Part 5 in our series on “Compliance made simple.”
As property investors and letting agents, we are regularly having conversations with people about compliance. What often comes across is that people find it changeable and confusing. It is changeable, this is true, but it needn’t be confusing. With this in mind, we have put together a series on some of the most common compliance issues, in an attempt to explain them, in a way which is succinct and non-confusing. The fifth in this series is all about Legionella
Part 5 – Legionella
What is Legionella
Legionnaire’s is a pneumonia-like disease, commonly caused by the inhalation of small droplets of contaminated water.
Requirements and Duties:
Landlords must assess and control the risk of exposure, for tenants, to Legionella, ensuring the safety of their tenants. Typically, this is achieved by undertaking a risk assessment of the property.
Control measures can include:
- Flushing out the water system before letting the property out.
- Ensuring cold water tanks have a tight lid to stop any debris getting into the system.
- Setting control parameters to ensure that hot water is stored at the correct temperature; hot water should be stored at 60 degrees or higher and distributed at 50 degrees. Cold water should be distributed below 20 degrees.
- Removing any unused pipework
Tenants
Tenants should be kept informed of any control measures in place and tell the landlord if problems occur with the water system, or if water is not heated properly. The hot water should be set accordingly, and tenants should be advised not to interfere with the settings on the boiler or the hot water system.
On returning to the property after a period of absence (such as a holiday or student accommodation left empty) tenants should run all taps for at least 5 minutes. Where showers are installed at the property and used regularly the risks are reduced. However, tenants should be advised to regularly clean and disinfect showers.
If in doubt, have a legionella assessment completed, by an independent company. These assessments are relatively cheap and will give you peace of mind – which is priceless!
As Landlords and Investors ourselves, we can help and advise on all aspects of your portfolio. If we can help you then give us a call on 0117 440 6789 or email us here together we can make being a landlord simple, passive and stress free!
