Solar contracts homeowners can read before they sign

What a solar job puts in front of the homeowner

• Site survey authorizationPermission to get on the roof, open the electrical panel and look at the utility bill.
• The agreement itselfA purchase contract, a lease or a power purchase agreement. They're very different deals, and the homeowner should know which one they're signing.
• Financing paperworkLoans and PACE financing come with their own documents and lenders. Your own contract should still match what the homeowner was told.
• HOA approval requestSome homeowners' associations must approve the installation before work starts.
• Change ordersA panel upgrade, a different array layout, an added battery. Price it and get it signed before the crew does the work.
• Completion sign-offThe homeowner's confirmation that the system is installed, plus your workmanship warranty terms.

What the FTC tells homeowners to check

The FTC's consumer guide to solar tells homeowners to get specific details in writing, like system size, expected output, total cost and warranties, and to make sure the contract matches what the ads, proposals and salespeople said. It warns them away from any company that pressures them for a quick decision. It also explains that with a lease or PPA the homeowner doesn't own the system, and that PACE financing places a property tax lien on the home.

That's a good standard for your paperwork too. Sending by link lets homeowners read the whole contract on their own phone or computer, ask their questions, and sign when they're ready. A sign-by date keeps the deal moving without pressure, and automatic reminders do the follow-up.

Signing in person or by link

Each send is an envelope: one or more documents going to one or more signers. Put the agreement, the warranty terms and the HOA request in one envelope, add both owners in signing order, and send. Or choose Sign in person and hand over your phone or iPad. The homeowner is guided field by field, and in the iPhone and iPad app only your Face ID or passcode gets you back out. In-person and link signers can be mixed in the same envelope.

Build your contract as a template with a calculated price, like system watts times your price per watt, and conditional fields that show battery terms only when a battery is chosen. Alana, the AI assistant, can fill a draft from one sentence for you to review.

Utility and HOA forms

Net metering rules depend on the homeowner's state and utility, and the utility's paperwork follows the utility's own process. If a utility or HOA form is a PDF and they accept electronic signatures, send it like any other document. Signers can upload a recent utility bill or the HOA's approval letter with an attachment field. In the iPhone and iPad app, you can scan the paper copies the homeowner already has.

Spanish-speaking homeowners see the signing page, emails and consent in Spanish, among 6 signer languages. The contract text is your own document, so have a Spanish version ready if you pitch in Spanish.

Pricing

Crew is $49 a month for 5 people, enough for a sales team and an office, with extra people at $8 a month each. Company covers 15 people for $99 a month. Solo is $15 a month with unlimited envelopes, and Free covers 3 envelopes a month. New workspaces get 14 days of Crew free, no card. See every plan.

What SignMaster doesn't do

• It doesn't design systems, build proposals or estimate production.
• It doesn't arrange financing or take payments.
• It doesn't submit anything to the utility, the HOA or the building department.
• It sends signing requests by email, not text. You can copy a signer's link and text it yourself.