The Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors is warning residential landlords and letting agents that they must meet Legionella regulations for all properties under their control. This follows a report from Public Health England on the death of three men from the disease.
The three men contracted Legionnaires’ disease in 2012 from a poorly maintained hot tub that was on display at a garden centre that had not been filtered or cleaned for weeks. The stagnant water in the hot tub led to the growth of the bacteria and when it was switched on for display, the bacteria became airborne and spread around the garden centre. A further 21 people were also found to have caught the bug from the same outbreak.
“This case has showed how deadly legionnaires’ can be, and how quickly the disease spreads to people not in direct contact with the infected water. Organisations and landlords simply cannot take the risk of an outbreak.” – John Thompson, Chief Executive, APHC
All hot and cold water systems within any property that has a commercial use or is open to public access must be assessed for the risk of Legionella this specifically includes residential properties that are let.
The latest monthly figures released by Public Health England show that there were 31 reported cases of the disease in February 2015 across England and Wales.
The Video Inventory Agency provides a national bespoke legionella risk assessment service for landlords and letting agents with supporting video evidence.