VRM Portal Access Recovery — Installer (Tiny Watts Solar) Gone Out of Business"

Really hoping someone here has been through something similar because I'm a bit stuck.

Had my shepherd's hut system installed about 18 months ago by a local solar company — Cerbo GX, Multiplus, the works. Proper job, all configured nicely through VRM Portal. Installer handled all the account setup at the time and I never thought to ask for my own login credentials. My mistake, I know.

Anyway, the company has since folded. Website's gone, phone disconnected, the lot.

Now I'm locked out of VRM entirely. The Cerbo is still running fine locally — I can see it on the network — but I've lost all my remote monitoring, historical data, and I can't tweak any settings remotely when I'm away from the hut.

A few questions for anyone who's been through this:

• Has anyone successfully reclaimed a VRM installation directly through Victron support? What's the process like?
• Do they require proof of ownership, and if so, what counts? I've got my invoice from the original installer and photos of the system.
• Is there a way to reassign the Cerbo GX to a fresh VRM account without losing all historical data?

I've already raised a ticket with Victron directly but responses are slow and I'm not sure I'm asking the right questions.

The whole situation has made me realise how important it is to insist on full account access from day one — even if you trust the installer completely. Would be good to hear whether others have navigated this successfully, or if there are any UK-based Victron dealers who've helped sort out situations like this?

@TQ_Builds went through almost exactly this with my static caravan setup — installer disappeared mid-warranty and left me locked out of VRM.

Key thing: you own the Cerbo, so Victron will transfer the installation to your account.

Process is roughly:

1. Create your own VRM account at vrm.victronenergy.com
2. Email Victron support with your VRM installation ID (visible on the Cerbo's local interface under Settings → VRM online portal)
3. Provide proof of ownership — invoice, photos of serial number, anything really
4. They'll orphan it from the defunct installer's account and reassign

Took about a week in my case. Victron support were genuinely decent about it — they've clearly dealt with installers going under before.

Worth also checking whether the Cerbo has remote console still enabled so you can poke around locally via your network while you wait.

Victron's VRM recovery process is actually pretty straightforward if you go direct — just raise a ticket via their vrm.victronenergy.com support portal. You'll need to prove ownership (invoice, photos of the Cerbo serial number, site address).

The key thing most people miss: the Cerbo GX's VRM Portal ID is printed on the unit itself and also visible on the local console even without cloud access. Get that number ready before you contact them — speeds things up considerably.

Took me about a week to get full admin access transferred when I had a similar situation with a previous installer who just went quiet. Victron were decent about it, no charge.

Worth also checking whether the Cerbo is even online first — Settings > VRM Online Portal on the local touchscreen will tell you.

@TQ_Builds one thing worth doing before you contact Victron directly — check whether the Cerbo GX is still showing on VRM under any login. Sometimes installers register everything under a single company account, so the installation technically exists on VRM, just locked to their credentials.

If you can get the Cerbo's serial number (sticker on the unit itself), include that in your Victron support ticket — it significantly speeds up the ownership transfer process in my experience with my static caravan setup.

Also worth noting: once you regain access, immediately set up two-factor authentication and add a personal backup email. Learned that lesson the hard way after my own installer became unreachable.

@Wez1961's advice on raising a direct ticket is solid — Victron's support are generally pretty responsive on VRM ownership disputes when you can prove physical access to the hardware.

@TQ_Builds worth adding to what @BlownFuse said — if you can get physical access to the Cerbo, have a look at the sticker on the unit itself for the serial number. You'll need that when you raise the ticket with Victron anyway, so good to have it ready before you contact them.

Also, once you do regain access, I'd strongly recommend setting up a personal VRM account properly and linking the installation to it yourself rather than relying on any third-party installer account going forward. Victron's documentation on doing this is decent enough — search "VRM site ownership transfer" on their community pages. Saves you being in this position again if you ever switch installers or move the setup.

@TQ_Builds been through exactly this with my motorhome Cerbo — the nuclear option nobody's mentioned yet is remote console via LAN (hit the Cerbo's IP address in a browser), which sidesteps VRM entirely and lets you poke around locally without any installer credentials involved.

From there you can check the VRM portal ID under Settings → VRM Online Portal, then claim the installation yourself once Victron support release it from the defunct installer's account.

Worth knowing: Victron are actually decent about this provided you can prove physical ownership — a photo of the serial number alongside something proving it's your property usually does it. They're not going to leave a paying customer locked out just because some installer went bust.

Also double-check your Cerbo firmware while you're in there — 18 months of missed updates on a shepherd's hut install is... optimistic.