LEGIONELLA

Legionnaires’ disease is a pneumonia-like infection caused by Legionella bacteria, commonly through the inhalation of small droplets of contaminated water. Landlords must assess and control the risk of exposure of tenants to Legionella.

Control measures include:

• Flushing out the water system before letting the property
• Ensuring cold water tanks have a tight lid to stop debris from getting into the system
• Setting control parameters to ensure water is stored at the correct temperature
• Removing any unused pipework

You should let your tenants know about any control measures they should be doing including regularly cleaning any showerheads. You should also ask them to let you or their agent know if problems occur with the water system, or if the water is not heating properly.

Also, if they have been out of the property for a while, tenants should run taps thoroughly to help reduce risk.

You should keep any records of any legionella assessments and plan follow up checks to be carried out periodically.

For further help and advice in controlling the risk of Legionella, please visit the Health & Safety Executive.