Regulations/requirements regarding communal lighting

[pirate]

This is not unusual, I have met exactly the same scenario in 2 blocks of flats I have had rentals in. In the newest one, the canopy lights over the entrance were on 24/7 and were those awful screw-in reflector type. They lasted a couple of weeks, then the factors sent an electrician to change the lamps...very expensive...but the builders said they simply passed the spec on to the electricians who installed them and all the other lighting fixtures on the upper floors. After a year of call-outs every few weeks, at £80/visit plus parts, we simply employed an electrician to retro-fit better gear, which was very successful. A retired banker in one of the flats kept spare lamps and fitted them as required. We were lucky that all the flat owners were cooperative!
If I had any real advice to offer here, then it is this:
Do not waste your time going to the NHBC on such an issue.

 

[danb86]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Why not contact the firm who did the electrics and raise a query about the lights. Rather than go in with the big guns blazing straight away?

I agree, it's never been my intention to go in guns blazing. I'm currently trying to gather as much info/opinions/experience regarding the lights before deciding how and if to approach it. I must be honest I'm reluctant to contact the electrician for reasons I won't go into - nothing personal, a fine job was done in my flat!

Ask whether it would be reasonably simple to put PIR control on each stairway and each landing

There are service hatches throughout the corridors for access to stopcocks into each flat. I've had them down and had a peek myself. It's definitely possible to add PIR's with minimal damage. The staircases are probably a different story.

By chance, I bumped into the building control inspector today on a site I've been working at and quizzed him about the lights. He believes Document L requirements haven't been met and said he would start by contacting the building inspectors who signed the building off. Something the council also advised when I spoke to them the other day.

We were lucky that all the flat owners were cooperative!

This is something I feel I'll definitely need if anything is to get done about it. I'll definitely be bringing it up in the future with the other residents.

Still not really decided how to move forward with it but I'm sure as hell gonna try something at least.

 

[The Ghost]

Kosnic do a nice replacement for existing light internals so no need to rewire the lights. The one I am thinking of stays lit at 10% so you can see ahead so to speak and lights to 100% nearer to it. Also has lux control for daylight off. It can all go into the fitting modifying that without problems. I have had to attend poor or confused use of dip switches it may just be something like that and just needs tweaking.