Ask your landlord or HOA

By Mike YuPublished September 1, 2026

It picks one of three templates, inserts your details, dates the letter, and inserts the current SB 868 status from [the tracker](/is-it-legal) — so the letter never claims something that's stopped being true.

Which letter?

To a landlord or property managerTo an HOA board or architectural committeeShort follow-up, when there's been no reply

Your details

Nothing here is sent anywhere. The letter is assembled in your browser and we never see it.

Your name

Who you're writing to, by name

Your unit

Address

Living there since

The kit — make and model

Total watts

Its certification, in the manufacturer's words

How it mounts, and how it comes off

Your rough monthly bill

Roughly what share of your use it would cover

Phone

Fill in your name, who you're writing to, by name, your unit, address, living there since, the kit — make and model, total watts, its certification, in the manufacturer's words, how it mounts, and how it comes off, your rough monthly bill, roughly what share of your use it would cover, phone, email — the letter reads oddly without it.

The letter

September 2, 2026 Dear [Who you're writing to, by name], I'm writing to ask permission to install a small plug-in solar panel on the balcony of [Your unit], where I've lived since [Living there since]. What it is. A [The kit — make and model], rated [Total watts] watts. It's a single panel roughly the size of an interior door, with a small converter attached to the back. It plugs into the existing outdoor outlet on the balcony — there's no wiring work, no electrician, and nothing is connected to the building's electrical system beyond a standard plug. How it attaches, and how it comes off. [How it mounts, and how it comes off]. Nothing is screwed into the structure and no holes are made. If you ask me to remove it at any point, or when I move out, it comes off in under half an hour and leaves the railing exactly as it is now. Safety. The unit is [Its certification, in the manufacturer's words]. It's designed to shut down automatically if the building loses power, so it can't feed electricity into the wiring during an outage — that's a standard requirement for these devices and it protects anyone working on the system. Why I'm asking. My electricity bill runs about $[Your rough monthly bill] a month. A panel this size would cover roughly [Roughly what share of your use it would cover] percent of what I use. It's a modest saving, but it's the only kind of solar available to someone renting. What I'd propose. I'd cover the full cost of the equipment and installation. I'd be glad to send you the manufacturer's specification sheet and safety documentation before doing anything, to send a photo once it's up, and to add the panel to my renter's insurance. If it would help, I'm happy to sign something confirming I'll remove it on request and repair anything it affects. Californian law on plug-in solar is currently changing: As of 1 September 2026, SB 868 has passed both houses of the California Legislature and was enrolled on 28 August 2026. Governor Newsom has until 30 September 2026 to sign or veto it. If he signs, it takes effect 1 January 2027. I'm not relying on that — I'm asking because it's your building. If there's a form or a process you'd prefer I follow, tell me and I'll follow it. And if the answer is no, I'd be grateful to know why, in case there's a version of this you would be comfortable with. Thank you for considering it. [Your name] [Your unit], [Address] [Phone] · [Email]

After the letter

If they say yes. Get it in writing, even one line in an email. Photograph the railing before you mount anything.

If they say no. Ask what would change the answer. Sometimes it's the appearance, and a different placement fixes it. Sometimes it's liability, and an insurance certificate fixes it. Sometimes it's that nobody has ever been asked before and no is the safe answer — in which case offering to help draft a policy is more productive than arguing.

If they don't answer. Send the follow-up after two weeks. In an HOA, a written request that goes unanswered through the association's own stated process is worth having on file.

If they say the law requires them to allow it. They may be wrong, and so might you. The Solar Rights Act's application to balcony devices is untested. Don't build a strategy on it.

Sources

Every legal, numeric and safety claim on this page traces to one of these.

California Civil Code §714 (Solar Rights Act) — accessed September 1, 2026
California Civil Code §4746 — accessed September 1, 2026