"Your solar is faulty," says the stranger at your door. Here's the calm decode.

• The "free solar health check." A door-knock or cold call offering to inspect your system at no cost. The check is free because it pays for itself: it reliably "finds" problems — dirty panels, "degraded" wiring, an inverter that "needs replacing" — that conveniently match the services the caller sells. A genuine inspection is something you book, from a provider you chose, with an itemised written quote.
• The fire-risk scare. "Your isolator (or your panels) are a fire risk — this needs urgent attention." This one borrows a real fact: recalled DC isolators do exist, and we cover exactly what's true below. But a stranger cannot tell from the street whether your hardware is affected — and urgency is doing the work the evidence can't.
• The feed-in "fix." "You're being underpaid for your exports — switch plans through us." Feed-in tariffs genuinely are low these days, which is what makes this pitch land. But a doorstep agent switching you earns a commission, not necessarily your best plan — and handing over a bill or meter number at the door is how slamming and misdirected switches happen. Compare plans yourself, free, on the government's own sites.
• The "government inspection." Someone claiming to be from the government, your council, "the grid" or a rebate scheme, here to inspect your solar. Real government inspection programs exist — but none of them work by unannounced door-knock, and none of them sell repairs. Details below.

Whatever the script, the close is the same: sign now, pay a deposit now, let them on the roof now. Every legitimate version of these services survives you saying "leave me your details and I'll check independently." The illegitimate versions can't.

Here's how the genuine programs actually work, from the sources:

• Clean Energy Regulator (federal). The CER runs an inspections program for rebate-claimed solar and battery systems — but systems are randomly selected, an inspection company contacts you in advance to arrange an appointment, participation is voluntary and requires your written consent, the inspection is free, and you can't even request one (source: Clean Energy Regulator). If your system is selected, we've written a plain-English guide to CER inspections. What a CER inspector never does: turn up unannounced, or quote you for repairs.
• Solar Victoria (state). Solar Homes rebate installations can be audited — by appointment, arranged with you beforehand, with Solar Victoria emailing the homeowner first (source: Solar Victoria). Victoria has gone further and banned door-to-door sales and telemarketing outright in its Solar Homes program, and publishes its own scam warnings (source: Solar Victoria — Be informed, stay protected).
• Your network (DNSP). The "poles and wires" company does occasionally need meter access — but it notifies you, its staff carry verifiable ID with a number you can call back on, and it does not sell solar repairs at the door.

So the careful, accurate statement is this: governments do not send door-to-door solar inspectors. An unannounced knock claiming a government, council or "grid" inspection is either a sales canvasser dressed up in authority, or a scam. Ask for ID, decline, and if it smelled like impersonation, report it to Scamwatch. NSW's official guidance on avoiding energy scams lists "claims to represent the government" among the top red flags.

And the feed-in pitch? Same test. It's true that feed-in tariffs have fallen — some to near zero, which we cover honestly in our feed-in tariff guide — and reviewing your plan once a year is genuinely smart. But do it yourself, free, on the government comparison sites: Energy Made Easy (national) or Victorian Energy Compare. Never hand your bill, NMI or meter number to a doorstep agent — that's the raw material for an unauthorised switch. Our guide to whether you're overpaying on the default offer shows how to run the comparison in ten minutes.

A contract that follows an uninvited door-knock, cold call or public-place approach is an unsolicited consumer agreement under the Australian Consumer Law, and it carries mandatory protections (source: ACCC):

• A 10-business-day cooling-off period. You can cancel for any reason, without charge, starting the first business day after you signed or received the agreement document.
• No payment during cooling-off. The seller must not request or accept payment for services during the period, and must not supply the services in that window (goods under $500 may be supplied).
• Your rights must be in the contract. The agreement must state your cancellation rights and include a form you can use to cancel.
• Breaches extend your rights. If the seller broke the rules — visited outside permitted hours (broadly 9am–6pm weekdays, 9am–5pm Saturdays, not Sundays or public holidays), refused to leave when asked, or failed to disclose your cooling-off rights — your right to cancel can extend to three or even six months, depending on the breach.

How to cancel: put it in writing — email is fine — quote the agreement, state that you are cancelling within the cooling-off period, and keep a copy. You don't owe a reason. If the seller resists, has already taken money, or the work's been botched, your state's fair trading body and the energy ombudsman can help — our guide to who can actually help with a solar complaint maps the escalation path. And before paying anyone new a deposit for repair work, run them through the same checks you'd run on an installer: here's the five-minute version.