There is a misconception from some building managers and landlords across the country that they don't need a Legionella Risk Assessment, for lots of reasons. "We don't have any tanks" or "we have only got one toilet" are very common. The truth is that under health and safety law, the risks must be identified and managed in all buildings, regardless of the size or whether there are any tanks installed. The way to assess the risk is to complete a Legionella Risk Assessment.
The assessment must be carried out by someone who is competent to do the work, which usually means employing the help of a professional Legionella Risk Assessor.
There are still thousands of properties across the country that still do not have an up to date assessment. This is mainly due to a lack of awareness, and in some part to a lack of enforcement. If the HSE investigate, they will prosecute a company or landlord if no Risk Assessment has been completed, and there are plenty of examples of this.
Residential Legionella Risk Assessments
Another area where there is still confusion is residential properties. Residential landlords have the same responsibilities as commercial landlords, and therefore a Legionella Risk Assessment is required to be carried out. The only difference is that a 'simple' risk assessment is required, as described in HSG 274 Part 2, which identifies the risks. However there is no definition of simple given in the guidance, the risks must be identified and they must be addressed.
I have read quite a few articles online stating that companies who provide Legionella Risk Assessments are scaremongering about landlords duties to generate work. I have also seen company's who will provide a template for landlords to produce their own Legionella Risk Assessment. I have not seen one of these templates so I might be proved wrong, but as a Legionella Risk Assessor who has spent years learning how to do this job properly, I am struggling to see how someone with no training could use a template to produce an adequate assessment.
My advice, not surprisingly, is employ a fully trained, experienced and competent Legionella Risk Assessor.