How to install emergency lighting in an HMO

Helpful video reference. This UK on-site tutorial "Emergency Lighting Install -- Full Breakdown On-Site" (published August 2025) walks through an actual emergency lighting installation, covering how the units are wired, where they are positioned, and how the system is commissioned. Use it alongside this guide to see the physical installation before you start planning your own.

1. Confirm whether emergency lighting is required

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the Housing Act 2004 together require HMO landlords to manage fire risks in common areas. Emergency lighting is required wherever escape routes pass through areas that could be in darkness during a mains failure -- which in practice means every shared hallway, stairwell, landing, and corridor.

Single-family dwellings do not require emergency lighting under building regulations. If you have a self-contained flat or a single household, there is no statutory obligation for emergency escape lighting, though fitting it is never a bad idea in a dark stairwell.

Check your HMO licence conditions. Most local authorities list specific requirements for the number and position of luminaires as licence conditions. If the property does not yet have a licence, speak to the local housing team before finalising the design.

2. Choose non-maintained self-contained units

For most domestic HMOs, non-maintained self-contained emergency luminaires are the right choice. These are units that:

• Charge continuously from the mains supply during normal operation (they draw a small current at all times to charge the internal battery).
• Activate automatically when the mains supply fails, illuminating on battery power.
• Have a rated duration of 3 hours at the specified lux output.
• Include a test switch on the body (or provision for a remote key switch) so the battery can be tested without cutting the mains.

Maintained units (which stay on all the time) are used in cinemas, hospitals, and theatres. They are not normally required in domestic HMOs and cost more to run. Stick to non-maintained unless your fire risk assessment or licensing officer specifies otherwise.

3. Plan luminaire positions to BS 5266-1

The purpose of emergency lighting is to illuminate escape routes to a minimum of 1 lux on the centreline of the floor. To achieve this, you need a fitting:

• At each exit door to the outside or to a protected escape route.
• At each change of direction in a corridor or landing.
• At the top and bottom of each flight of stairs.
• Within 2 m of each fire alarm call point, fire extinguisher, and fire alarm panel.
• At intermediate positions so no point on the escape route floor is beyond the luminaire's rated coverage radius. Most self-contained units in a standard ceiling height are rated to cover 6-12 m of corridor -- check the datasheet.

Draw a simple floor plan and mark the positions before ordering. You may find two or three units cover a small HMO entirely. A large Victorian conversion with three floors and multiple corridors may need six to ten.

4. Isolate and prepare the supply

Self-contained luminaires connect to the permanent live of the normal lighting circuit in each area. Find the appropriate junction box or ceiling fitting and confirm the permanent live and switched live connections -- use a voltage tester with the light switch in both positions to identify which conductor is always live.

Switch the circuit off at the consumer unit before opening any back boxes. Confirm dead.

5. Wire to the permanent live supply

This is the most critical step. Connect the emergency luminaire to the supply before the switch, not to the switched live.

• Brown conductor to permanent live (L).
• Blue conductor to neutral (N).
• Green-and-yellow to earth (E).

If you wire to the switched live by mistake, the unit will appear to work when the light is on, but the battery will never charge while the light is off -- which is exactly when an emergency might occur. A polarity test with the circuit restored and the wall switch off will catch this wiring error before you close the ceiling up.

Run 1.0 mm2 or 1.5 mm2 twin-and-earth from the junction point to each luminaire. The spur from the junction box must be protected against mechanical damage in the ceiling void -- clip it to a joist or run it in conduit.

6. Fit the luminaire body and confirm orientation

Most emergency luminaires are ceiling-mounted and project a wide-angle flood pattern downward. Some have a directional head that can be angled toward the escape route. Position and orient each unit so the illuminated area covers the relevant floor section of the escape route. Fit the back plate first, run the cable through the knockout, connect the terminals, then click the body onto the plate.

7. Fit a key switch for testing

BS 5266-1 requires a means of testing each unit. Self-contained units have a recessed test push button on the body -- pressing it simulates a mains failure and the unit runs on battery. For landlords who need to carry out monthly tests without a step ladder, a remote key switch wired in series with the supply to each circuit is more convenient. Fit the key switch in a locked cupboard or meter box accessible to the landlord only. Pressing the switch cuts the supply to the emergency units and they activate, letting you check all units from one place.

8. Restore power and commission

Restore the circuit at the consumer unit. Leave the system for 24 hours to allow the batteries to charge fully before doing the first test. Then activate each unit via the test switch and time how long it runs. It must achieve the rated duration -- typically 3 hours. Record the result.

Issue a Minor Works Certificate for each circuit you have worked on (or an Electrical Installation Certificate if the work is more extensive). Start the emergency lighting log book with: date of installation, luminaire positions, battery specifications, and the result of the first test.

When to call us

Planning and installing emergency lighting in a multi-floor HMO requires a proper fire escape route assessment, knowledge of the BS 5266 spacing rules, and certification under Part P. Richard covers Sandwich and east Kent and can survey your property, specify the system, install and certify it, and set up the log book for ongoing testing. If your property is approaching an HMO licence renewal, an early survey is worth arranging before the licensing officer visits.