solar
What Happens to Solar Panels When You Sell a House in Malta?
Solar panels are fixed to the property and normally pass with the deed. The paperwork behind them does not follow the same logic. The 2026 RES grant is granted to a person with a specific tenure (owner, emphyteuta or long leaseholder), a prior grant since 2010 locks out the applicant and everyone in their household, and an installation with an active feed in tariff allocation cannot support a new grant application.
A house with panels on the roof is sold as a house with panels on the roof. That part is simple. The part that is not simple is everything behind the panels: who claimed what, when, and whether the next owner is still allowed to claim anything at all. This page sets out what the published 2026 RES scheme documents actually say, and is equally clear about the one point they do not cover.
What happens to solar panels when you sell a house in Malta?
The panels, inverter and frame are fixed to the building and normally pass with the property under the deed, subject to what the promise of sale says. Three separate things do not follow the same rule: the grant already claimed, the eligibility of the people involved, and any feed in tariff allocation on the installation.
Does the RES grant transfer to the buyer when the house is sold?
The 2026 RES scheme is written around the applicant, not around the building. Eligibility runs off tenure and residence, so a grant paid to a previous owner is a closed matter rather than something the buyer inherits. What can carry across to the buyer is the negative effect of that grant, not the benefit.
To apply in the first place, the applicant must be a private individual applying for their residential property, resident in Malta and aged 18 or over on the day of application. Tenure must be one of three: owner, emphyteuta, or long leaseholder with more than the durability period remaining (more than five years) together with the owner’s consent. A joint owner may apply on behalf of the others with their agreement.
That structure has a practical consequence for a sale in progress. A grant offer letter is valid for eight months, and that window has to cover installation, commissioning and the Part B submission. Extensions are only given in duly justified cases outside the applicant’s control. If a seller has an open grant offer and the property changes hands part way through that eight month window, the published guidelines do not say what happens. We have not verified this and will not guess. Confirm it with REWS in writing.
Does the feed in tariff transfer to the new owner?
We have not verified this. The 2026 RES scheme page and the Guidelines for Applicants set out eligibility, caps and process. They do not set out the transfer mechanics of an existing feed in tariff when a property is sold. Confirm the position directly with REWS before the promise of sale is signed.
We are also not publishing feed in tariff rates on this site yet. The figures circulating for grant assisted and non grant systems are being verified against the statutory instrument, and this page will be updated when that check is complete. A rate quoted from memory by an installer is not a rate.
Why does an existing feed in tariff matter to a buyer?
Because it blocks a new grant on that installation. The scheme requires the PV installation to have no active feed in tariff allocation, and any previously allocated guaranteed period must have expired. A buyer planning to grant fund an upgrade on the existing system has to know the expiry date before offering.
This is the most commonly missed item in a Maltese property sale involving solar. The tariff looks like a benefit sitting on the roof, and in cash terms it may well be. But if the buyer’s plan is to expand the array or add storage with grant support, an allocation that still has years to run on it is an obstacle, not an asset. The date the guaranteed period ends is a number the seller should be able to produce.
Who gets locked out of a second grant?
Anyone who received a grant for a similar system since 2010 is ineligible for another. That lockout applies to the applicant and to any member of the same household. Households with an open grant offer under a similar scheme are also ineligible. It attaches to people, so moving house does not clear it.
Read that from both sides of the transaction. A seller who claimed a grant in 2016 and is now buying elsewhere carries the lockout with them to the new address. A buyer who is moving in with a partner who claimed on a previous property may find the household is already spent. Neither of those is obvious from the property itself, which is exactly why it needs asking.
Can the buyer claim a grant if the property will be let?
No. The scheme excludes property used principally for business purposes, and the guidelines specifically include letting the property on a commercial basis, even where the tenants use it as a home. Domestic use expressly excludes use by landlords or developers. Buy to let removes the grant from the arithmetic entirely.
What should a buyer ask the seller before signing?
Seven questions. Ask them in writing, keep the answers, and do not accept a verbal “I think so” on any of them.
| Question to put to the seller | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Was a grant claimed on this system, and in which year? | A grant for a similar system since 2010 locks out the applicant and their household from another one |
| Is there an active feed in tariff allocation on the installation? | An active allocation blocks a new grant application on that installation |
| When does the guaranteed tariff period expire? | The previously allocated guaranteed period must have expired before a new grant application on that installation |
| Is there an open grant offer, or a Part B still outstanding? | A household with an open grant offer under a similar scheme is ineligible |
| Was the property let on a commercial basis while the system ran? | Letting on a commercial basis is excluded from the grant, even where tenants use it as a home |
| In what capacity did the applicant apply: owner, emphyteuta or long leaseholder? | Eligibility runs off tenure, so the original capacity is part of the record |
| Is battery storage installed, and was it grant assisted? | Since 13 July 2026 battery is only grant eligible bundled with a new PV system and hybrid inverter |
That last point changed recently and is worth spelling out. On 13 July 2026 REWS stopped accepting Part A applications for Option B (hybrid or battery inverter with battery) and Option C (battery storage only). Standalone battery retrofit and hybrid inverter retrofit for existing PV owners are withdrawn. Part A form V2 (reference REWS/254/v2-07-07/26) now offers two tick boxes. So a buyer inheriting an older array cannot bolt a grant funded battery onto it.
What does the grant arithmetic look like if the buyer starts fresh?
For PV with a hybrid inverter the grant is 65% of eligible cost, capped at €3,000 per system and at €645 per kWp, whichever binds first. Battery storage is 75% of eligible battery cost, capped at €6,000 per system and €600 per kWh, and only bundled with new PV. The maximum combined household figure of €9,000 is derived by adding the two caps, not printed by REWS.
The two PV caps cross at 4.651 kWp, because €3,000 divided by €645 is 4.651. Below that size the per kWp cap decides your grant. Above it, the flat €3,000 decides it.
| System size (kWp) | Per kWp cap (size x €645) | Per system cap | Which cap binds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 | €1,290 | €3,000 | per kWp |
| 3.0 | €1,935 | €3,000 | per kWp |
| 4.0 | €2,580 | €3,000 | per kWp |
| 4.651 | €3,000 | €3,000 | crossover point |
| 5.0 | €3,225 | €3,000 | per system |
| 6.0 | €3,870 | €3,000 | per system |
The 65% calculation runs alongside those caps and can bind below both. Worked example, using an illustrative eligible cost of €6,250 for a 5 kWp system (this is an example figure, not a market price, and we have not verified installed costs in Malta): 65% of €6,250 is €4,062.50. The per kWp cap is 5 x €645, which is €3,225. The per system cap is €3,000. The lowest of the three binds, so the grant is €3,000 and the homeowner pays €3,250.
Two timing rules matter for anyone buying and installing in the same year. Part A must be submitted before purchase and installation, and applicants are advised not to enter a binding contractual commitment or pay any money, including a deposit, before receiving a grant offer letter. Processing has no period established at law, but a complete application generally takes about five weeks. Build that into the property timeline rather than discovering it after the deed.
Questions
- Do the solar panels stay with the house when it is sold in Malta?
- The panels, inverter and mounting frame are physically fixed to the building, so in the ordinary case they pass with the property under the deed. That is a contractual matter between buyer and seller and should be written into the promise of sale rather than assumed. What does not pass with the roof is the grant history on the system, the eligibility position of the people involved, or any feed in tariff allocation. Those are separate questions and each one needs its own answer before signing.
- Can the buyer of a house with existing panels apply for a new RES grant?
- Only if three things line up. The buyer must hold the property as owner, emphyteuta, or long leaseholder with more than five years remaining (plus owner consent), and be resident in Malta and at least 18 on the day of application. Neither the buyer nor any member of their household may have received a grant for a similar system since 2010. And the installation must have no active feed in tariff allocation, with any previously allocated guaranteed period expired. Fail any one of those and the application does not proceed.
- Does the feed in tariff transfer to the new owner?
- We have not verified this. The 2026 RES scheme page and the Guidelines for Applicants set out who may apply and on what terms. They do not set out what happens to an existing feed in tariff when the property changes hands. We are not going to guess at it on a page people use to make an eight thousand euro decision. Confirm the position in writing with REWS before the promise of sale is signed, and get the answer in an email you can keep.
- I claimed a solar grant on my previous home. Can I claim again on the house I am buying?
- No, if that earlier grant was for a similar system and was received at any point since 2010. The lockout attaches to the applicant and to any member of the same household, not to the building. Moving house does not reset it. A household that currently has an open grant offer under a similar scheme is also ineligible. This is the point that catches most second time buyers, and it is worth checking before you budget for a grant funded system in the new property.
- I am buying a property to rent out. Does the grant apply?
- No. The scheme excludes property used principally for business purposes, and the guidelines state that this includes letting the property on a commercial basis even where the tenants use it as a home. The definition of domestic use expressly excludes use by landlords or developers. If your plan is to let the property, the RES grant is not available to you on that property and the arithmetic has to be run on the full installed cost.
- What VAT rate applies to a residential solar installation in Malta?
- Eighteen per cent, the standard rate. There is no reduced rate for solar in Malta. The VAT Act contains no occurrence of the words solar or photovoltaic, and the Eighth Schedule that sets the 7% and 5% rates does not list photovoltaic systems. Any quote or advertisement claiming 0% or 5% VAT on solar in Malta is wrong. Note also that the RES eligible cost is VAT inclusive, and an applicant may not claim any tax rebate, deduction or input VAT credit on that same expenditure.
Sources
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