My solar or PACE loan did not match the sales pitch

This notice

The loan contract, GoodLeap-style installment papers, welcome email, or property-tax assessment notice shows a solar or PACE financing deal whose payment, lien, dealer fee, or tax-credit math does not match what the salesperson said.

That packet is a financing mismatch. It is not a generic credit-card billing dispute. It is not an auto-loan right-to-cure notice. It is not a mortgage Notice of Error about ordinary escrow unless your paper is actually a PACE assessment riding on the tax bill.

The CFPB page What is a PACE loan? says PACE stands for Property Assessed Clean Energy, that you repay through an added assessment collected with property taxes, that the U.S. government does not pay for or insure PACE loans, and that programs are approved by some states and run by local government or a private company hired by local government. The page warns that, like a traditional property-tax lien, you may lose your home if you do not make the payments.

The CFPB consumer advisory on solar energy installation loans describes door-to-door pressure, hidden dealer fees that raise the amount borrowed above the cash price, tax-credit “net cost” figures that make the loan look smaller than the principal, payment shocks when a projected tax-credit amount is due later, and energy-savings promises that may not match real bills. The Bureau’s Issue Spotlight: Solar Financing reviews the same solar-specific loan structures, including fintech point-of-sale partnerships with installers.

Recent CFPB narratives name GoodLeap (Paramount GR Holdings), SunStrong, Solar Mosaic, and similar solar finance companies. Some people say the cash price was never disclosed, dealer fees inflated principal, batteries or panels were unfinished while billing started, or a tax assessment arrived that did not match the pitch. Those narratives are outcome stories. Use the advisory, Issue Spotlight, and PACE page for the steps.

This guide does not invent a universal cancellation deadline or dollar refund. The advisory says homeowners could have a right to get out of some contracts and that some door-to-door sales have a federal cancel right. Confirm that against your contract and state law before you act.

Official path

1. Save the sales proposal, text threads, signed loan or PACE documents, Truth-in-Lending or installment disclosures, and any property-tax assessment or lender welcome notice. Line up the promised payment next to the payment printed in the contract.

2. Ask in writing for the cash price of the system, every dealer or installer fee added to principal, and whether the quoted payment assumed a federal tax credit you may not receive. The advisory tells people to ask for the cash price and a written breakdown of work, materials, and cost.

3. Write the lender and the installer the same facts: what you were told, what the contract says, and what you want corrected (fee disclosure, payment schedule, unfinished work, or assessment amount). Keep proof of delivery. Do not sign a new “modification” you do not understand.

4. Check whether your product is PACE. If the repayment is an assessment on the property-tax bill, read the CFPB PACE page again and contact your local tax authority for how the assessment posts. If it is a separate installment loan, use the lender’s written dispute channel and the advisory’s complaint instructions.

5. Submit a CFPB complaint at Submit a complaint. The advisory says to choose “Payday loan, title loan, personal loan or advance loan,” then “Installment loan,” for solar energy loans. Attach the contract, pitch materials, and assessment or billing notice. The Ask-CFPB page How do I submit a complaint about a financial product or service? covers the portal basics.

6. Send the same packet to your state attorney general or state consumer-protection office, and use the FTC tip path the advisory names when a business did not make good on promises. Ask those offices whether a door-to-door or state cooling-off rule applies to your signing method. Do not assume a cancel right the pages do not grant for your exact deal.

What people reported

Often helps

• Putting the promised monthly payment next to the contract payment and dealer-fee line in one PDF packet before filing the CFPB complaint.
• Complaining to both the solar lender and the installer when panels or batteries were unfinished while billing continued.

Often fails

• Stopping payment or removing panels based only on a forum cancel tip with no state or contract rule named. Narratives still showed collections and tax-assessment pressure after a one-sided “cancel” email.

Template

[DATE]

[LENDER / PACE ADMINISTRATOR NAME]
[INSTALLER NAME]
Complaints / Solar or PACE financing

Re: Misrepresented solar or PACE financing, account ending [LAST FOUR]

I am writing about financing for a solar or energy improvement at [PROPERTY ADDRESS]. I received [LOAN CONTRACT / GOODLEAP-STYLE INSTALLMENT AGREEMENT / PACE OR TAX ASSESSMENT NOTICE] dated [DATE]. The sales pitch on [DATE] said [PROMISED PAYMENT / CASH PRICE / NO TAX-LIEN / TAX-CREDIT TREATMENT]. The documents instead show [ACTUAL PAYMENT / PRINCIPAL WITH DEALER FEES / ASSESSMENT / OTHER MISMATCH].

Please send a written breakdown of the cash price, every fee added to principal, the payment schedule, and any property-tax assessment terms. Please correct [FEE / PAYMENT / UNFINISHED WORK / ASSESSMENT AMOUNT] or explain in writing why the contract matches what I was told.

I am also submitting complaints to the CFPB and my state attorney general with the same exhibits.

Enclosed are copies of [CONTRACT / PITCH SHEET / ASSESSMENT NOTICE / PHOTOS OF INCOMPLETE WORK], not originals.

[FULL NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[PHONE]
[EMAIL]

Enclosures: [LIST]

Stop here if…

• You only have a contractor workmanship dispute and no loan, PACE assessment, or finance company paper. That may be a contractor or licensing complaint, not this financing guide.
• The paper is an ordinary mortgage Notice of Error, force-placed insurance notice, or auto-loan right-to-cure with no solar or PACE financing. Use those guides instead.
• A salesperson tells you to ignore a tax assessment or stop paying because “CFPB will cancel it.” No official page promises that outcome. Use the complaint path and legal advice for your contract.

FAQ

Is a PACE loan the same as a GoodLeap-style solar installment loan?

Not always. The CFPB PACE page says a PACE loan is repaid as an added assessment on your property taxes and is run through local government or a private company hired by local government. Many solar complaints involve separate point-of-sale installment lenders. Both can produce paperwork that does not match the doorstep pitch; read which product your documents name.

Can I cancel because the pitch was wrong?

Do not invent a cancel right. The CFPB solar advisory says homeowners could have a right to get out of some solar loans or contracts, and that under federal rules some door-to-door sales include a cancel right. Whether that applies depends on how you signed and on state law. Ask your state attorney general or a consumer lawyer before you stop paying or remove panels.

What problems does the CFPB actually describe?

The solar advisory and Issue Spotlight describe hidden dealer fees that inflate principal, tax-credit “net cost” figures that understate what you borrowed, payment jumps when an expected tax-credit prepayment is not made, and energy-savings claims that may not match the bills. The PACE page warns that missed assessment payments can put the home at risk like other property-tax liens.

Which CFPB complaint product should I pick?

The solar advisory says that for solar energy loans, select “Payday loan, title loan, personal loan or advance loan,” then “Installment loan.” Attach the contract, the pitch materials, and the assessment or billing notice.

Should I only complain to the installer?

Complain to the lender and installer in writing, then use the CFPB complaint portal and your state attorney general. The advisory also points to FTC tips when a business does not make good on promises. Keep one packet of exhibits for every office.