A Landlord’s Guide to Legionella Risk Assessments
A legionella risk assessment is your legal responsibility as a landlord.
As part of your landlord-ing duties, you must ensure that your property follows the correct health and safety standards – here’s how it’s done.
Navigating the landlord world can be a challenge – especially if you’re new to it. We’re here to guide you through the benefits and processes that come with maintaining safe and risk-free properties for your tenants, as well as following government guidelines and legal responsibilities.
What is a Legionella Risk Assessment?
Legionella is bacteria that causes Legionnaire’s and Pontiac’s disease. It is commonly caused by dampness in your property and passed through inhalation of water droplets and vapour. Legionella can be very harmful to tenants, which is why it’s a legal requirement for landlords.
If you don’t keep your legionella risk assessment up-to-date, you could risk a hefty fine.
Legionella Risk Assessments for landlords are carried out by trained professionals who carry out a range of vital risk assessments to ensure that your property is safe.
How Often Should Landlords Test for Legionella?
As a landlord, you should test for Legionella at least every 2 years.
What Should a Legionella Risk Assessment Include?
A legionella risk assessment commonly involves a review of previous assessments to see if suggested improvements to the property have been made. A legionella risk assessment needs to include evaluation of domestic hot or cold-water systems, water tanks, heaters, and water temperature.
Professional assessors will:
Identify hazards
Understand what harm may come of said hazards – and to whom
Fully evaluate any potential risks and suggest preventative action
Create records of the hazards of risks found
Check the entire assessment before finalising
As a result of your legionella risk assessment, you’ll need to implement control measures to ensure the identified risks remain low.
This may include:
Removing redundant pipes in residential plumbing where water can get trapped and stagnate.
Keeping hot water systems at 60℃ to kill any residual legionellae.
Flushing cold water systems such as radiators and cold storage tanks and preventing the entry of hazardous debris into them.
Legionella Risk Assessments Made Easy
Here at CEPCplus, our experienced and licenced legionella assessors make your job easy.
Our Legionella Risk Assessments identify hazards and risks to ensure that your property is up to standard and safe for tenants.
Contact CEPC Plus today to enquire about our professional legionella risk assessments.