Most Australian solar companies are honest operators. But the industry's churn tells its own story: industry trackers estimate hundreds of Australian solar companies have gone under since 2010, leaving hundreds of thousands of households with orphaned warranties. The good news? Dodgy deals follow a pattern, and each red flag below comes with a quick check you can run before signing anything.
Red flag 1: A price that's too good to be true
If one quote is thousands under the others, something is paying for that gap. Usually it's one of: no-name panels with unreachable manufacturers, an undersized or bottom-shelf inverter, subcontracted installers paid per job to work fast, skipped extras like proper roof-mounting or switchboard upgrades — or a company pricing below cost because it doesn't plan to be around to honour the warranty.
Check it: get at least three quotes so you know the realistic market price, and ask the cheap quote to itemise exactly what hardware and workmanship you're getting for the difference.
Red flag 2: High-pressure "today only" tactics
"This price expires at midnight." "The rebate ends this week — sign now." Genuine solar deals don't evaporate overnight, and the federal incentives step down on published schedules, not on a salesperson's deadline.
Check it: tell them you'll decide within a week. A reputable company will hold the price. One that won't has told you everything you need to know.
Red flag 3: Big deposits or full prepayment
In NSW, home building work is generally capped at a 10% deposit under the Home Building Act (NSW Government), and South Australia's consumer affairs body advises against paying large sums upfront for solar (CBS SA). With so many installers having gone under, a big deposit is an unsecured loan to a company you barely know.
Check it: never pay more than 10% up front, and confirm in writing when the balance is due — ideally on completion, after the system is commissioned.
Red flag 4: A one-page quote with no itemisation
"6.6kW solar system, fully installed — $X" is not a quote; it's an invitation to a dispute. You can't compare it, and later you can't hold anyone to it.
Check it: insist on exact panel, inverter and battery models, quantities, warranty terms for each, the STC discount as a separate line, and what's excluded (double-storey access, tile roofs, switchboard work, travel). Our comparison checklist covers what a proper quote looks like.
Red flag 5: Vague or unverifiable accreditation claims
"Government approved", "CEC certified company" — these phrases are often used loosely. Since 2024, installer and designer accreditation has been run by Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA), which replaced the Clean Energy Council's scheme; your installation must be done by an SAA-accredited installer for the system to qualify for STCs (Clean Energy Regulator).
Check it: ask for the name and accreditation number of the person who will actually be on your roof — not just the sales company — and verify it via SAA's online installer search. If they won't tell you who's doing the install, walk away.
Red flag 6: Rebate games — "free battery from the government"
There is no free government battery. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program is a discount, not a giveaway — and since 1 May 2026 it's tiered, paying the highest rate on the first 14kWh of usable capacity, less from 14–28kWh, and far less again up to the 50kWh cap (Clean Energy Regulator). Salespeople who inflate the gross price and then "discount" it with the rebate, or who promise rebates you must "claim back" later, are playing games with your money.
Check it: the quote should show gross price, each incentive as a named line item, and the net price you pay on the day. Our solar rebates guide explains what you're genuinely entitled to, and our solar battery page covers how the battery discount really works.
Red flag 7: No local track record or reviews
A slick website is a weekend's work. A decade of verified customer reviews isn't. Companies with no review history, a recently registered ABN, or a trail of renamed entities are exactly the ones that tend to join the collapsed-installer statistics — taking your workmanship warranty with them.
Check it: search the company name and ABN, look for years of consistent reviews (not a burst of five-star ratings from last month), and cross-check them on solar reviews, where we host 15,000+ reviews of Australian installers.
The easiest way to avoid all seven
Every red flag above gets harder for a dodgy operator to hide when you're comparing three quotes side by side from installers who've already been vetted. Get quotes from up to 3 trusted local installers — it's free, and it puts you back in control of the conversation.
