Can a landlord do their own legionella risk assessment?

Yes. HSE says most landlords can assess the risk themselves and do not need to be professionally trained or accredited. If they do not feel competent, or would rather not, they can arrange for someone to do it on their behalf.

Do you need a qualification to carry out a legionella risk assessment?

Not for a rented home. HSE’s code of practice asks that the person be competent: they should know where legionella could grow and the risks, the precautions and why they matter, and how to keep the controls working. HSE says landlords do not need to be professionally trained or accredited.

Can my letting agent carry out the legionella risk assessment?

Yes, if they are competent and the management contract says so. HSE guidance says the contract should set out who is responsible for the safety checks, legionella included. The duty stays with the landlord.

Can a gas engineer or electrician do it?

Yes, if they are competent to. HSE names mandatory visits such as gas safety checks, and routine maintenance visits, as times when the water system can be inspected, so someone already visiting is a natural choice.

Who is responsible if someone else does it?

The landlord. Arranging for someone else to carry out the assessment does not move the duty; it is still the landlord’s to make sure it is done competently and that what it finds is dealt with.

For landlords and agents

Who can carry out a legionella risk assessment?

Anyone competent, and that includes the landlord. HSE says most landlords “can assess the risk themselves and do not need to be professionally trained or accredited”, and that if they do not feel competent, or inclined to, they can arrange for someone to do it on their behalf.

Written by Ken Millea, who ran a UK legionella consultancy for ten years.

What “competent” means

Knowing three things, not holding a certificate.

HSE’s code of practice, L8, says the person who carries out the risk assessment “must be competent to do so”, and that they should know:

Where legionella could grow, and the risks it presents: water between 20 °C and 45 °C, water that is stored or does not move, and a spray someone could breathe in.
The precautions that protect the people living there, and why each one matters.
How to keep the controls working, and why that matters: the routine checks, and what to do when one fails.

The same code says training is not the only factor; instructions, experience and knowledge count too. For a rented home, HSE says the landlord does not need to be professionally trained or accredited. It is all on HSE’s page on legionella and landlords’ responsibilities.

Who does it in practice

Four people who can, and one duty that stays put.

You, the landlord. The route HSE expects for most homes. How to do your own.
Your letting agent, if the management contract says so. HSE guidance says the contract should set out who is responsible for the safety checks, legionella included. What the agent is responsible for.
Someone already visiting: a gas engineer, an electrician, an inventory clerk. HSE names gas safety checks and routine maintenance visits as times when the water system can be inspected.
A surveyor you pay to come, if you would rather hand it over. We can send one.

Whoever does it, the duty stays with the landlord: to make sure it is done competently, and that what it finds is dealt with.

Where DwellFlow fits

The questions in the right order, and the write-up done.

DwellFlow walks whoever is at the property through the survey on a phone, one question at a time, with HSE’s guidance applied to each answer. You take the readings and the photographs; the AI checks the survey before you submit and then writes the risk assessment, a sheet for your tenant and the written scheme of control. The training video shows the survey from start to finish, and a short legionella awareness course is worth taking as well if you want more confidence.

Thirty minutes to an hour at the property, depending on the size and type of the water system. £9.99 ex VAT a property.

Questions people ask

Short answers.

Can a landlord do their own legionella risk assessment? Yes. HSE says most landlords can assess the risk themselves and do not need to be professionally trained or accredited. If they do not feel competent, or would rather not, they can arrange for someone to do it on their behalf.
Do you need a qualification to carry out a legionella risk assessment? Not for a rented home. HSE’s code of practice asks that the person be competent: they should know where legionella could grow and the risks, the precautions and why they matter, and how to keep the controls working. HSE says landlords do not need to be professionally trained or accredited.
Can my letting agent carry out the legionella risk assessment? Yes, if they are competent and the management contract says so. HSE guidance says the contract should set out who is responsible for the safety checks, legionella included. The duty stays with the landlord.
Can a gas engineer or electrician do it? Yes, if they are competent to. HSE names mandatory visits such as gas safety checks, and routine maintenance visits, as times when the water system can be inspected, so someone already visiting is a natural choice.
Who is responsible if someone else does it? The landlord. Arranging for someone else to carry out the assessment does not move the duty; it is still the landlord’s to make sure it is done competently and that what it finds is dealt with.

Who can carry out a legionella risk assessment?

Knowing three things, not holding a certificate.

Four people who can, and one duty that stays put.

The questions in the right order, and the write-up done.

Short answers.

See what a competent one looks like.