How Many Landlords do Legionnaires and Annual Gas checks on their own homes?

My answer would be no to the gas check but then we do not have any gas. Doesn’t this skew your result? Our block of flats do regular legionaries tests so is this a yes?

Reply to the comment left by “LS ” at “18/04/2017 – 18:23“:

I am thinking this is a No because we don’t check our shower heads etc in our flat.

Residential property doesn’t need Legionnaires ‘ TESTS ‘ but if they are rented / let out as part of a business, they do require Risk Assessments, a Written scheme of Control and a Schematic diagram.
( see House of Commons Briefing Paper Number 07307 )

Chris I beg to differ. An assessment containing the directions as set out by HSE is sufficient. It does not need a schematic. It is only if reasonable adjustments cannot be made that you need to go down that line. If you advise the tenant to inform the landlord of any changes in water temperature between inspections,to run hot water systems at 60 degrees for at least one minute a day,and to clean shower heads regularly, then you satisfy HSE L8. The extract from the document you quote is given below:

“Landlords may prefer to prevent risks by making adjustments to the
water system in the property. If it is not possible to eliminate the risk by
reasonable adjustments; a course of action must be created to control
and monitor the risk. This is likely to take the form of a written control
scheme, including:
• A schematic of the water system.
• Who holds responsibility for conducting assessment of the risk.
• Detail on how to safely operate the system.
• Control methods and precautions in use.
• Checks to be conducted, and how regularly”

Reply to the comment left by “Gary Nock” at “19/04/2017 – 00:21“:

If there is a shower, there is a risk.
There is also a risk of stagnant water ( HSE say property left unoccupied for a week ! ( amongst other risks.)
If there is a risk, a Risk Assessment is needed.
If a Risk assessment is required, a Written Scheme of Control is required ( Do you know what a Written Scheme of Control is ? – it is a document setting out what steps you are taking to mitigate the risks identified in your risk assessment )
The risk assessment, covering the small number of risks, ( the Written Scheme of Control ) is not lengthy or complicated, for a residential property – but many make the mistake that there are None and that Nothing is required.
Read the House of Commons Briefing, and wonder why they chose to include this in with their otherwise timely Smoke and carbon Monoxide alarm publication [ My interpretation is that it IS a Responsibility of Landlords, like smoke and CO2, and they took that opportunity to remind Landlords. ]
You can come on the next course I run, as my guest.
Chris

Also, it is probable that landlords are more likely to do these tests on their own homes than non-landlord owner-occupiers, as when landlords are getting the rental houses done, it might occur to them to get their own done – so this skews the figures as well – if you did a poll of ordinary home owners I bet the numbers would be miniscule who get these done. I’ve had the gas check done on my house about once in 10 years – and that was influenced by the fact that I know how to get hold of the right person to do it because I am a landlord. I think the annual gas safety check is a Government-legislated racket and that every two years would suffice when the tenants remain unchanged.

Landlord Gas Safety Record is a legal requirement to be carried out annually by a Gas Safe Registered technician, thus unless the LL is qualified as such this has to be contacted out.

Legionnaires Risk Assessment is also a legal requirement, which must be carried out by a competent person. This is typically defined as one having the knowledge, training and experience, which in this context is in design of water and heating systems, legionnaires’ disease, Water Byelaws and risk assessment.. As noted above a schematic, whilst useful is not a requirement for domestic properties, and nor is water sample testing. A proper RA will also check for scalding risk (which is a much more common occurrence) and dead legs (pipework for hot & cold fill washing machines now replaced with newer models only using cold fill). Once an assessment carried out, there is no fixed period in the HSE guidelines as to how often the assessment should be reviewed or the survey repeated, with some contractors advising repeat surveys annually and others up to 10 years.

“This is typically defined as one having the knowledge, training and experience, which in this context is in design of water and heating systems, legionnaires’ disease, Water Byelaws and risk assessment”

HSE Guidelines also state that Landlords can do assessments themselves as long as they can demonstrate that they have a knowledge of the risk.

I asked my Letting Agent to check how many cases of legionella there had been in domestic let properties, when querying the need for this check .. the answer… 3 cases since 2012 in the UK !
Another attack on private landlords via increased hassle and cost !

I was told it was the EU reducing the need for checks from 300 litre storage to any storage vessel so domestic hot water systems fell into the definition. Yes its a scam but we have to do it…but don’t pay silly money for it.