A leak under solar panels has to be traced before anyone can say who pays. The cause might be a mounting detail, a vent, old roofing or something else. Keep clear of electrical hazards, document from a safe spot, and call a roof professional and a solar service provider. Then read your own warranties, ownership agreement and insurance policy.1,2,3
What should I do while the roof is leaking?
Water and electricity don’t mix, and a solar system puts wiring on the roof and in the walls. The U.S. Department of Energy’s guide for federal facility managers and engineers says storm-damaged equipment is unsafe until a qualified electrician or technician makes it safe, and that untrained people shouldn’t touch any alternating-current (AC) or direct-current (DC) component.2
- Stay away from wet electrical equipment. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says not to enter standing water to reach the main power switch. Call an electrician instead, and keep equipment off until a qualified electrician has inspected it.4
- Call 911 for a shock. The CDC says to call 911 or emergency medical help if you think someone has had an electric shock.4
- Keep away from sparks, damaged wiring or burning smells. Call a qualified electrician. For fire or an electrical emergency, leave the danger area and call 911; tell responders you have solar panels. Turning off a home’s main breaker doesn’t make daylight solar wiring safe: panels can still produce DC electricity.5
- Collect records from a safe spot. Interior photos and your paperwork are enough for now. Leave roof access and hidden inspection to professionals.
Where does the water get in?
Solar mounts attach through the roof, and each attachment is a penetration through the roof’s water control layer. The Department of Energy’s Building America guidance lists mounting brackets for solar panels alongside vents, flue stacks, chimneys and skylights as penetrations that need proper flashing. Flashing is the material that directs water away from a joint or opening.1
A solar attachment can be the source. So can any other penetration or worn patch of roofing near the array, which is why a stain under the panels doesn’t prove the panels did it.
| Place a professional looks | What they are trying to find out |
|---|---|
| Solar mounts and attachment openings | Is flashing missing, damaged or poorly tied into the roofing?1 |
| Vents, flue stacks, chimneys and skylights | Is another penetration leaking, with the array just nearby?1 |
| Low-slope roof membrane under racking | Has contact or movement abraded the membrane?2 |
The last row draws on the DOE guide for federal facility managers and engineers, rather than a home-specific inspection checklist. The guide also notes that water moves horizontally from the spot of a leak before it shows up inside, so a ceiling stain can sit well away from the entry point.2 Ask the professional to explain the water path they found, and what evidence backs it.
Who inspects the roof, and who answers for it?
A leak under panels can involve the roofing, the solar attachments and, if water reached equipment, an electrical check. Who pays depends on what the inspections find and what your contracts and warranties say, not on where the stain shows up.3
Ask the roofer and the solar service provider to agree, in writing, on who inspects what. If you need a service company, start with who services my solar panels. Tell the original installer in writing, using the contract’s notice method, and include the roofer if separate roof work was involved. For leased equipment, contact the system owner or its current service contact before you authorize changes.3
| If the finding points to | Look first at | Source of the answer |
|---|---|---|
| Solar attachment or flashing installed with the system | The solar installation agreement and its warranty issuer | Contract and warranty terms3 |
| A vent, skylight or older roof defect | The roof contract or roof warranty, if one exists | Contract and warranty terms |
| A defective mount or other product | The equipment or mounting manufacturer’s warranty | Manufacturer’s written terms3 |
| Storm or other sudden damage | Your homeowners policy | The policy and the cause of loss6 |
| Leased or third-party-owned equipment | The ownership agreement | Who handles service, roof access and insurance3 |
| Unworkmanlike or incomplete work by a licensed contractor | MHIC and its Guaranty Fund | Statute and MHIC’s process7,8 |
Ask for a written finding that separates confirmed defects from suspected causes. If the companies disagree about fault, a Maryland attorney can review the evidence and the agreements.
Take a hypothetical case, with no real property behind it. A professional finds a defect at a nearby vent, and the roof contract names a warranty issuer for that work. The homeowner asks that issuer to review coverage. If the finding pointed to a solar mount instead, the homeowner would take the solar installation agreement to its issuer. The cause decides which agreement matters, and neither case settles liability or payment.
What records should I keep?
Start the file the day you notice the leak. MHIC’s Guaranty Fund FAQ advises that if work is repaired before a hearing, the property’s condition should be documented first with an inspection report and photographs, and it says the Commission can’t promise payment.9
- When you first saw the stain or drip, when it returned, and the weather each time
- Dated interior photos taken from an ordinary, safe space
- The solar and roof contracts, change orders, invoices, proof of payment and the actual warranty documents
- Every message, call note, case number and written response
- Inspectors’ photos and written findings, kept before conditions change
- Repair contracts, itemized estimates and proof of payment
Describe what you saw without naming a cause you can’t verify.
Does a solar warranty cover a roof leak?
Read the warranty that matches the suspected defect, and note who issued it. Installation coverage is separate from equipment coverage. The Maryland Energy Administration’s (MEA) 2018 consumer guide says a contract’s warranties should include any damage to the roof during installation, where that applies.3
Sort your paperwork the same way, and look for the roof language in the installation warranty. For a general primer, see solar panel warranties explained.
Questions for the issuer:
- Does the written coverage include this penetration or flashing?
- Who pays for diagnosis, panel removal and reinstallation, roof work and interior damage?
- Are there notice deadlines, or approvals needed before another contractor starts?
- Does the warranty transfer to the current owner, and was any transfer step completed?
- If the original company closed, is another company obligated to honor the coverage?
Ask the issuer to quote the relevant clause. Whether another contractor’s work voids coverage, and whether a manufacturer pays installation labor, depends on the written terms.
Will homeowners insurance pay?
It depends on the cause and the policy. The Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) says homeowners policies typically cover sudden and accidental losses from specific perils such as fire, wind, hail and the weight of ice or snow. Wear and tear and deterioration generally aren’t paid, and the payout depends on policy terms, limits and the deductible.6
The MEA guide advises owners to tell their insurer about a solar installation, and says a third-party owner may be responsible for insuring leased equipment.3
Ask your insurer to address the roof defect, interior damage, solar equipment and panel removal as separate items, and to explain its decision in writing, citing the policy provisions. If you think the insurer hasn’t lived up to the policy, the MIA takes consumer questions and complaints.6 Keep the insurance correspondence with your inspection and repair records.
Can Maryland’s home improvement Guaranty Fund help?
The Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC) says its Guaranty Fund reimburses homeowners for the actual loss from a licensed contractor’s unworkmanlike, incorrect or incomplete home improvement work, or a job the contractor abandoned. A leak alone doesn’t settle eligibility. The license, the work, your evidence and the statutory limits all matter, and the Commission must approve a claim.9,7,8
Under Maryland Business Regulation section 8-401, “actual loss” means the costs of restoration, repair, replacement or completion that arise from an unworkmanlike, inadequate or incomplete home improvement.7
As of October 25, 2026, the statute text sets these rules and limits.
| Rule | What it means for a homeowner |
|---|---|
| Licensed contractor | MHIC says the Fund covers work by a contractor who is licensed, or was licensed when the contract was signed, and that it isn’t available to homeowners who hire unlicensed contractors.9 |
| Who can claim | Under section 8-405, an owner can claim only if the owner lives in the home or owns no more than three residences. A contractor’s spouse or immediate relatives, and the contractor’s employees, officers and partners (and their immediate relatives), can’t claim against that contractor.8 |
| Award limits | Section 8-405 says the Commission may not award more than $30,000 to one claimant for one contractor’s acts or omissions, or more than the claimant paid that contractor. It sets $250,000 as the limit for all claimants against one contractor, unless the contractor reimburses the Fund as the statute describes.8 |
| Not covered | The statute lists attorney fees, consequential damages, court costs, interest, personal injury damages, punitive damages and awards based on a default judgment.8 |
| Time limit | Section 8-405 says a claim must be brought within 3 years after the claimant discovered the loss or damage, or should have discovered it by using ordinary diligence.8 |
| Arbitration | Section 8-405 says a claimant shall comply with a written agreement to submit a dispute to arbitration before seeking recovery from the Fund. It also lets the Commission deny a claim if the claimant unreasonably rejected the contractor’s good-faith efforts to resolve it.8 |
MHIC’s FAQ describes two separate forms. A complaint starts a regulatory investigation. A Guaranty Fund claim form, which MHIC says it sends if the complaint isn’t resolved after the investigation and you may be eligible, starts the compensation process. The FAQ also says the Commission deducts money recovered from other sources from what the Fund would pay.9 Because the three-year period runs from discovery and the complaint and claim are separate, call MHIC early about the steps and the dates that apply to you. A Maryland attorney can advise on a disputed deadline or arbitration clause. For other repair questions, see solar panel repair.
Can Soleil Energy assess the system?
Soleil Energy services solar systems it didn’t install. Its monitoring and maintenance page lists scheduled inspection of mounting, connections, inverters and combiner equipment, plus fault diagnosis and repair. The page describes electrical fault diagnosis and repair; ask whether the requested inspection fits that scope, and arrange a roof professional separately if needed.10
The solar monitoring and maintenance page describes the existing-system service. Keep the original installer, the warranty issuer and your insurer in the loop where they apply. If the roof itself needs work, replacing a roof before solar covers the sequence.
Safety, evidence, then payment: the order that works
Stay safe first, then build the evidence, then take the payment question to the right document. Don’t guess at the cause in your first report. A contractor’s opinion isn’t a written finding, a warranty clause or an insurer’s decision, and each of those comes from a different paper.
For a non-emergency system assessment, request a system assessment or call (301) 953-4140. Describe the leak and ask whether the assessment fits the service.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice.
Sources (10)
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U.S. Department of Energy, Building America Solution Center, “Flashing of Penetrations in Existing Roofs,” last updated September 20, 2020; page read October 25, 2026. https://basc.pnnl.gov/resource-guides/flashing-penetrations-existing-roofs ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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U.S. Department of Energy, “PV System Owner’s Guide to Identifying, Assessing, and Addressing Weather Vulnerabilities, Risks, and Impacts,” September 2021 (storm-damaged PV safety notice; roof membrane contact; leak water path); PDF read October 25, 2026. https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-09/pv-system-owners-guide-to-weather-vulnerabilities.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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Maryland Energy Administration and Clean Energy States Alliance, “A Maryland Consumer’s Guide to Solar,” January 2018 (signing a contract, page 34; warranties, page 43; insurance, page 41; leased systems and contracts); PDF read October 25, 2026. https://energy.maryland.gov/residential/Documents/A%20Maryland%20Consumers%20Guide%20to%20Solar%20LR72dpi.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “What to Do to Protect Yourself From Electrical Hazards,” updated January 25, 2024; page read October 25, 2026 (rendered in a browser). https://www.cdc.gov/natural-disasters/response/what-to-do-protect-yourself-from-electrical-hazards.html ↩ ↩2
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Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Solar Panels, safety and emergency guidance (undated), https://www.smeco.coop/safety/solar-panels/; read October 26, 2026. Panels remain energized in sunlight; call 911 for an emergency and tell responders about the solar system. ↩
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Maryland Insurance Administration, “Consumer Advisory: Roof Replacement,” current page (undated), read October 25, 2026. https://insurance.maryland.gov/Consumer/Pages/roof-replacement.aspx ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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Maryland General Assembly, Business Regulation Article section 8-401, current online text read October 25, 2026. https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gbr§ion=8-401&enactments=false ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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Maryland General Assembly, Business Regulation Article section 8-405, subsections (a) and (c) through (g), current online text read October 25, 2026. https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gbr§ion=8-405&enactments=false ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7
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Maryland Department of Labor, “MHIC Guaranty Fund FAQs,” current page (undated), questions on eligibility, complaint versus claim, limits, repairing work before the hearing and recoveries from other sources; read October 25, 2026. https://labor.maryland.gov/license/mhic/mhicfaqgf.shtml ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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Soleil Energy, “Monitoring & O&M,” current page (undated), read October 25, 2026. https://soleilenergycorp.com/renewable-energy/monitoring-and-om/ ↩
