- Residential finance
- No FCA licence needed
More payment options in your proposals
Win more business by letting homeowners spread the cost of their solar installation, with no FCA license required.
How Retail Finance Benefits Installers
A summary of the key benefits that enabling retail finance can give installers.
Increased sales conversion
Enabling additional payment options for homeowners increases installers’ ability to convert on a sale, allowing installers to complete more projects and grow their business.
No FCA licence is required
Finance is presented in the proposal and discussions are between Segen Finance, the credit broker, Zopa, the lender and the homeowner, allowing installers to focus on the installation.
No upfront payment
When homeowners are approved for finance, hardware is delivered without requiring upfront payment or using credit, allowing installers to protect their cash flow and credit lines.
Onboarding Requirements
There are five key requirements that must be met to enable finance in your Segen proposal.
MCS certification
To offer Segen Finance you must be MCS certified.
Comprehensive insurance
Adequate insurance coverage protects both you and the end customer.
Trading history with Segen
We check your order and payment history to ensure you have an established, reliable trading relationship with us.
Set up a Zopa account
You will need an account with our banking partner for you to receive funds. Segen Finance will guide you through the set up process.
Installer identity checks
Zopa will run KYC checks on anyone with a 25%+ ownership of your company, including Director verification and proof of business address.
Residential finance
How a financed order works, step by step
A short walkthrough of how a financed order works. See how homeowners select finance inside the proposal, why delivery waits until the 14-day cool-off has passed, and how signing the completion certificate releases payment.
Homeowner benefits
A summary of the key benefits that retail finance can give to homeowner customers.
Flexible payment terms
Homeowners can choose to pay monthly for their solar installation over time, rather than in one single payment, making solar more affordable.
Finance is offered directly in the Segen proposal tool
Homeowners apply for financing directly in the proposal they have already been sent, creating a simple and streamlined credit application process.
Quick decision
Homeowners only need to answer 9 questions to apply, getting a decision instantly on if they have been approved, with no impact to their credit score
Your role and where it ends.
Installers must not discuss, explain, promote or advise on the finance product with homeowners. Finance questions should be directed to Segen Finance / the lender as appropriate. The installer's role is to generate and send the proposal, the finance conversation and credit application are handled separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions installers commonly ask. Anything about rates or monthly payments is answered for the homeowner inside the proposal tool or directly with Zopa Bank.
You can confirm that a finance option is included in their proposal and that the full details are set out there, however as you are not licenced by the FCA, you are not allowed to talk about anything relating to finance. Direct any further questions to Zopa Bank, they are the lender and will hold all of the relevant details relating to the financing option.
No, as you are not a licenced credit broker or lender you are not allowed to market or discuss anything relating to finance, including suitability, affordability or comparisons with other financing products. Any conversations about finance are between the homeowner and Zopa Bank only.
You do not need to do anything, the homeowner is automatically directed to the banks credit application portal to fill out their details. If approved, you will be notified to contact the customer about the installation date and you can proceed to convert the hardware quote into an order.
As you are notlicencedas a credit broker you are not allowed to discussed or compare finance quotes. Direct the homeowner to the details in their proposal, or to contact Zopa Bank directly.
Contact your account manager, including a description of the issue and if appropriate the proposal reference, who will be able to direct it to the appropriate internal channel.
Contact your account manager with details on exactly what the homeowner has told you and the proposal reference. In the meantime let your homeowner customer know that the issue is being investigated.
Once the homeowner has been approved by Zopa Bank, they will be redirected back to their proposal and directed to contact you to organise an installation date. You will also be notified to contact them and to convert your hardware quote into an order, taking into account the 14-day cool off period. Notification happens both via email and within the project section of your proposal tool dashboard.
The cool-off period is a statutory right every consumer has to cancel a financing agreement once approved and it lasts for 14 days. Once Zopa approves a finance application, the cool-off period automatically begins. No delivery of hardware or installation can occur within this window, however the hardware quote can be converted to an order and delivery can still be scheduled for when the cool-off period finishes.
The order will be cancelled, and no invoice is raised or stock allocated. You will be notified when this happens. Projects can still proceed via the cash route in this instance.
Once the homeowner signs off the installation, the bank releases funds into the Segen Holding account. This is split into two to cover the hardware costs, and all other elements of the project. Funds due to you will be sent to your Zopa account and are cleared to your own bank account once a day, in the evening. It may take up to two days to appear in your account depending on when the transfer occurs. If it has not appeared in your account after this time, please contact your sales manager.
VAT invoices will be sent to you once the hardware has shipped as per usual. You will also be able to download the invoice within your installer account.
The homeowner is able to raise any issues directly with you before signing the Certificate of Acceptance. All issues need to be resolved first before sign off can happen and payment released.
If the homeowner has a complaint, please identify its nature (e.g., poor installation, broken hardware, damage to roof, finance was misrepresented, loan agreement is misleading etc.). Once you have identified the nature of the complaint please contact Segen Finance and Zopa Bank directly. All complaints need to be investigated though a specific process and it is not your role to decide if something a complaint. An FCA regulated complaint differs from an installation complaint and will be dealt with by the credit broker or lender in the appropriate manner.
Get set up to offer finance
Open a trade account to get started. Once you’re set up, you can apply to offer finance from this page.
Segen Finance is a trading name of Segen Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Firm Reference Number 1013386). Credit is provided by Zopa Bank Limited, the lender, and subject to status and affordability checks. Segen Finance is a credit broker, not a lender.