Legionella Risk Assessment

puk999

Hello,

My partner lives with me and rents her house out. The lettings agent sent her a letter recently saying that

all landlords of residential rental properties must have a Legionella Risk Assessment completed every two years to comply with the law.

The letter claims that it is something to do with recent changes to the Control of Legionella bacteria in Water Systems Approved Code of Practice ("ACOP L8").

They then offer to carry out the assessment for £125 + VAT.

There is no water tank in the property, just a standard combi-boiler and electric-powered shower.

I can find nothing about this on MSE. I'm wondering if it really is a legal requirement and if a report would be necessary for my partner's property.

phill99

Have a look here

http://www.preston.gov.uk/GetAsset.aspx?id=fAAxADQAMAAwADMAfAB8AFQAcgB1AGUAfAB8ADAAfAA1

And here

http://rla.org.uk/landlord/guides/legionnaires_disease.shtml

It would appear that you as a landlord need to determine whether Legionella is likely to be a risk or not in the water systems within tenanted properties and to take action to minimise it.

The risk assessment is relatively straightforward, but if you don't feel competent, you may need to get someone in.

It seems to be another load of form filling for landlords.

However, I can't see anywhere about the 2 year rule. It says about reviewing the risk assessment regularly, but is not indicative about the regularity. The two year thing may be something your agent is suggesting is just a way of fleecing money from you.

booksurr

technically speaking yes a LL must do a risk assessment and the person doing it must be "competent"
you can download a free copy of the ACOP here:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l8.htm
there are 2 further documents providing technical guidance where LL are specifically mentioned listed within that document.
A shower head in a domestic (combi) hot water system is technically a potential risk area and so it is that, rather than the lack of a hot water tank, which potentially makes you liable

However, I would ask the HSE themselves, but bear in mind they allow themselves rather a long time to reply!

http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/information-advice.htm#technical-advice

as for the LA they are motivated by fee income not a desire to enforce legislative compliance

unclebulgaria

I think you'll find its required whether you have stored water or not. Though if the property has an inspection and the report states that the risks are very low due to correct insulation of supply pipes, lids on storage tanks etc then the inspection will only need acrrying out periodically or if there is a change in the size of the water supply pipes or storage. You could always do the competency course yourself?
I've worked in properties where the landlord has never seen the cold water storage tanks and when I've inspected them there were dead bats in the water, this is the water the tenant was cleaning their teeth with!
Its also required for industrial settings too, work places etc.

whalster

I would follow the advice in the post above and do a check yourself as the RLA suggests .
This is just another fee grabbing ruse from your agents. I have never used an agent and have made it another simple check when having CP12's done and have included a clause in my contracts about running water until scalding hot .

Tell your agent to do the same and make sure they have this within their AST .

In all honesty I would have thought it came under the umbrella of keeping a property in a tenant like manor but hey oh I said to someone at the RLA they will be making us test and check for mould in the fridge next or a remote chance of bacterial infection from soil in the garden !

!!!! covering gone mad and a lesson in how to infantilise tenants what next suing the landlord for being run over because they hadn't been given instructions on how to close the garden gate?

whalster

Brilliant MSE automated forum message deletion 8-) I should have said bottom covering instead of !!!! , I wonder if I would have got away with !!! ,bum, but?? Let's click send and see

davidmcn

whalster wrote: »

Brilliant MSE automated forum message deletion 8-) I should have said bottom covering instead of !!!! , I wonder if I would have got away with !!! ,bum, but?? Let's click send and see

Ah, are we not allowed to say the law is an !!!?

puk999

Thanks for the replies so far. I'll go through them closer with my partner. I had suspected that it was mainly fee finding and a-rs-e covering by the LA and after some reading I expect we'll do the assessment ourselves.

antrobus

puk999 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies so far. I'll go through them closer with my partner. I had suspected that it was mainly fee finding and a-rs-e covering by the LA and after some reading I expect we'll do the assessment ourselves.

There is some discussion on the issue here - http://www.homesureproperty.co.uk/legionella-ella-ella - and if you scroll down the page you will see an example of a DIY risk assessment compiled by someone who claims to be a doctor. Use at your own risk etc, but it looks sensible enough.