Do I need a legionella certificate? No. HSE states that health and safety law does not require landlords or dutyholders to obtain or produce a “legionella test certificate”. What the law requires — under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH), with HSE’s Approved Code of Practice ACoP L8 as the practical code — is a legionella risk assessment and proportionate control of the water system. If an agent, lender, insurer or council asks for a “certificate”, give them the dated risk assessment naming the property and the person who carried it out, plus a short note of the controls in place (for example hot water stored at 60°C, the system flushed before the tenancy, dead legs removed or managed). Typical assessment fees through our matching network: domestic £90–£180, HMO or complex £150–£350, commercial from £250. We match independent assessors; we do not assess in-house.
Need the assessment, not a certificate? Get a legionella risk assessment quote · Legionella risk assessments
Certificate vs risk assessment: the short version
| What some companies sell | What the law actually wants |
|---|---|
| A “legionella certificate”, as if it were a gas safety certificate | No such statutory certificate exists. HSE says so in terms. |
| Annual water samples for every rental | Sampling is not usually required for domestic hot and cold water systems. |
| A file-and-forget PDF with an expiry date | Assess the risk, put simple controls in place, and review when things change. |
| “Only an accredited tester can do this” | Most landlords of simple domestic systems can assess the risk themselves if they are competent. |
What the law actually requires
If you rent out a property — including a room in your own home — you have a duty of care to tenants. HSE’s legionella and landlords’ responsibilities page applies section 3 of the 1974 Act: conduct the undertaking so tenants are not exposed to health and safety risks, so far as is reasonably practicable. COSHH then covers biological agents such as legionella — identify, assess, control.
ACoP L8 (fourth edition, 2013) is the Approved Code of Practice. HSG274 is the technical guidance, including Part 2 on hot and cold water systems. A failure to follow L8 can be used as evidence that you did not meet the law, unless you can show you complied in some other equally effective way. For most domestic rentals the assessment can be simple: HSE says residential hot and cold water systems are generally low risk because water is used and turned over.
Why “legionella certificates” appear everywhere
Gas has a certificate. Electrics have an EICR. Agents, insurers and some contractors talk about legionella in the same breath, so a “legionella certificate” gets sold as the third document in the pack. It is a marketing label. If a tenant became ill, what a court would look for is whether you assessed the system and controlled the risk — not a PDF headed “Satisfactory” that records a one-off sample.
What to send your letting agent instead
- your legionella risk assessment (dated, naming the property and who carried it out);
- a short note of the controls — cylinder stored at 60°C, system flushed before move-in, redundant pipework removed, cold water tank lidded if fitted;
- the tenant information you provided — do not turn down the cylinder, clean showerheads, report hot water problems;
- your planned review trigger or date.
Agent asking for a “certificate”? Get a legionella risk assessment quote — a written assessment you can send straight to them.
When a simple self-assessment is enough
HSE is clear that most landlords can assess the risk themselves and do not need to be professionally trained or accredited. A typical low-risk example is a small housing unit with a domestic-type system where:
- daily use turns the water over;
- cold water comes straight from a wholesome mains supply, with no stored water tank;
- hot water is fed from instantaneous heaters or low-volume water heaters, supplying outlets at 50°C;
- the only outlets are toilets and wash-hand basins.
A simple assessment may show there is no real risk that is not already being managed. Combi boilers and electric showers lower the risk further because there is no stored water. Do the assessment, keep a copy, tell the tenant to clean showerheads and not to drop the cylinder temperature, and review it when something changes. See also whether a landlord can do their own legionella risk assessment.
When you should use a competent person
Self-assessment stops being realistic when the system, the occupancy or your own competence does not match that low-risk picture. HSE says you can arrange for someone to do it on your behalf if you do not feel competent, or inclined. Book a professional legionella risk assessment through our nationwide network where you have:
- stored cold water in a loft tank, or a large calorifier;
- little-used guest bathrooms, en-suites or outside taps;
- dead legs or redundant pipework;
- an HMO, student let, hostel or other shared occupancy;
- a care or healthcare setting, or anyone particularly susceptible;
- a long void — especially student stock left empty over the summer;
- a written scheme, temperature log or sampling regime that you cannot run yourself.
For those buildings the assessment is the start of control, not a certificate to file. Temperature is the primary measure: keep hot water hot, cold water cold and keep it moving, with the calorifier stored at 60°C. Testing versus a risk assessment is a different job.
Records, review and what happens if someone gets ill
HSE and local authority inspectors do not proactively inspect ordinary domestic rentals or ask to see a risk assessment. That is not a reason to skip it. If a tenant contracted Legionnaires’ disease from the water system, the landlord may be prosecuted under the 1974 Act and would have to show a court that the duty was met.
Writing the assessment down is only a statutory duty for employers with five or more employees, but a record of what you assessed and did is how you would demonstrate the duty. The law does not prescribe an annual or two-year review. Review it when the system changes, after a long void, when the people living there change significantly, or periodically so it does not go stale. See how long a legionella risk assessment lasts.
A certificate is not a defence. If the showerheads were never cleaned, the cylinder was turned down and the spare bathroom stood unused all winter, the heading on the PDF will not help. The assessment plus the controls plus the records are what matter.
Bundle with a fire risk assessment
HMO landlords and owners of buildings with common parts usually also need a fire risk assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (typically £180–£350 for small premises, £350–£750 for medium or sleeping-risk buildings). Ask for legionella and fire on one quote and we will coordinate one visit where possible.
Official sources
Checked 21 October 2026:
- HSE — Legionella and landlords’ responsibilities (“Health and safety law does not require landlords to obtain or produce a ‘legionella test certificate’”)
- HSE — ACoP L8 (fourth edition, 2013)
- HSE — HSG274 technical guidance
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 3
- COSHH Regulations 2002
Need a legionella risk assessment you can send to an agent or council?
Next step: Get a quote for a legionella risk assessment through Safety Certificates UK’s matching network. We introduce vetted independent assessors — we do not assess in-house.
Guidance only — not legal advice. Requirements depend on the premises and enforcing authority. Arrange a formal on-site assessment where needed.