Lets ยท In brief
Legionella risk assessment for landlords
A legionella risk assessment is a landlord's duty, but HSE says it need not be in-depth, and most homes are low risk. The aim is a proportionate look at the water system.
Most useful for: Private landlords, including those letting older houses with tanks or cylinders
Compiled from the sources at the end. Updated .
The duty still applies where the risk is low, so a let needs the assessment done even if it is a short one. HSE's guidance for landlords sets out the duty, says it does not call for an in-depth assessment, and says most homes are low risk. If someone offers more than the house seems to need, ask why.
What to look at in an older house
Older Cambridge lets can have more parts than a modern flat, and that is the sensible place to begin. A rough walk round might note:
- Any cold water tank in the loft, and whether it has a lid and can be reached.
- A hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard, or a combi with no stored water.
- Showers, basins or outside taps that rarely get used.
- Periods when the house stands empty, such as the summer in a student let.
This list is a general prompt, not an HSE checklist, so read HSE's page and ask a plumber if the system is unusual. In a tall terrace with a long run of pipe, ask the plumber what they would flag.
HSE names water tanks and airing cupboard boards among the places asbestos can be in homes built or refurbished before 2000. Look without touching, disturb nothing, and tell contractors before they start.
Where it fits among other duties
Keep a dated note of what you looked at. The check sits alongside the gas safety record, electrical inspection and any licence conditions for a shared house. Gas and electrical checks have fixed intervals in law, so diary those first. If tenants report a change in the water, that goes to the plumber or the water company named on the bill.
Sources, read 4 November 2026: HSE: legionella and landlords' responsibilities; HSE: asbestos diagrams, domestic; HSE: asbestos questions.