Emergency Lighting

What is emergency lighting?

Emergency lighting illuminates emergency routes and exits if the electricity supply fails, allowing occupants to escape from fire as safely as possible.

Are all landlords legally required to have emergency lighting installed?

Emergency lighting is not legally required in all types of properties. Properties that fall outside of the remit of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 – which applies to just the non-domestic (communal) areas of flats and properties let on a room-by-room basis – do not require emergency lighting.

Those properties that are caught by The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 may require emergency lighting, as Section 14(2) of the Order says “The following requirements must be complied with in respect of premises where necessary (whether due to the features of the premises, the activity carried on there, any hazard present or any other relevant circumstances) in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons…  emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity  in the case of failure of their normal lighting.”

The Order makes it a legal requirement for there to be a fire risk assessment that covers the non-domestic (communal) areas of flats and properties let on a room-by-room basis. During the assessment, the assessor will consider the wording of the Order and determine whether the property requires emergency lighting.

Where should emergency lighting be positioned in the property?

Legislation requires escape routes and exits to be provided with adequate intensity of lighting. An installer of emergency lighting or a fire risk assessor will be able to advise what meets the ‘adequate intensity’ threshold, but a general rule of thumb is “imagine there is no natural lighting, e.g. there is none or it’s dark outside. Will the escape routes be sufficiently lit by emergency lighting to allow a safe escape?”.

Is it necessary to inspect and maintain emergency lighting?

Yes, the requirement to ensure the ongoing maintenance of emergency lighting in non-domestic (communal) areas of flats and properties let on a room-by-room basis comes from Section 17(1) of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which says: “Where necessary in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons the responsible person must ensure that the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices provided in respect of the premises under this Order or, subject to paragraph (6), under any other enactment, including any enactment repealed or revoked by this Order, are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.”

If emergency lighting is installed where it is not legally required, does it need to be inspected or maintained?

If the property is a HMO, then even though it may not be legally required for emergency lighting to be installed (see earlier), if it is present, Section 4(1) of The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Wales) Regulations 2006 says it must be maintained in good order and repair, as it forms part of the means of escape of fire. The exact wording says: “The manager must ensure that all means of escape from fire in the HMO are maintained in good order and repair.”

Where it is not legally required, the requirement to inspect and maintain it is less clear. We’d still recommend it is inspected and maintained.

Where emergency lighting is not required, a landlord could choose to remove it.

How often should emergency lighting be tested, and who can do it?

BS EN 50172 / BS 5266-8 (“Emergency escape lighting systems”) specify the minimum provision and testing of emergency lighting for different premises. Additional information on servicing can be found in BS 5266-1 (“Code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises”).

Monthly: BS EN 50172 / BS 5266-8 dictate that emergency lighting systems must be tested monthly. Emergency lighting signage regulations require all luminaries and signs to illuminate and be clean and present. This monthly test will be a quick ‘flick’ test just to ensure that the emergency lighting switches on correctly.

Annually: BS EN 50172/ BS 5266-8 states that annual tests need to check that lights remain on for the test duration recommended by the relevant British Standard: typically three hours. All lights need to continue functioning correctly at the end of the test. Those that don’t require replacement.

The British Standards go on to state that regular servicing is essential, and the occupier/owner of the premises shall appoint a competent person to supervise servicing of the system. This person shall be given sufficient authority to ensure the carrying out of any work necessary to maintain the system in correct operation. As such, to ensure effective compliance with these standards, CPS Homes recommends the annual test for emergency lighting systems is conducted by a qualified electrician who will produce an Emergency Lighting Inspection Report.

How much does an Emergency Lighting Inspection Report cost?

The average cost of an Emergency Lighting Inspection Report ranges between £100 - £200. At CPS Homes, we have trusted connections with local, qualified trades who can get your report issued quickly and professionally, all for a very reasonable cost due to the amount of work we issue to them. If you are a landlord in Cardiff and want to learn more about this benefit offered exclusively to our managed clients, get in touch with us today on 02920 668585 or lettings@cpshomes.co.uk.

Disclaimer: whilst we endeavour to keep the information on this page up-to-date, legislation, British Standards and general guidance can and do change – often without prior notice. As such, CPS Homes cannot guarantee with absolute certainty that the information on this page is fully up-to-date.