The law has changed recently and now requires landlords to undertake an assessment on their residential properties to identify the risk of legionella.
What is legionella?
Legionella is a bacteria which lives in water systems like water tanks, air conditioning units and humidifiers. When breathed in, water droplets containing the bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ Disease.
How We Can Help
If you let out property/properties and you haven’t completed a full risk assessment for the potential of Legionaries Disease then please act on this. We can help. Contact us to book an appointment, we will visit your properties, carry out a full risk assessment, identify any potential hazards of this nature and advise you of the steps needed to create a safe environment for your tenants.
What happens if a landlord fails to address this issue?
Plumbers Loughborough
There are fines for landlords who don’t comply with the regulations. Legionnaires’ Disease can be fatal, and landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their tenants and others visiting the property are protected.
What do landlords need to do?
Plumbers Shepshed
The new legislation states that landlords need to have a “competent person” undertake a risk assessment and identify if there are areas in which water could lie for long periods of time (the main risk factor for growth of the bacteria).
Landlords can undertake this assessment themselves if they believe they are competent to do so, or they can instruct a specialist contractor to do it for them.
For further information visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/legionella.htm