Do landlords need a Legionella risk assessment, and can you do your own?

In England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, landlords have a Legionella risk-assessment duty, but the legal route differs: Great Britain uses health and safety law and COSHH 2002, Scotland also has Repairing Standard guidance, and Northern Ireland uses its own COSHH regulations and HSENI guidance. The important practical distinction is that a risk assessment is normally required, but a paid certificate, annual test or professional inspection is not automatically required.

Is a Legionella risk assessment a legal requirement for landlords?

Yes, a Legionella risk assessment is a legal requirement for landlords across the UK, but the source of the duty differs between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. HSE’s landlord guidance for England, Wales and Scotland says: “The practical and proportionate application of health and safety law to landlords of domestic rental properties is that while 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.” In England, the government’s How to Let guide is blunter: “You must ensure the water supply is in working order and assess the risk from exposure to Legionella.” Scotland’s Repairing Standard guidance says private landlords “have a duty to carry out a risk assessment of hot and cold water systems,” and Northern Ireland’s HSENI says: “All systems require a risk assessment but not all systems will require elaborate control measures.” Mandatory does not mean complex: for many ordinary rental homes, the assessment is short, practical and low-risk.

Is a Legionella risk assessment mandatory for an HMO?

Yes, an HMO landlord still needs to assess Legionella risk, but the national HMO regulations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland do not create a separate HMO-specific Legionella assessment rule by name. In England, the HMO manager’s water duty is that “The manager must ensure that the water supply and drainage system serving the HMO is maintained in good, clean and working condition,” and Wales uses the same formulation. Northern Ireland’s HMO living-accommodation rules likewise say the landlord must ensure the water supply and drainage system is “maintained in good, clean and working condition.” That means the Legionella assessment duty comes through general health-and-safety/COSHH duties, not because the HMO regulations themselves say Legionella. Local licensing can go further: Telford & Wrekin says “a Legionella Risk Assessment is undertaken for the premises and reviewed annually,” while Norwich requires “a current Legionella Risk Assessment.” North Warwickshire takes the opposite enforcement line, saying this is HSE’s responsibility, not the council’s.

Do landlords need a Legionella certificate?

No, landlords do not need a Legionella certificate, because HSE says: “Health and safety law does not require landlords to obtain or produce a 'legionella test certificate'.” The legal duty is to assess and control the risk, not to buy a certificate in the same way a landlord obtains a gas safety record or commissions an EICR. NRLA’s guidance says the same thing in market terms: “There is no legal requirement to have a formal certificate in the same way you’re expected to have an EICR, EPC, or gas safety record.” This is why demands for a Legionella Testing Certificate from some agents can be misleading: a landlord may keep a written assessment, a checklist, or a consultant’s report as evidence, but the document is not a statutory certificate. HSE also says domestic testing or sampling is “not usually required for domestic hot and cold water systems,” so a certificate-selling service is not the same thing as the legal duty.

Can you carry out your own Legionella risk assessment?

Yes, most landlords can carry out their own Legionella risk assessment if they are competent to identify the risk and decide what controls are needed. HSE’s landlord page says: “Most landlords can assess the risk themselves and do not need to be professionally trained or accredited.” HSE’s technical guidance also says landlords “can carry out a risk assessment themselves if they are competent, or employ somebody who is,” and ACOP L8 frames the duty as competence rather than external accreditation: “The dutyholder must ensure that the person who carries out the risk assessment and provides advice on prevention and control of exposure must be competent to do so.” Northern Ireland’s HSENI gives the same answer: “You may be competent to carry out the assessment yourself but, if not, you should call on help and advice” from a competent contractor. Scotland’s private rented guidance also allows self-assessment depending on the system. A simple domestic property is often suitable for a landlord assessment; complex systems are not.

What does a Legionella risk assessment cover?

A Legionella risk assessment covers the risk of exposure to Legionella bacteria from the property’s water systems, the precautionary measures needed to reduce that risk, and any reason to review it, but no UK law fixes an annual or biennial review interval. HSE says directly: “The law does not prescribe that the risk assessment be reviewed on an annual or biennial basis.” That matters because some guidance repeats a two-year review rule, including NRLA’s 24 February 2026 statement that HSE recommends two-yearly review, but HSE’s own landlord page does not say that. ACOP L8 says a suitable and sufficient assessment must identify “the risk of exposure to legionella bacteria from work activities and water systems on the premises and any precautionary measures needed.” For ordinary homes, HSE says the assessment “does not require an in-depth, detailed assessment,” and “Testing or sampling for legionella” is “not usually required for domestic hot and cold water systems.” Scotland’s Repairing Standard guidance separately says review should be at intervals of no more than two years.

Where can you get a free Legionella risk assessment template?

You can use a free Legionella risk assessment template from a private provider, but no UK law prescribes an official HSE landlord form or Legionella risk assessment form for landlords PDF. HSE says landlords are “not necessarily required to record the findings of the assessment,” although it adds that “you may find it wise to keep a record of what has been done for your own purposes.” Scotland’s registration rules require information about the assessment and steps taken for each declared property, but they do not prescribe a named template. For a free download, LegionellaCheck says: “There is no official HSE legionella risk assessment template,” and offers “a Word document built on the five-step ACOP L8 approach, emailed instantly.” Absolute Water Compliance also publishes “a simple and FREE Legionella Risk Assessment Template.” Abodient can store the finished assessment against the property and surface compliance documents by property, which matters because the legal issue is proving what was assessed and when, not holding a statutory certificate.

Last reviewed August 2026.

Sources

• HSE, Legionella and landlords’ responsibilities — “The practical and proportionate application of health and safety law to landlords of domestic rental properties is that while 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.” Source
• DLUHC, How to Let, March 2023 — “You must ensure the water supply is in working order and assess the risk from exposure to Legionella.” Source
• Scottish Government, Repairing Standard statutory guidance for private landlords — “Private landlords have a duty to carry out a risk assessment of hot and cold water systems for legionnaire’s disease to minimise the risk of tenants being exposed to legionella.” Source
• The Private Landlord Registration (Information) (Scotland) Regulations 2019 — “Information from the applicant relating to the legionella risk assessment conducted in accordance with the Health and Safety Executive’s Approved Code of Practice ‘Legionnaires’ disease. The control of legionella bacteria in water systems.’” Source
• HSENI, Legionella — “All systems require a risk assessment but not all systems will require elaborate control measures.” Source
• HSE, Legionella and landlords’ responsibilities — “The law does not prescribe that the risk assessment be reviewed on an annual or biennial basis.” Source
• HMO Management Regulations 2006, England — “The manager must ensure that the water supply and drainage system serving the HMO is maintained in good, clean and working condition and in particular he must ensure that—” Source
• HMO Management Regulations 2006, Wales — “The manager must ensure that the water supply and drainage system serving the HMO is maintained in good, clean and working condition and in particular the manager must ensure that—” Source
• Houses in Multiple Occupation Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2019 — “The landlord must ensure that the water supply and drainage system serving the HMO is maintained in good, clean and working condition and in particular they must ensure that:—” Source
• Telford & Wrekin Council, HMO additional licensing conditions — “The licence holder, must ensure that a Legionella Risk Assessment is undertaken for the premises and reviewed annually.” Source
• Norwich City Council, Houses in Multiple Occupation Policy 2025 — “The licence holder is required to provide a current Legionella Risk Assessment (documenting that the risk is low, and control measures are in place) and supporting evidence on control measures.” Source
• North Warwickshire Borough Council, HMO space and amenity standards — “THIS IS AN ENFORCEMENT RESPONSIBILITY OF THE HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECUTIVE – NOT THE LOCAL COUNCIL.” Source
• HSE, Legionella and landlords’ responsibilities — “Health and safety law does not require landlords to obtain or produce a 'legionella test certificate'.” Source
• NRLA, Legionella for landlords — “There is no legal requirement to have a formal certificate in the same way you’re expected to have an EICR, EPC, or gas safety record, but you must ensure your property’s water is safe to drink and use as part of your general legal duty of care to protect the health and safety of your tenants.” Source
• HSE, Legionella and landlords’ responsibilities — “Testing or sampling for legionella (sometimes referred to as microbiological monitoring) is not usually required for domestic hot and cold water systems, and is only needed in very specific circumstances.” Source
• HSE, Legionella and landlords’ responsibilities — “Most landlords can assess the risk themselves and do not need to be professionally trained or accredited.” Source
• HSE, HSG274 Part 2 — “They can carry out a risk assessment themselves if they are competent, or employ somebody who is.” Source
• HSE, ACOP L8 — “The dutyholder must ensure that the person who carries out the risk assessment and provides advice on prevention and control of exposure must be competent to do so.” Source
• HSENI, Legionella — “You may be competent to carry out the assessment yourself but, if not, you should call on help and advice from either within your own organisation or from a suitably competent external contractor.” Source
• Scottish Government, Repairing Standard statutory guidance for private landlords — “Depending on the system in the property, private landlords may be able to carry this assessment out themselves, or it might be necessary to employ a competent assessor to do it.” Source
• HSE, ACOP L8 — “A suitable and sufficient assessment must be carried out to identify and assess the risk of exposure to legionella bacteria from work activities and water systems on the premises and any precautionary measures needed.” Source
• Scottish Government, Repairing Standard statutory guidance for private landlords — “The risk assessment should then be regularly reviewed at intervals of no more than two years.” Source
• NRLA, Legionella for landlords — “The HSE recommends reviewing Legionella risk assessments at least every two years, even if your property is low risk.” Source
• HSE, Legionella and landlords’ responsibilities — “Landlords are not necessarily required to record the findings of the assessment (this is only a statutory duty for employers where there are 5 or more employees), but you may find it wise to keep a record of what has been done for your own purposes.” Source
• LegionellaCheck, Legionella risk assessment template — “There is no official HSE legionella risk assessment template, despite how often people search for one, so a structured template that follows the HSE's own guidance is the practical alternative.” Source
• LegionellaCheck, Legionella risk assessment template — “The blank structure: a Word document built on the five-step ACOP L8 approach, emailed instantly.” Source
• Absolute Water Compliance, Legionella risk assessment template — “A simple and FREE Legionella Risk Assessment Template that can be used by the Legionella- responsible person to assess the premises of a property.” Source