For this checklist, we’re working off what the Health and Safety Executive sets out in its guidance on landlords’ responsibilities for legionella, as well as the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) L8 and the HSG274 technical guidance.
Key takeaways
- If you control the water system, you own the risk. Name a responsible person and keep records that stand up to scrutiny.
- Start with a current legionella risk assessment, then run the actions, not just the report.
- Temperature and stagnation control are core: hot water stored at ≥60°C, delivered at 50°C within 1 minute; cold water kept (where possible) below 20°C.
- Sample when it’s justified by your risk assessment, and use UKAS-accredited labs for legionella testing.
- Don’t ignore plumbing controls like backflow prevention. A small fitting can create a big contamination route.
Water safety compliance checklist for landlords
Governance: who owns the risk?
- Confirm the dutyholder for each building and each system (communal plant, shared risers, landlord-controlled outlets).
- Appoint a competent “responsible person” with the authority to commission works and enforce routines (read more about this in ACOP L8).
- Make review triggers explicit – whether that is refurbishment, plant replacement, long void periods, changes in use, or incidents.
Know the system
- Keep an asset list: tanks, cylinders/calorifiers, TMVs, pumps/boosters, sentinel outlets, little-used outlets, and any known deadlegs/dead ends.
- Hold a simple schematic for communal systems. If you cannot trace the route, you cannot manage stagnation.
- Note building factors that change risk: vulnerable residents, intermittent occupancy, and historic issues.
Legionella risk assessment: current and acted on
- Have a suitable and sufficient legionella risk assessment for each relevant system (you can find more information about this approach in ACOP L8).
- Check the scope is correct (communal plant, shared services, and anything the landlord controls).
- Turn your findings into dated actions with owners, priorities, and evidence.
Control measures: temperature and stagnation
The temperature control targets from the government’s guidance are:
- Cold water kept, where possible, below 20°C.
- Hot water stored at least at 60°C.
- Hot water is distributed so it reaches 50°C within 1 minute at outlets (55°C in healthcare).
For stagnation and outlet hygiene:
- Remove deadlegs/dead ends where practicable.
- Flush infrequently used outlets (including taps and showers) at least weekly.
- Clean and descale shower heads and hoses at least quarterly.
Routine monitoring: check, record, fix
- Identify and use sentinel outlets consistently for temperature checking.
- Record temperatures and inspections as your scheme requires. Examples include monthly checks of hot water storage cylinder temperatures and checking cold water tank temperatures at least every 6 months.
- Treat out-of-tolerance results as defects, not admin. Log the fix and the re-check.
Sampling and testing: only when it’s justified, always done properly
- Decide on sampling through your risk assessment and control scheme, not habit.
- Where monitoring is appropriate, send samples to a UKAS-accredited laboratory that participates in a water microbiology proficiency testing scheme.
- Read results in context: next actions depend on the system, control measures, and exposure risk.
Backflow and fittings: stop contamination from moving the wrong way
- Check systems have suitable backflow protection where required. The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 set requirements for preventing backflow from fittings and processes into the supply.
- Watch the usual culprits: hose connections, outside taps, temporary contractor kit, and alterations during void works.
People, residents, voids
- Confirm contractor competence for assessment, monitoring, disinfection, and remedials.
- Give residents simple guidance where it affects risk (long absences, low-use outlets, reporting low temperatures).
- Write a void procedure. Voids create stagnation fast, and records often go missing.
Records and audit trail
- Store risk assessments, written schemes, monitoring logs, certificates, and remedial evidence together in a searchable format.
- Track next-due dates (assessments, tank cleans, TMV servicing, recurring checks).
- Record decisions, including why sampling is or is not part of the control scheme.
Quick self-check
If you can answer “yes” to these three, you are in a stronger place:
- Do we know who owns each water system risk, in writing?
- Are control measures being done on time, with evidence?
- If asked tomorrow, could we show a clear story from risk assessment to action to verification?
For more on how technology can help with managing water quality compliance day to day, see True Compliance’s water quality compliance overview.
