1. Roof rental for homeowners

Everyone knows that you can rent out your home. But many owners aren’t aware that renting out the roof space can also be an option. Those who are unable to invest in solar systems themselves or who simply have an incredibly large amount of space available can earn money this way and enable someone else to invest. So if the property is rented out, both parties benefit – right?

1.1. Is renting out a roof worthwhile for tenants?

Now that more and more private individuals are becoming aware of the possibility of renting out roofs, the prices for feeding solar power into the grid are falling. Around 15 years ago, the feed-in price was just under €0.50 per kilowatt hour – usually with a price fixed for twenty years. This meant that investors who had to rent roof space could still profit significantly from renting out their roofs despite paying rent.

Today things look a little different: The average prices for feeding solar power from photovoltaic systems into the grid currently range between €0.07 for large systems and €0.09 for average-sized systems. Investors therefore receive less money for their electricity. However, one must not forget that the Acquisition costs for solar systems have fallen significantly in recent years. The energy-generating panels on the roof therefore pay for themselves more quickly, or pay for themselves even with lower income from feed-in.

Anyone interested in renting roof space should contact an expert for an exact calculation. This will help you determine whether the investment in rental roofs and photovoltaic panels is worthwhile.

1.2. Is renting out a roof worthwhile for landlords?

Anyone who has roof space that is not used for their own systems can assume that the concept of renting it out is worthwhile. This is especially the case if you can rent out not only small roof areas on your own residential building, but large areas. This is therefore particularly interesting for farmers with large stables that offer roof space. But owners of large warehouses or industrial halls in particular can benefit financially from renting it out.

2. Size of the roof area is crucial

Depending on the size of the home, the average roof area is between 30 and 70 square meters. However, renting out a roof is only considered to be really economical if the area is around 600 square meters or more.

3. Compensation for roof rental

Anyone who has a sufficiently large roof area that can be offered for rent should of course also know what income can be expected from the rental. As a rule, a distinction is made between different compensation models if you want to rent out roofs:

3.1. One-off payments

Solar systems are long-term investments. For this reason, a one-off payment has become established as a compensation model for rentals. The tenant pays the landlord an amount, usually between €4,000 and €9,000, which is intended to cover a period of twenty years.

3.2. Annual remuneration

The annual rental of roof space is a flexible model in which the remuneration can be based either on a profit share or on a flat rate. The most common method for profit sharing is an annual sum, which usually amounts to 5% of the profits. This method therefore adapts to the price conditions of the feed-in every year.

With flat-rate billing, the amount of compensation depends on the size of the roof area: landlords can record income of between €2 and €5 per square meter.

4. Individual consultation necessary

Anyone who is thinking about renting out roof space should carry out a case-by-case assessment with an expert. This is the only way to determine how high the potential income from renting out the space would be or whetherown investment in solar panels could be more lucrative in the long term.