Landlords: Give your property a water MOT

If you’re a landlord of a business or residential property, you should give your property a water MOT every time you prepare to hand over the keys to the next occupants.

While more than 99.97% of drinking water supplied to homes and businesses is free from bacteria and other harmful substances, we all have a part to play in keeping it that way.

Under the Health and Safety at Work act, which applies to landlords, property managers
have a legal duty to assess the
risk of exposure to legionella in particular, and take preventative action

Legionella can build up when properties are out of use for several weeks or months, so preparing to let your property out to new tenants is the perfect time to give your property a water MOT to keep your tenants safe from harm.

The measures below are designed to keep water at the right temperature and keep water moving.

Five steps to a water MOT

1.      Make sure boilers are set to store hot water at 60 degrees Celsius

2.      Flush out the system prior to letting your property. Systematically run the hot and cold water taps throughout the building, with any fittings removed, not forgetting to include the garden hose.

3.      Avoid debris getting into the system by making sure cold water tanks have tight fitting lids

4.      Use a WaterSafe approved plumber for any work to internal plumbing or water supply pipes (they have specific training in the water fittings regulations and byelaws) and ask them to identify and remove any redundant pipework as stagnant water in pipework will encourage bacteria to grow

5.      Only use compliant fittings and water products, approved by bodies such as the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS), KIWA or NSF.