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Homebuyer stunned after seller leaves them with a surprise monthly Tesla bill: 'I didn't get any warning'

"I'm entirely confused why I'm receiving this."

One homeowner was horrified when they received a bill from Tesla for their solar service, despite being told the lease was fully paid off.

Photo Credit: iStock

One homeowner who was excited to buy a house with paid-off solar panels was horrified when they received a bill from Tesla for their solar service.

They posted about their experience on the r/solar subreddit. 

"I was told that the lease was fully paid off and that there were no monthly costs associated with it," said the original poster. "We move in and get situated, and over the next few months, realize that the prior owner never transferred ownership to us after selling. … After some struggles getting Tesla to transfer ownership and monitoring to us, we finally succeeded and can now track directly. Great!"

Even if you have to pay them off yourself, solar panels can save you an incredible amount of money on your utility bills over time, not to mention the peace of mind you will have if you are independent from the grid with a solar panel and battery storage setup. 


TCD's Solar Explorer can get you started on the path to installing solar panels, whether you prefer to buy or lease them.

But in this case, the homeowner's expected savings were offset when they got a bill. 

"Today I just got a bill for a 'fixed monthly rate' and I'm entirely confused why I'm receiving this," they said. "I didn't get any warning from Tesla that I was going to be getting a monthly bill... is... this normal?"

Luckily, the problem was easily fixed. In a comment, the original poster said, "Success! Tesla admitted they messed up and are moving to cancel the bill and all further billing."

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