Change of ownership
Change of ownership
If you’re planning to sell your property, and your heating system is to be included in the sale, it’s important that you let us know you will no longer own it. You can do this by phone, email or letter.
You’ll need to contact us 28 days before the sale going through. You agreed to do this when you applied to the DRHI scheme and it’s part of your ongoing obligations.
By getting this information to us as soon as possible, you’ll allow us to issue the correct payment to you. This avoids the need for you to repay any money, as you're no longer eligible for payments once you've sold your property.
Not notifying us will also cause delays if the new owner plans to join the scheme.
What you need to do
You need to provide us with one of the following documents as soon as possible after the sale of the property has taken place:
- a completed TR1 form or Scottish equivalent, such as a deed of disposition, which must be signed and dated
- a copy of the title deed showing the date of the transfer of ownership
- a copy of a letter from your solicitor confirming the date of the sale. This does not need to be addressed to us and can be correspondence from your solicitor to you. The letter must include the property address, your name and the legal date of the transfer
When do your payments stop?
Any remaining payments will be paid to you up until the day before the legal transfer of the property is complete. For example, if the date of transfer is 1 January, you’ll be paid up to and including 31 December.
You’ll receive any money you’re owed once you've provided us with one of the documents mentioned above.
What do I do if I’ve bought a property with a renewable heating system already registered on the scheme?
If you’re moving into a property with a renewable heating system already accredited to the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (DRHI) scheme, and you want to take over the DRHI payments from the previous owner, you have 12 months from the date of sale of the property and renewable heating system to notify us. Your payments won’t accrue until we’re satisfied all of the eligibility criteria are met and we’ve sent you a statement of eligibility. If there are multiple owners, you must have permission from the other owners that you will be the participant to the scheme.
To confirm you’re the new owner, you'll need to provide us with one of the following documents:
- a completed TR1 form/TP1 form or Scottish equivalent, such as a deed of disposition, which must be signed and dated
- a copy of the title deed showing the date of the transfer of ownership
- a copy of a letter from your solicitor confirming the date of the sale. This does not need to be addressed to us and can be correspondence from your solicitor to you. The letter must include the property address, your name and the legal date of the transfer
As the new owner, you will need to provide us with the original Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) and Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) certificate numbers used by the original owner to make the application. You can ask the previous owner for these certificate numbers.
If you live in England and Wales, you can download the relevant EPC for your property from the government's Find an Energy Certificate webpage.
If you live in Scotland, you can download the relevant EPC for your property from the Energy Saving Trust website.
Alternatively, you can get information or assistance by contacting the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government or calling the Energy Saving Trust on 0808 808 2282.
When do your payments start?
Payments will start to accrue from the point that you are accredited on to the scheme. Payments are made following the existing payment schedule.
What happens if the owner of the property dies?
If the participant receiving the DRHI payments dies, the executor may be able to transfer the accreditation to receive the remainder of the DRHI payments.
The executor should contact our enquiries team at DomesticRHI@ofgem.gov.uk or 0300 0030 744 as soon as possible. To finalise any outstanding payments due to the estate, and begin payments for the new owner, the evidence listed below needs to be submitted. If we accept that evidence, the new owner will become a participant of the scheme and be entitled to receive the remainder of the payments. A participant must either own or jointly own the installation.
What information do I need to provide as executor?
We will need:
- official probate documentation which shows the name of the Executor(s)
- an undertaking document to understand if the property has been sold, and who the beneficiary of the Estate will be
- sale documentation if the property has been sold
- We may also ask for identification and bank account evidence for the new beneficiary
Contact us if you would like to discuss this process in more detail.