop array on a let building is a request to your landlord before it is a project. Which statute governs your tenancy, what you may remove, when consent is a condition of compensation and who repairs the roof under the panels all come from the tenancy and the law, not from the installer. This guide sets out the sourced basics. It makes no claim about how any particular landlord or estate behaves: the estate pages linked below say only what each organisation publishes.

First find out which Act governs your tenancy

Many older tenancies fall under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 (the 1986 Act); more recent ones are often farm business tenancies under the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 (the 1995 Act). They give tenants different rights over what they add, so your agreement, solicitor or land agent should confirm which applies before you draft a request.

What you may remove

Section 8 of the 1995 Act lets a farm business tenant remove fixtures they attached and buildings they put up, during the tenancy or afterwards while still in possession. It excludes items installed under an obligation, items replacing the landlord’s own and items already compensated for, and the tenant must repair damage caused. Section 10 of the 1986 Act is similar but adds notice and a landlord’s option to buy. Neither Act mentions solar panels, so whether a roof array is a removable fixture is a question for your solicitor.

Consent and compensation

For a farm business tenancy, section 16 of the 1995 Act gives compensation at the end of the tenancy for a tenant’s improvement, but not for a physical improvement that has been removed. Section 17 makes the landlord’s written consent a condition of that compensation; it can sit in the tenancy or be given separately. Under the 1986 Act, section 64 gives compensation for improvements listed in its schedules and section 67 requires the landlord’s written consent for long-term improvements. Get consent in writing, say what it covers, and ask the land agent to state whether the array is treated as an improvement, a removable fixture or neither.

Who repairs the roof under the array

For an agricultural holding, the 1973 repairing regulations, as made, put roof repairs and replacements mainly on the landlord unless a written agreement says otherwise, and give the tenant duties such as keeping gutters and valleys clear. A farm business tenancy turns on its own agreement. Panels need a sound roof and a structure that can carry them: get a structural assessment first (solar panel weight and roof loading), and for asbestos cement sheets read solar panels on asbestos cement farm roofs and overclad or strip an asbestos cement farm roof.

What to put in the written request

• roof photographs and dimensions;
• system size, layout and fixing method;
• a structural engineer’s assessment;
• who pays and who owns the array (see the farm solar cost guide and grants and funding);
• insurance, grid connection and the position at the end of the tenancy.

The Rock Review

The Rock Review of the agricultural tenanted sector recommended consulting on tenant diversification; its summary is on GOV.UK. It is a review, not law, and it does not mention solar panels.

Estate pages

Each of these sets out the same checklist and says only what the organisation itself publishes: Bedford Estates, Buccleuch, the Church Commissioners, the Crown Estate, Devonshire (Chatsworth), the Duchy of Cornwall, NFU Mutual estates and the Wellcome Trust. Roof and system questions for any building are in solar panels for agricultural buildings.

Sources

Point	Source	Date
1995 Act s.8 (fixtures and buildings), s.16 (compensation), s.17 (consent)	Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995, s.16, s.17	current text
1986 Act s.10 (removal), s.64 and s.66 (compensation), s.67 (consent)	Agricultural Holdings Act 1986, s.64, s.67	current text
1973 repairing regulations (roof repairs and replacements)	SI 1973/1473, Fixed Equipment Regulations	1973, as made
Recommendation to consult on tenant diversification	Rock Review summary, GOV.UK	May 2023

Sources checked 20 and 29 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice; a solicitor or land agent should read your tenancy.