Legionella Risk Assessments for Landlords

What is the landlord’s duty?

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, landlords who provide residential accommodation must make sure the risk of exposure to legionella from water systems is properly assessed and controlled. The Health and Safety Executive’s own guidance is that this is a proportionate duty: for most rented homes it does not need an in-depth assessment, a landlord who understands the system can carry it out themselves, there is no such thing as a legal "legionella certificate", and testing the water is generally not needed in domestic hot and cold water systems. The assessment is part of understanding and managing that risk, rather than simply obtaining a document for the property file. Health and safety law applies across Great Britain; Northern Ireland has its own equivalent legislation, and our work follows it.

For a rented home or a block, explain which water systems serve the accommodation and who manages them. If records cover only part of a building, make that limitation clear when requesting an assessment. Do not assume a document for a shared system describes every separate system serving individual homes.

Which guidance and standard apply?

The landlord’s duty is explained in the HSE Approved Code of Practice L8 (fourth edition, 2013). HSG274 is the HSE’s technical guidance, with Part 2 covering hot and cold water systems. BS 8580-1:2019 is the code of practice for legionella risk assessments.

These references serve different purposes: the approved code explains the duty, technical guidance addresses water systems, and the British Standard concerns risk assessment practice. When discussing a commission, ask how the proposed work relates to the systems at the property rather than treating a list of references as a description of the visit.

What does an assessment look at in a rented home?

The starting point is the actual hot and cold water system and the measures used to control bacterial growth. RiSKFiX’s service includes documenting the system through a schematic build and assessing risk with priority-rated control measures. The enquiry should identify what accommodation the system serves and what records are already held.

For most rented homes the controls are simple: keep hot water hot, cold water cold and water moving; flush the system before letting and after a long vacancy; keep tight-fitting lids on any cold water tanks; store hot water at 60°C; and remove redundant pipework. Tell tenants to clean showerheads regularly and to report problems with the hot water. Where a block has shared systems, tanks or long pipe runs, the assessment and the controls need more.

Tell us about existing temperature monitoring, sampling records and maintenance information where these exist. This allows the discussion to distinguish the initial assessment from ongoing monitoring or remedial work. The service can include temperature monitoring regimes, sampling and remedial plumbing, but the scope should reflect the system rather than assume every activity is required everywhere.

What needs explaining for a block of flats?

For a block, describe the shared systems and any separate arrangements within the accommodation. Identify who can provide access to the relevant areas and records. A clear description of responsibilities and access helps the proposed work follow the actual system instead of an assumed layout.

RiSKFiX’s water hygiene service includes tank inspection and cleaning, thermostatic mixing valve servicing and logbook setup alongside assessment and monitoring. Discuss which of these activities relates to your building. Listing a service option is not the same as finding that a particular tank or fitting needs work.

• Describe the accommodation and the water systems serving it.
• Share existing schematics, assessments and monitoring records where available.
• Explain access arrangements for shared and individual areas.
• Identify known changes to the system or its management.

How often should the assessment be reviewed?

There is no fixed review interval. Review regularly and whenever something changes, rather than treating an assessment as a permanent description of the property. Bring changes to the system or its management into the review discussion so the existing assessment can be considered against current arrangements.

RiSKFiX’s service includes logbook handover and an annual logbook review. That service arrangement is not a statement that the law sets a fixed annual interval for every legionella risk assessment. Keep the distinction clear between reviewing records, carrying out agreed monitoring and reviewing the assessment itself.

How should records support ongoing control?

Keep the assessment, system information, agreed monitoring arrangements and records of work together. A logbook helps the people managing the property see what has been done and what is still planned. If responsibilities change, make the existing information available rather than leaving the next manager to infer the system from disconnected records.

Where further monitoring or remedial work is proposed, ask how it relates to the assessment’s priority-rated control measures. RiSKFiX supports single sites and national portfolios, with the monitoring regime delivered to an agreed schedule. Agree the scope of continuing work separately from the initial request for an assessment.

This is general information, not legal advice. Landlords should take advice on their own situation. Where the landlord is also the Responsible Person for fire safety, they should take advice on that situation too.