Demand Letter Prompts Solar Installer to Repair Defects

When you invest in a renewable energy system for your home, you expect it to work. A botched installation is an enormous logistical and financial setback that, if left unresolved, renders your investment useless.

Our client, a Colorado homeowner, hired a company to install a new battery system for their existing solar setup. The contract represented a home improvement project investment in the tens of thousands of dollars. Our client held up their end of the deal by paying in full, remaining cooperative, and giving the installers everything they needed to complete the project.

The installer, however, never delivered a functioning system. 

After months of failed inspections and code violations, our client was left with a battery that didn’t work and inoperable solar panels. But what made matters worse for our client was the installer’s radio silence. Our client called the company repeatedly and was promised each time that a manager would follow up. No one ever did. 

Our real estate team sent the installation company a formal demand letter outlining the client’s claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and negligence under Colorado law. The letter detailed the company’s failure to perform in a workmanlike manner, its disregard of the written warranty, and the mounting damages our client continued to incur. 

Faced with a clear account of its legal exposure in our demand letter, the company was suddenly interested in resolving the outstanding issues for our client. The company promptly scheduled the necessary repair work, restoring our client’s battery and solar system to full working order. 

Sometimes, all it takes is a strong demand letter, sent at the right time.