SolarCity Corporation UCC Release - Need Help Finding Lien Records

Equipment is in Nevada. I've been searching Nevada SOS portal but their search function keeps timing out. Do you know if SolarCity used a standard naming convention for their UCC-1 filings?

Nevada's system has been garbage lately. Try searching under both 'SolarCity Corporation' and 'SolarCity Corp' - they weren't consistent with entity names back then.

That sounds helpful. Does it work with partial records? I only have the original lease agreement and some payment history.

Yes, just upload whatever PDFs you have. It'll identify what's missing and give you specific filing numbers to search for. Makes the whole process way less frustrating.

I called Tesla customer service three times. They keep transferring me and no one seems to know about legacy SolarCity UCC issues. Got any direct contact info?

Unfortunately no. Their legal team is notoriously slow. That's why getting the original filing details is so important - then you can file your own UCC-3 termination if needed.

Wait, can you really file your own termination? I thought only the secured party could do that.

If the debt is satisfied and you have documentation, some states allow debtor-initiated terminations. But it's risky - better to get proper authorization first.

Oh god, 12 subsidiaries? How did you finally track everything down?

Hired a UCC search company. Cost me $800 but they found filings in 4 different states I never would have thought to check. Nevada, Delaware, California, and weirdly one in New York.

New York makes sense - that's where a lot of the financing entities were incorporated. Did you have to get separate terminations for each filing?

The original paperwork says 'Solar Loan Agreement' so I assumed it was a secured transaction. But you're right, I should double check the actual terms.

Yeah loan vs lease makes a huge difference. If it was actually a capital lease structured as a security agreement, then you definitely need that UCC release.

8 months?! That's insane. Did you have to threaten legal action?

Pretty much. Our attorney had to send multiple demand letters before Tesla's legal team finally processed the terminations. They were completely overwhelmed by the acquisition cleanup.

Good point. I was searching by secured party name. Let me try searching with the property owner as debtor instead.

That's probably where you'll find it. Residential solar UCC filings almost always use the homeowner as debtor since the panels are fixtures to their property.

Probably some truth to that. Big corporations hate spending money on administrative cleanup, especially when there's no immediate revenue impact.

Tesla actually has a legal obligation to properly terminate satisfied liens. The problem is enforcement - who's going to force them to do it quickly?

Which subsidiary? Maybe that'll help narrow down my search.

In my case it was SolarCity Capital LLC, but apparently they used different entities in different states. The tool showed me exactly which name variations to search for.

That's a great idea. I'll ask my title agent tomorrow. Even if Tesla won't cooperate on the termination, they might provide an indemnity letter.

Worth a shot. Some title companies will accept indemnifications for solar equipment liens, especially if the financing is clearly satisfied.

Just make sure the indemnification covers the full amount of any potential lien claim, not just the current loan balance.

Great news! Having the actual filing number makes a huge difference when dealing with their legal department. They can't claim they can't find the records anymore.

Awesome! Now you just need to prove the underlying debt was satisfied. Do you have final payment confirmation or loan payoff documentation?

I have payment records showing the loan was paid in full last March. Hopefully that's enough documentation for Tesla to process the UCC-3 termination.

That's exactly the documentation you need! With the filing number and proof of satisfaction, Tesla should be able to process the UCC-3 termination relatively quickly. I'd recommend sending them a formal written request with copies of the payment records and the UCC-1 filing number. If they drag their feet, mention that you have a closing deadline - sometimes that gets their attention faster than general requests.

@Zara Ahmed has the right approach! Also, when you send that formal request to Tesla, make sure to include a reference to the Tesla-SolarCity acquisition agreement - they assumed all obligations including UCC termination duties. Sometimes mentioning specific legal obligations gets better results than just asking nicely. Good luck with your closing!

@Miguel Hernández great point about referencing the acquisition agreement! I d'also suggest sending the request via certified mail so you have proof of delivery. Tesla s'legal department can t'claim they never received it. If you don t'hear back within 10 business days, escalate to their general counsel s'office. The acquisition created specific successor liability obligations that they can t'just ignore.

This thread has been super helpful! As someone new to UCC issues, I'm curious - once Tesla files the UCC-3 termination, how long does it typically take to show up in the state records? My understanding is there can be delays between filing and when it appears in searchable databases. @Amina Bah with your tight closing timeline, you might want to ask Tesla to provide you with a copy of the filed UCC-3 directly rather than waiting for it to show up in Nevada s'system.