London landlords do not automatically need emergency lighting inside every rented house or flat. The requirement depends on the type of property, the escape routes and who controls the common parts. In blocks of flats, HMOs and other multi-occupied buildings, emergency escape lighting may be required where occupants rely on artificially lit shared routes and normal lighting could fail.
The practical test is not simply “Is the property rented?” The fire risk assessment must consider whether people can safely find and use the escape route if normal lighting fails. In a block of flats, the person legally responsible for common-area precautions may also be the freeholder, management company or managing agent rather than the landlord of one individual flat.
Key Takeaways
- Emergency lighting is not a blanket requirement inside every privately rented dwelling.
- The Fire Safety Order applies to common parts of buildings containing two or more sets of domestic premises.
- Where an escape route requires artificial illumination, adequate emergency lighting must be available if the normal lighting fails.
- Small blocks can sometimes rely on dependable borrowed light, but this must be suitable for the actual escape route and circumstances.
- The person responsible for common areas may be a landlord, freeholder, management company or managing agent depending on control of the building.
What does fire safety law actually require?
For buildings within its scope, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to assess fire risks and provide appropriate fire precautions. Article 14 specifically requires emergency routes and exits that need illumination to have adequate emergency lighting if their normal lighting fails.
In residential buildings containing two or more sets of domestic premises, the Fire Safety Order covers the common parts as well as the building's structure, external walls and doors between flats and common areas. Individual flats themselves generally sit outside the Fire Safety Order's normal scope.
That distinction matters. A rented flat does not automatically need emergency lighting inside every room simply because it is let to a tenant. The question becomes more important where residents depend on communal corridors, stairs, landings or other shared escape routes.
The wider legal and standards framework is covered separately in our guide to
emergency lighting legal requirements,
while this article stays focused on the landlord and property-responsibility question.
Which rented properties are most likely to need emergency lighting?
Property type alone does not provide the full answer. The escape route, availability of dependable lighting, building layout, occupants and allocation of fire-safety responsibility all need to be considered.
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The table is a starting point rather than a substitute for a fire risk assessment. Two buildings with the same number of flats can need different precautions because their escape routes, natural lighting, construction and management arrangements are different.
Is the individual landlord always responsible for communal emergency lighting?
No. In a block of flats, the responsible person for common-area fire safety is often the organisation or person controlling those parts of the building. Government guidance says this will typically be the freeholder, managing agent, residents' management company or another body with relevant control.
A landlord who owns and lets one leasehold flat should therefore not assume that they personally control installation or maintenance of the emergency lighting in the communal staircase. The lease, management arrangements and identity of the responsible person need to be checked.
Landlord and responsible person are not always the same thing. Where several parties have control over different parts of a building, fire-safety duties can also be shared. The responsibility should be established rather than assumed from property ownership alone.
Do HMOs need emergency lighting?
HMOs need particular attention because occupants may share corridors, stairs and other escape routes. Government fire-safety guidance for sleeping accommodation specifically includes the common areas of HMOs and says the size and type of premises, escape routes and risks to occupants determine the emergency escape lighting needed.
A small and straightforward property with dependable borrowed light is not the same as a larger HMO with several floors, a complicated staircase, limited natural light or occupants who may need more time to escape.
Housing legislation and local authority licensing requirements can also affect HMOs. The fire risk assessment and any licence conditions applying to the property should therefore be checked before deciding that emergency lighting is unnecessary or specifying the system.
Do small blocks of flats always need emergency escape lighting?
No. Current Home Office guidance for small blocks of flats says emergency escape lighting can be unnecessary in a block of only two floors where adequate borrowed light is available through windows, for example from reliable street lighting.
The same guidance also makes an important qualification: if the borrowed lighting is not dependable, emergency escape lighting must be provided. A route that becomes effectively dark when the normal electrical lighting fails cannot simply be treated as acceptable because the building is small.
This is why the escape route itself matters more than a simple rule based on the number of flats.
Where might emergency lighting be needed in communal areas?
Where the fire risk assessment determines that automatic emergency escape lighting is needed, the design should support safe movement along the escape route when normal lighting is lost.
Depending on the building, relevant areas can include:
- communal corridors and landings;
- stairways and changes of level;
- final exits and the route immediately outside them;
- changes of direction along an escape route;
- areas where escape-route information or fire-safety equipment needs to remain visible;
- other parts identified through the fire risk assessment.
The correct locations should come from the building's actual escape strategy and assessment, not from fitting the same number of emergency lights to every property.
Which emergency lighting standard is current in 2026?
BS 5266-1:2025 is the current BSI code of practice for emergency lighting of premises. It was published on 29 October 2025 and replaced the 2016 edition.
The standard provides guidance for the design, installation and wiring of emergency lighting systems. Importantly for landlords, its scope is not aimed at ordinary individual dwellings, but it does apply to common access routes within blocks of flats and maisonettes.
This distinction matches the wider fire-safety principle: the need for emergency lighting is strongly connected with the escape route and the parts of the building to which fire-safety duties apply.
Does a landlord's responsibility end once emergency lighting is installed?
No. Where emergency lighting is provided as a fire-safety measure, it needs to remain capable of operating when required. The Fire Safety Order includes duties concerning maintenance of fire precautions, and government guidance expects emergency escape lighting to be regularly tested and properly maintained.
The detailed test programme belongs to a separate question, so our guide to
how often emergency lights must be tested
covers the testing schedule rather than repeating it in full here.
If a system is already installed but its condition, coverage or operation is uncertain, an
emergency lighting assessment
can establish what is present and whether installation, testing, maintenance or remedial work is needed.
What should a London landlord check now?
Start by identifying the type of building and who controls the relevant escape routes. For a single rented flat within a managed block, contact the freeholder or managing agent if they control the communal areas. For an HMO or building under your direct management, review the fire risk assessment and any applicable licence requirements.
A useful check is to confirm:
- who is the responsible person for the common parts;
- which escape routes rely on artificial lighting;
- whether dependable borrowed light remains available if normal lighting fails;
- whether an emergency lighting system is already installed;
- whether its coverage still matches the current building layout;
- whether testing and maintenance records are up to date;
- whether refurbishment or layout changes have altered the escape route.
Do not install or remove emergency lighting solely from a generic online checklist. Fire precautions should reflect the actual building, escape route, occupants and fire risk assessment.
References & Standards
Official sources used for the fire-safety responsibilities and current emergency-lighting standard in this guide:
Unsure whether your rental property needs emergency lighting?
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