How to make a warranty claim
When a fixture fails on a property you manage, the warranty process lands on your desk: identifying the product, locating the original specification, and understanding what the manufacturer requires before they will honor the claim.
That process takes time most property managers do not have. This guide walks through how a commercial lighting warranty claim works, what documentation manufacturers expect, and how the process changes when OSL specified and installed the system, because in that case, you submit the issue and we handle the rest.
What a Manufacturer Needs Before Paying a Claim
Lighting manufacturers do not take a failure report on faith. A claim package typically needs to identify the exact product, tie it to the original order, describe the fault, and demonstrate that the failure is a product defect rather than an installation or power issue.
In practice that means photos of the failed fixture, a clear fault description, and often a voltage confirmation at the fixture, along with the model, order records, and installation date.
This is where most claims stall. The fixture went in years ago, the vendor who supplied it may be gone, and the documentation lives in an old email thread if it lives anywhere. Without the paper trail, a legitimate defect becomes an out-of-pocket replacement.
How the Claim Works When OSL Installed the System
Step 1: Report the issue through the online form
Your maintenance vendor or on-site electrician submits the issue through OSL's online warranty form. You do not need to identify the product or locate any documentation, because OSL already holds the specification, fixture records, order history, and the manufacturer relationship for every site we touch.
Step 2: Our warranty team builds the package
Our team reviews the submission and identifies anything missing, such as photos, the fault description, or a voltage confirmation, and follows up with your vendor to collect it. We compile the package the manufacturer requires and submit it. Because we manage the full lifecycle, from survey and design through procurement, installation, and ongoing maintenance, we already know the asset before a claim ever comes in.
Step 3: We track it to resolution
We track the claim with the manufacturer through to resolution and keep you informed along the way. You stay updated. The paperwork stays with us. Across a national portfolio, that continuity compounds: one process, one point of contact, supported by our in-house electrical engineers and a contractor network of more than 400 partners covering every market where you operate.
What If the Property Changed Hands
Manufacturer warranties are technically non-transferable when a property changes ownership. In practice, when a new owner reaches out through OSL's existing project records, we can often facilitate the claim, because we hold the original order numbers, specifications, and documentation. The manufacturer has no visibility into the ownership change. We do. If you have acquired a property that OSL originally lit, reach out and we will tell you what is possible.
What This Process Does Not Cover
Our warranty management covers products OSL specified and installed. We do not manage claims on fixtures sourced or installed by other vendors, because we cannot stand behind documentation we never created.
If you are inheriting a site with unknown lighting history, a lighting survey is the right first step, and it creates the documented baseline that makes every future claim, and every future capital decision, easier.
If you manage properties OSL has worked on and have a fixture issue right now,
