Legionella Risk Assessment
A written assessment of the risk of legionella bacteria in the property's water system. Required by HSE under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. Not a formal certificate, but landlords must demonstrate they have considered the risk.
At a glance
- Required by
- HSE under COSHH 2002
- Form
- Written assessment (not a certificate)
- Frequency
- Review when circumstances change
Full guide
Read the complete landlord guide on Legionella Risk Assessment
Deadlines, fines and step-by-step compliance in our in-depth resource.
Open full guideWhy Legionella Risk Assessment matters for landlords
Legionella is a low-probability, high-consequence hazard — an outbreak is rare but a death is prosecutable under HSE legislation. Most small residential properties are low-risk (cold water tanks drained, regular use) but the landlord still has to produce a dated written assessment showing they considered it. A one-page risk assessment kept in the property file closes the duty.
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Related terms
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (Section 11)
The cornerstone repair-obligation statute for residential lets in England and Wales. Section 11 implies into every short-term residential tenancy a landlord obligation to keep in repair the structure and exterior of the property, and to keep in repair and proper working order the installations for water, gas, electricity, sanitation, space heating and water heating. Cannot be contracted out of. Breach is the basis for tenant disrepair claims and Awaab’s Law SLA enforcement under the Renters Rights Act 2025.
Landlord Licensing
Local authority schemes that require landlords to hold a licence to let property in a defined area. Three types: mandatory HMO licensing (national), additional licensing (smaller HMOs), and selective licensing (non-HMOs). Operating without a required licence carries fines up to £30,000 and can invalidate possession claims.
Additional Licensing
A discretionary HMO licensing scheme a council can introduce under section 56 of the Housing Act 2004 to cover smaller HMOs that fall below the mandatory five-person, three-storey threshold. It is separate from selective licensing (which covers all rented homes in a designated area, not just HMOs). Operating an unlicensed HMO where additional licensing applies is a criminal offence with civil penalties up to £30,000 and exposure to a Rent Repayment Order of up to 24 months’ rent.
Article 4 Direction
A planning tool councils use under article 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 to remove permitted-development rights, most commonly the right to convert a single-family home (Use Class C3) into a small HMO (Use Class C4) without planning permission. In an Article 4 area, every C3 → C4 conversion needs a full planning application, and operating without it can trigger an enforcement notice, a planning contravention notice or a refusal of HMO licence.
Awaab's Law
Provisions extending to the private rented sector under the Renters Rights Act 2025 that set strict timescales for landlords to investigate and remedy hazards such as damp and mould. Named after Awaab Ishak. Breach can lead to tenant compensation and enforcement by the local housing authority.
Banning Order
A court order under Part 2 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 banning a person convicted of certain housing offences from letting property, engaging in lettings agency work or holding an HMO licence. Triggered by a banning-order offence (Schedule 1 of the Act): includes serious housing-condition offences, illegal eviction and unlawful HMO operation. A banned landlord is added to the national database of rogue landlords and breach of the order is itself a criminal offence with up to 51 weeks’ imprisonment.