Legionella risk assessment template for landlords
Most landlords searching for a template want to know what a Legionella risk assessment has to contain. That is a fair question, and it has a clear answer — set out in full below, so you can work from it whether you use a form, a spreadsheet or LegionellaWise.
The short answer
There is no official HSE Legionella risk assessment template for landlords, and no prescribed form. What matters is that the record describes your property's water system, the risks in it, the controls, the findings and when you will review it.
A blank template can capture that if you already know what to look for. The risk is that a generic form invites generic answers, and a generic answer is not an assessment of your property.
We do not offer a template download. The checklist below is the substance of one, free to use as you like.
What a useful template must capture
Work through this checklist for the specific property. If a template you are considering has no place to record these things, it will not produce a useful record.
- Property address, assessment date and who carried out the assessment
- A statement of why the assessment is suitable for that person to carry out
- How water enters the property, how it is heated, and whether hot or cold water is stored
- Cylinder or tank type, location and condition, where present
- Occupancy: how the property is used and whether anyone may be more susceptible to infection
- A room-by-room register of every outlet, including showers, outside taps and little-used taps
- How often each outlet is used
- Dead legs, capped pipework and redundant fittings
- Hot and cold observations recorded against the named outlet, with the date
- Whether each outlet is blended through a thermostatic mixing valve
- Shower head and hose condition
- Photographs attached to the observation or finding they support
- Each finding, the action, who owns it and whether it has been completed
- The water-use information given to the tenant
- What would trigger a review, and the date you intend to look again
Blank template versus a guided workflow
Structure
Blank template: The same blank fields for every property, whatever the water system.
LegionellaWise: Prompts change with the system you describe, so cylinder questions disappear on a combi property.
Outlets
Blank template: A free-text box you fill in as best you can.
LegionellaWise: A room-by-room register, with usage frequency recorded per outlet.
Evidence
Blank template: Photos live in a phone gallery or a separate folder.
LegionellaWise: Each photo is attached to the reading or finding it supports.
Completeness
Blank template: Nothing stops you leaving a section blank.
LegionellaWise: Completeness checks must pass before an assessment can be finalised.
Output
Blank template: A document whose version history depends on your filing.
LegionellaWise: A structured, versioned Legionella risk assessment report with a verification reference.
Actions
Blank template: A note in the margin.
LegionellaWise: Tracked actions with owners and completion dates.
Review
Blank template: A reminder you have to remember to set.
LegionellaWise: A review reminder on a date you choose, at 30 days, 7 days and on the day.
| Blank PDF or Word template | LegionellaWise | |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | The same blank fields for every property, whatever the water system. | Prompts change with the system you describe, so cylinder questions disappear on a combi property. |
| Outlets | A free-text box you fill in as best you can. | A room-by-room register, with usage frequency recorded per outlet. |
| Evidence | Photos live in a phone gallery or a separate folder. | Each photo is attached to the reading or finding it supports. |
| Completeness | Nothing stops you leaving a section blank. | Completeness checks must pass before an assessment can be finalised. |
| Output | A document whose version history depends on your filing. | A structured, versioned Legionella risk assessment report with a verification reference. |
| Actions | A note in the margin. | Tracked actions with owners and completion dates. |
| Review | A reminder you have to remember to set. | A review reminder on a date you choose, at 30 days, 7 days and on the day. |
Where a template is genuinely fine
If you have one property, know the water system well and are disciplined about filing, a well-designed form and a folder of dated photos is a legitimate record. The checklist above is all you need to build one.
Templates tend to break down at scale: several properties with different systems, photos spread across phones, actions half-remembered, and no reliable way to see which assessments are due a look.
Questions landlords also ask
Is there an official HSE Legionella risk assessment template?
No. The HSE explains what a risk assessment must cover but does not publish a prescribed landlord template or form. Any document described as the official HSE template is not that.
Can I just use a free Word or PDF template?
You can, and a good template is better than nothing. The limitation is that a blank form cannot tell you what to look for in your particular system, cannot check you finished, and does not keep your evidence attached to the finding it supports.
Do you offer a template download?
We do not offer a downloadable blank template. The checklist on this page is free to work from, and the guided workflow produces a completed property-specific report rather than a form to fill in.
What makes a template genuinely useful?
It has to be specific to the property. A template that captures the system, every outlet and how often it is used, the observations with dates, and the actions arising is useful. One that asks for a single overall temperature is not.
Start with the property, not a form
The suitability check tells you whether guided self-assessment looks appropriate for the property before you commit to anything.
Official sources
General information, not legal advice. Requirements differ between jurisdictions.