In the last newsletter we highlighted changes in Health and Safety legislation concerning Legionella. The Health and Safety Executive have published both a Code of Practice and Technical guidance on Legionnaires’ disease, which now brings rented domestic properties into the regulations. Full details can be found on the HSE website here.

This means that as a Landlord of rented properties you now have a legal responsibility for carrying out a Legionella Risk Assessment in order to meet the requirements of this code of practice. In the event of a Legionella incident, this Risk Assessment will provide evidence that you have complied with the HSE recommendations.

We have been busy researching providers and negotiating the best rates for our customers and have secured a service with a local plumbing and heating engineer. The cost of this Legionella Risk Assessment starts at £54 including VAT (dependant on property size) and D + J will be charging a small administration fee of £30 including VAT to coordinate this project.

The HSE says that a "competent person" must carry out the risk assessment and, after seeking guidance on this, we believe that using trained professionals is the prudent approach to ensure compliance.

You are free to research costs and instruct a different risk assessor if you wish, however, we do remind you that a written risk assessment is a requirement by law and responsibility for the safety of the tenant at the property lies with you, the Landlord. D + J Lettings does not accept any liability in the case of any issues arising from non-compliance in this area.

If you already have a Legionella Risk Assessment for the property or plan on using a different provider, please forward a copy of the risk assessment for our files.