Legionella guides for landlords
Straight answers to the questions landlords actually ask about Legionella in rental property — what the law requires, how to assess a simple domestic system, what temperatures mean, and how voids and changeovers alter the picture.
General information, not legal advice. For the legal position where your property is, start with the country advice page for that jurisdiction.
Legal duties
What the law actually asks of landlords, what it does not ask, and how the position differs across the UK and Ireland.
Is a Legionella risk assessment a legal requirement for landlords?
The duty is to assess and control the risk — not to buy a certificate or fill in a prescribed form. How that plays out across the UK and Ireland.
How often should a landlord Legionella risk assessment be reviewed?
There is no statutory annual or two-yearly renewal for domestic lettings. What periodic review and event-based triggers actually mean.
Do landlords need a Legionella certificate?
The HSE says health and safety law does not require a Legionella test certificate. What a report, monitoring and sampling each are, and why a record still matters.
Carrying out an assessment
A practical process for a simple domestic property, and an honest view of when the work should go to a specialist.
How to do a Legionella risk assessment on a rental property
A step-by-step process for a simple domestic property, from competence and system description through to findings, tenant information and review triggers.
Can a landlord carry out their own Legionella risk assessment?
A decision guide built around competence and system complexity, with plain examples of when self-assessment fits and when to use a specialist.
Water systems and temperatures
How hot and cold water behaves in rental properties, what temperatures mean, and where sampling fits in.
Do I need a Legionella risk assessment with a combi boiler?
No stored hot water usually lowers the risk, but it does not remove the duty to assess — or the risks from stagnation, showers and little-used outlets.
Legionella water temperatures: what landlords should record
Common HSE reference points for hot and cold water, what a reading does and does not prove, and how to record one properly with TMV and scalding caveats.
Legionella testing or a risk assessment: what do landlords need?
Risk assessment, temperature monitoring and laboratory sampling compared — and why routine sampling is not usually expected in domestic systems.
Managing tenancies
Voids, changeovers and stagnation — the moments in a tenancy cycle that change the risk picture.
Advice by jurisdiction
The duty and the regulator differ across the UK and Ireland. These pages set out the position where your property is.
Not sure whether to assess it yourself?
The free suitability check takes a couple of minutes and tells you plainly whether guided self-assessment looks appropriate for the property, or whether it should go to a competent specialist.