New Community: Milestone Requirements

Milestone Requirements: Overview

High level overview of milestone requirements (M0, M1, M2, M3).

LightReach milestone requirements were designed by industry leaders with operations personnel in mind. You deliver quality to the homeowner, we make it simple to submit for milestone approvals. This article references a detailed breakdown of current milestones.

NTP

Notice to Proceed (NTP) is synonymous with a fully signed & executed order. It is LightReach's signal to the Certified Installer that the contract package is fully executed, and the Installer has the go ahead to proceed with installation. Note that LightReach does not audit the physical site at NTP -- it is the responsibility of the installer to ensure full site eligibility prior to installing.

NTP (M0) Requirements Include:

Initial account/system details
Quote
Signed contract

When all requirements are completed and validated, NTP will be granted.

Installation

Installation is the first major operational milestone. The Certified Developer is signaling to LightReach that installation is physically complete, and accurate design documentation has been uploaded.

Installation (M1) Requirements Include:

Credit Application (for GAF Backlog only)
Install Package
- Design Package Documents (shade reports not required for GAF backlog)
- Install Photo Documents
- monitoring ID (for GAF backlog only)

Click Here to View M1 Requirements

Activation (M2) Milestone

Activation is the second operational milestone (M2). This signals to LightReach that the system is complete and active, communicating, and all required documentation has been uploaded.

Activation (M2) Requirements Include:

ID verification
Customer Account Sign Up
Customer Payment Method
Clear Facts disclosure
Monitoring Portal Access (for all net new sales)
PTO Documentation
Incentive Documents (If Applicable)
Extended Warranty Documentation (If applicable)

Click Here to View M2 Requirements

Title (M3) Milestone

Title verification is the final milestone for the LightReach New Homes Program. Completion of the milestone signals to LightReach that the homeowner is now on title for the home that the system resides on.

Click Here to View M3 Requirements

Administrative Stipulations

Installers may see a stipulation applied on customer accounts in the LightReach portal, typically applied the next business day after a contract has been signed. The two most common stipulations are consumer protection-related.

[1] The Customer Action Required (CAR) Stipulation:

How Customers Clear the Stipulation: (takes 1-2 minutes)

Sign in to their home.palmetto.com account
Open the Key Contract Details Review task
Review the information, check the boxes, "sign" & submit.
Upon completion, the stipulation will automatically clear

This stipulation has a similar look and feel to our Clear Facts Disclosure NTP task, and features a more robust secondary checklist. It is applied when higher-risk factors are identified on the customer's account, including but not limited to age (All customers over the age of 65 are eligible for the stip). The stipulation can only be deployed after the initial sale, typically the next business day after a contract has been signed.

[2] The Consumer Compliance Details Stipulation:

LightReach may require secondary verification from installers on accounts with higher-risk factors, at the discretion of our underwriters. Higher-risk factors include but are not limited to pricing, age, or market NPS scores. In such instances, installers are responsible for providing LightReach with a reasonable copy of the installer's verification step(s). View full details and context on our Installer Compliance Guidelines.

A	Cash, Checks, Credit Card accepted?	No, cash, checks or Credit Card payments are not supported. ACH is the only payment option at this time, LR may offer to expand payment options in the future.
B	Sign Up vs Sign In	SIGN UP: Customers are sent a unique sign up invitation via email at point of sale. Single click to complete sign up. LOGIN: Once the customer has completed their sign up, they can login anytime at home.palmetto.com using their email. OTP (One time passcodes) are used for sign ins. No traditional password setup necessary.
D	What if my customer does not have checks?	In lieu of voided check we can accept official bank document or statement with 3 must-have items: 1) Name and/or address on document must match account 2) Full account number 3) Routing number Documentation provided must match the linked payment method in the homeowner web portal.
E	Can the customer use the same email for multiple projects?	No - One email address per property address. If a customer has multiple projects at different addresses, each address must use it's own email. Yes - If the customer is shopping around or has multiple accounts for the same property.
F	Does the customer get a copy of the Clear Facts Disclosure after they sign?	Yes, a copy is emailed to the customer once they have completed the task in the customer portal.

Title (M3) Milestone

Click Here to View the Title Verification Article

Submitting In the Portal

Installation and Activation milestones are specific sections within the portal that require a full set of uploads and a formal submission. NTP, by contrast, does not have a formal submission button--rather, simply complete all NTP requirements to receive NTP status automatically.

NTP: Complete all requirements, NTP granted automatically
Installation: Formal submission section + button
PTO: Formal submission section + button
Title

Each M1 (Installation) and M2 (Activation) section is clearly marked in the LightReach portal. Follow these easy steps below to submit (M1 Install Package example used for reference)

Complete a Credit Check
1. The application can be accessed under "Credit Application" within the finance portal.
2. Select "Email Credit App" to send the application to customer's email address.
3. Or click on "Run Credit Check" to complete it for the homeowner

2. Access the customer account and select "Submit Package" in the top banner to upload documents for the next milestone:

3. Confirm that all requirements have been uploaded for submittal:

Resolving Rejections

M1 and M2 Package resubmissions will go into our re-review queue for processing. The EPC will be required to take an action on each flag before they are able to resubmit the package.

1. View any rejected projects from your "Accounts" dashboard in the palmetto.finance portal by filtering the status:

2. Clicking “Resolve Flags” will take your team directly to the Flag Checklist:

3. The Flag Checklist, located at the top of each milestone package, groups flags into issues that require immediate attention and those that can be resolved in the next submittal:

4. Each item in the checklist will route to a Flag Action Page containing detailed notes and a direct link to the applicable Knowledge Base article:

You'll be able to keep track of your progress via the Details Bar at the bottom of each page. This will show you a green progress bar, which flag you are working on and the total number of flags requiring actioning prior to resubmitting a package. Additionally, the option to Skip to the next flag without taking action, or Save and Continue is available here.

5. Flag Statuses will show "ready for review" or "not resolved" to track issue resolution and support the automation of the re-review process:

Note: All "Action Required" flags must be resolved to resubmit

Packages with existing rejections will show "see below" in the Flag Checklist. Existing flags will not have a Flag Action Page and the details of the rejection can be located in the relevant section of the package, same as before:

Video Guide: Updated Portal Enhancements

Resolving Rejections - FAQ

This FAQ supports the milestone package update summary and addresses common partner questions about the updated rejection and flag process. These improvements are designed to reduce confusion, highlight only what needs to be fixed, and help your projects move through approval faster—with fewer delays and less back-and-forth.

Questions	Guidance
"I can't resubmit"	click here If the Resubmit button is disabled, it’s most likely because one or more Rejected flags are still unresolved. Check the Flag Checklist Summary at the top of the package to identify any open items. Most flags require a document upload to be marked as resolved. Once all rejected flags are cleared, resubmitting will be enabled. Why this change? We’re aiming to prevent incomplete resubmissions and extended back-and-forth for rejected projects. Requiring resolution of each flag upfront helps speed up approvals and funding.
"I click the flag but nothing pops up"	click here This applies to older flags created prior to the latest release. These now appear in the new checklist view with a note to “See Below.” You’ll need to scroll to the relevant section of the milestone package to view full details—same as before. Why this change? To support the improved experience while still accommodating flags created before the update.
"Do I have to click into every flag to see the notes and details?”	click here Not necessarily. The Flag Checklist Summary provides a top-level view of each issue, including: The requirement that was missed A standardized description of the issue(s) To view additional context (e.g., site-specific notes from LightReach QC or helpful links) and to upload resolution documents, you’ll need to click into the individual flag. Why this change? We’re streamlining the resubmittal and review process. The checklist gives a clear, consistent view of what’s blocking approval—without needing to scroll through the full package to decode what needs to be fixed. Standardized issue descriptions help everyone speak the same language, while focusing only on flagged issues helps both partners and QC teams work more efficiently.