Yugo Group - Controllegionella.Com

Legionella Risk Assessments for tenanted domestic properties and small commerical. Covering apartments, terraced, semi detached, detached properties etc.

Legionnaires' disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia caused by the inhalation of small droplets of contaminated water containing
bacteria. All man-made hot and cold water systems are likely to provide an environment where Legionella can grow. Where conditions are favorable (ie suitable growth temperature range; water droplets (aerosols) produced and dispersed; water stored and /or recirculated; source of nutrients 'food' for the organism to grow such as rust, sludge, scale, biofilm etc) then the bacteria may multiply thus increasing the risk of exposure. It is a simple fact that the organism will colonise both large and small systems so both require risks to be managed effectively.

A landlord is anyone who rents out a property they own under a lease or a licence that is shorter than seven years. Landlords' duties apply to a wide range of accommodation, occupied under a lease or a licence, which includes but not exclusively, residential premises provided for rent by:
• private sector landlords
• local authorities
• housing associations
• housing co-operatives
• hostels

The law is clear that if you are a landlord and rent out your property (or even a room within your own home) then you have legal responsibilities to ensure the health and safety of your tenant by keeping the property safe and free from health hazards.

Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA) makes provision for relevant health and safety legislation to apply to landlords to ensure a duty of care is shown to their tenants’ with regard to their health and safety. The general duties require under section 3(2) that "It shall be the duty of every self-employed person to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that he and other persons (not being his employees) who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety. ". Landlords, under Section 53 of HSWA are regarded as being self-employed and tenants fall into the class of “other persons (not being his employees)”. If you rent out a property, you have legal responsibilities to ensure you conduct your undertaking in such a way that your tenant(s) are not exposed to health and safety risks.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) provides a framework of actions to control the risk from a range of hazardous substances, including biological agents (eg Legionella) - to identify and assess the risk, and implement any necessary measures to control any risk.

Within UK legislation, there has been a requirement for landlords of both domestic and business premises to assess the risks from exposure to Legionella to their tenants. L8 Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) was revised and republished in November 2013 and retained the guidance on the requirements of HSWA and COSHH for employers AND those with responsibilities for the control of premises including landlords. It applies to the control of Legionella bacteria in any undertaking involving a work activity AND applies to premises controlled in connection with a trade, business or other undertaking where water is used or stored and there is a reasonably foreseeable risk of exposure to Legionella bacteria (L8 ACOP, paragraph 22).

The practical and proportionate application of health and safety law to landlords of domestic rental properties is that whilst there is a duty to assess the risk from exposure to Legionella to ensure the safety of their tenants, this does not require an in-depth, detailed assessment. The risks from hot and cold water systems in most residential settings are generally considered to be low owing to regular water usage and turnover. A typical ‘low risk’ example may be found in a small building (eg housing unit) with small domestic-type water systems, where daily water usage is inevitable and sufficient to turn over the entire system; where cold water is directly from a wholesome mains supply (no stored water tanks); where hot water is fed from instantaneous heaters or low volume water heaters and where the only outlets are toilets and wash hand basins. A simple assessment may show that there are no real risks and are being properly managed and no further action is needed. It is important to review the assessment in case anything changes in the system.

Tenants should be advised of any control measures put in place that should be maintained, which will be given within the risk assessment.

HSE and Local Authority inspectors do not proactively inspect domestic premises or ask for evidence that landlords have undertaken a risk assessment. However, if a tenant were to contract Legionnaires’ disease from the water system in their home, the landlord may be liable to prosecution under HSWA, and would have to demonstrate to a court that they had fulfilled their legal duty, so it is important that they assess and control the risks.

What we provide is a suitable risk assessment which is undertaken by a fully trained, competent and experienced legionella consultant. This ensures any advice given is accurate and complies with UK legislation. Estate agents will not be able to provide this level of expertise as they could not afford to train individuals in undertaking legionella risk assessments and therefore, what they are currently providing is effectively non-compliant with UK legislation. Our price is a set fee to conduct an assessment. This will be less than what an estate agent will charge as they need to add their fee on top of the assessment.

As we are employed full time as independent legionella consultants, we can offer the advantages of out-of-hours assessments and therefore less hassle for tenants having to take time of work. We will work either directly with the landlord of through your estate agent to arrange access.

Please message me or call to arrange an assessment. Covering Greater Manchester including Oldham, Saddleworth and can cover Manchester and Huddersfield

There will be a 10% discount if you are having more than 1 property assessed.