It is a legal requirement for Landlords to ensure that the electrical installation in their rented property is safe when the tenants move in, and maintained in a safe condition for the duration of the tenancy.

The national standard in the UK is the British Standard BS 7671 "Requirements for Electrical Installations. IET Wiring Regulations" informally referred to as "The Regs" and this governs electrical installation throughout the property.

Electrical installations in bathrooms are more likely to be subject to moisture ingress due to their location and subsequently the regulations governing bathroom light fittings are strict on which type of light fittings can be installed.

The regulations break the bathroom down into 3 zones numbered 0-2 dependent on proximity to a water outlet with 0 being the wettest:

Zone 0 – Interior of bath or shower

Zone 1 – Above Zone 0 by up to 2.25 metres and 1.2m horizontally from the centre of a shower outlet up to 2.25m OR the height of the outlet, whichever is greater

Zone 2 - Areas beyond Zones 0 and 1 0.6m horizontally and 2.25m vertically, also includes recessed windows with a sill

For a diagram highlighting the various Zones please visit: Bathroom light fitting Zone diagram

All light fittings that can be used in a bathroom are IP (ingress protection) rated. Each IP rating has a 2 digit numerical code, the higher the number the greater the level of protection.

For example, IP47 – the first digit indicates the level of protection against penetration by solid material such as dust and fingers and the second digit represents the level of protection the products enclosure grants against ingress of water.

NB – An X indicates that the test is either not applicable to that product, or that it has simply not been completed.

The regulations specify by IP Rating which light fittings can be installed in each of the zones (the level of protection against solid materials is irrelevant in bathroom light fittings and so is represented by an X):

Zone 0 – IPX7 – Light fittings are protected against the effects of temporary immersion in water between 15 cm and 1m deep. Test duration 30 minutes.

Zones 1 and 2 – IPX4 – Light fittings are protected against water splashed from all directions with limited ingress protection.

NO standard wall sockets are permitted in Zones 0, 1 or 2 or within 3m of the outer limit of Zone 2 and ALL electrical circuits in bathrooms MUST be protected by Residual Current Devices (RCD's) not exceeding 30mA.

If you still have any questions regarding bathroom light fittings please contact carly.saunt@derby.gov.uk

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