HOW TO HIRE · CLEANING

How to hire a solar panel cleaner in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to solar panel cleaners. Ask how the panels are reached, and leave active nests alone.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a solar panel cleaner in five steps

  1. From the groundA water-fed pole is the safe default.
  2. No pressure washerIt can damage panels.
  3. Nests?Wait until not in use.
  4. Panel countFor the price.
  5. InsurancePublic liability.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Nothing licenses solar panel cleaners in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so solar panel cleaning can be offered by anyone; trader status, insurance and references carry the weight.

Ask for a business name, an invoice for the solar panel cleaning and the name of the insurer.

Work at height

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (and Northern Ireland's own of 2005) require work at height to be planned, supervised and done with suitable equipment; HSE says a ladder suits only low-risk work of up to 30 minutes at a time. That shapes how solar panel cleaning above the ground floor is done.

Ask how the solar panel cleaning will reach high areas — pole from the ground, tower or scaffold. hse.gov.uk →

Nesting birds (England)

gov.uk's guidance for England says all wild birds, their eggs and nests are protected, and it is an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroy a nest while it is in use or being built. A Natural England licence is available only for limited purposes. Gutters, roofs and the gap under panels are where solar panel cleaning meets them.

If birds are nesting, ask whether the solar panel cleaning can wait until the nest is no longer in use. gov.uk →

Public liability insurance

Nothing obliges a cleaner to be insured, but public liability cover is the difference between a claim paid and a dispute if solar panel cleaning goes wrong. Reasonable care and skill is the legal standard for solar panel cleaning under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Before the solar panel cleaning, ask the solar panel cleaner for the insurer and the cover level.

VAT

Solar panel cleaning is standard-rated at 20%. A solar panel cleaning business whose turnover runs above £90,000 a year must register, charge the 20% on the cleaning and any bird proofing, and set it out on its own line.

Ask the solar panel cleaner for the VAT number and check the 20% is listed under the panel price. gov.uk →

“How will you reach the solar panels?”

A good answer: A water-fed pole from the ground where possible.

“Will the solar panel cleaning use detergent?”

A good answer: Purified water only, so no residue.

“What if birds are nesting under the panels?”

A good answer: They leave an active nest alone.

“Can you fit bird proofing round the solar panels?”

A good answer: A separate job, priced.

“Will you check the solar panels for damage?”

A good answer: A look from the ground, reported.

“Are you insured if a panel is damaged?”

A good answer: Public liability, insurer named.

Getting the quote right

  • Price per job and panel count
  • Access method
  • Bird proofing priced separately
  • Who actually attends to clean the panels, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, with 20% VAT shown apart from the panel and access prices

Walk away if

  • Pressure-washes panels
  • Walks on the panels
  • Removes an active nest
  • No insurance
LOW
£80
TYPICAL
£150
HIGH
£250

What a solar panel cleaner costs: £80–£250 per job

Solar panel cleaning is priced per job by the number of panels and the height. Solar Panel Cleaning price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Solar panel cleaners near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. InspectDirt, damage and nests checked.
  2. Set upPole and purified water.
  3. CleanSoft brush over the glass.
  4. Rinse framesSo dirt does not run back.
  5. ReportAnything spotted told to you.

Water-fed pole
Brush on a pole fed with purified water.
Purified water
Dries without spots.
Inverter
Converts panel output for the home.
Bird proofing
Mesh round the panel edges.
Array
The group of panels.
Work at height
Work where a fall could injure.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check outputYour inverter or app after the clean.
Look for damageFrom the ground.
Keep the invoiceMethod noted.
Say how it wentYour rating of the solar panel cleaning sits on the solar panel cleaner's Locufy profile for others to read. Something wrong? Use make-it-right first and we follow it through.

STEP 1Complain to the solar panel cleaner firstGive the solar panel cleaner a clear written account and a fair deadline. The law treats the solar panel cleaning as a service that had to be done with reasonable care and skill, and where it was not, the trader must redo it at their expense or refund part of what you paid.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepBelow four stars, Locufy offers to pass the problem with the solar panel cleaning to the solar panel cleaner before your review is published, and follows it up with both of you.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesFor advice about the solar panel cleaning, or to have the complaint passed to Trading Standards, call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedTo get money back for the solar panel cleaning, the small claims limits are £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland; court fees start at £35 in England and Wales and £23 in Scotland.

Hiring a solar panel cleaner: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies.

Not while it is in use or being built; in England all wild bird nests are protected.

Ask about public liability insurance.

£80–£250 per job, about £150 for most homes. There is more in the solar panel cleaning price guide; enter a town above to see cleaners who work there.

Avoid it; it can damage them.

One to two hours for most homes.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in cleaning

How to hire: Roof CleaningHow to hire: Gutter CleaningHow to hire: Window CleaningHow to hire: Conservatory CleaningHow to hire: Pressure WashingHow to hire: Chimney SweepHow to hire: Driveway CleaningHow to hire: Patio CleaningAll 701 hiring guides →

Solar panel cleaners near you

Solar panel cleaners in LondonSolar panel cleaners in ManchesterSolar panel cleaners in BirminghamSolar panel cleaners in GlasgowSolar panel cleaners in BelfastAll solar panel cleaners on Locufy →Do it yourself: cleaning solar panels from the ground →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HSE — work at height: the law
  2. HSE — work at height myths (ladders and the 30-minute guide)
  3. HSE — types of ladder and using them safely
  4. Work at Height Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005
  5. gov.uk — wild birds: protection and licences (England)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register