Southampton is a city of rented homes. So if you let property here, you need a Legionella risk assessment Southampton tenants and letting agents can rely on.
We’re based just over the border in Poole, and Southampton is under an hour away. Our assessors are also plumbers and heating engineers. That means we can often put right what we find, instead of handing you a list for someone else.
Who needs one? Landlords and employers have a duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and COSHH to assess and control Legionella risk. You’re also expected to keep a record. Our landlords page explains more.
Student HMOs and shared houses
Around the University of Southampton and Solent University, whole streets are let to students. Portswood, Highfield, Swaythling and Bevois are full of shared houses with two or three bathrooms. As well as extra bathrooms, these homes have more outlets and longer pipe runs than a family house. They also sit empty for weeks over summer, and still water in pipes is just what Legionella likes.
So timing matters. If a house has stood empty, we can check it before the new tenants move in. We run every outlet, take temperatures and look at how the hot water is stored. HMO licensing teams expect landlords to show how they manage water safety, and a written assessment is the clearest way to do that.
Other buildings we assess across the city
Converted Victorian flats
In Shirley, Freemantle and the Polygon, many big old houses now hold several flats. Shared loft tanks, tired pipework and dead legs from past conversions are common.
Port and city-centre businesses
Offices, warehouses and units near the docks often have staff showers, kitchens and little-used toilets. If you employ people, the duty applies to you too.
Hotels and guest houses
When rooms sit unused between bookings, the water in their pipes stagnates. We look at your flushing routine, your shower heads and how hot your stored water gets.
Legionella risk assessment Southampton: what we check
A visit to a home usually takes 45–90 minutes, while larger buildings take longer. Tenants don’t need to be in. However, we do need access to every outlet, the boiler or cylinder and any loft tank. We follow the HSE Approved Code of Practice L8 and its guidance, HSG274.
On the day, we look for:
- Stored hot water reaching 60°C, and hot taps hitting 50°C or more within a minute
- Cold taps running below 20°C within two minutes
- The state of any tank, as well as its lid and insect screen
- Dead legs, little-used outlets and scaled shower heads
- Anything that holds water between 20°C and 45°C, where Legionella grows most
After the visit, your written report arrives within 3 working days. In addition, it includes an outlet register and temperature readings at every hot and cold outlet. It also gives a risk rating and a prioritised action plan. For HMOs and commercial sites, we can also add schematic drawings if you ask.
When we find a problem, we can fix it
Most assessors stop at the report. Because we’re plumbers too, we can carry on. For example, we clean and disinfect cold water tanks, fit lids and screens, and cut out dead legs. We also adjust cylinder and boiler temperatures and service or fit thermostatic mixing valves (TMVs). Our remedial works page has the full list.
If you’d like hard evidence the water is clear, we can also take samples. They go to a UKAS-accredited laboratory, and once tested, results usually come back in 7–10 days. You’ll find more on our Legionella testing page.
Prices for Southampton properties
Single home or flat
£59.99 + VAT
Houses, flats and single lets, with no call-out fee.
HMOs and businesses
Fixed quote
Priced before the visit, with no hidden extras.
Landlord portfolios
Fixed quote
Several properties? Ask about portfolio pricing.
Appointments are usually free within the same week, even at the start of the student letting season.
Areas we cover in and around Southampton
We work across the whole city and the towns around it. So wherever you are, a Legionella risk assessment Southampton-wide follows the same steps. Nearby, we also carry out assessments in Eastleigh and right across the New Forest.
- City Centre
- Portswood
- Highfield
- Shirley
- Freemantle
- Bitterne
- Woolston
- Sholing
- Swaythling
- Bassett
- Millbrook
- Totton
- Hedge End
- West End
- Netley
- Hamble
Southampton questions
Do student houses need a new assessment every year?
HSE gives no fixed renewal date. Its advice is to look again regularly, and also whenever something changes. Plenty of landlords work on a two-year cycle. However, student lets often change tenants every summer and sit empty for weeks. So a quick review before each new intake makes sense. If you’ve had plumbing work done, review it sooner.
My flat shares a loft tank with other flats. Can you still assess it?
Yes. We do need to reach the tank, so you may have to ask the freeholder or managing agent to let us in. Once we’re there, we check the tank’s condition, its lid and screen, and how water flows to your flat. If the tank needs cleaning, we can quote for that at the same time.
Do I need to be there for the visit?
No, and your tenants don’t need to be home either. Even so, someone has to let us in, because we need to reach every tap, shower, the boiler or cylinder and any loft tank. For example, plenty of landlords arrange access through their letting agent. Either way, we’ll confirm the time with you beforehand.
I run a business in the city centre. Does this apply to me?
If you employ people or control a building others use, then yes. The duty sits with employers as well as landlords. For instance, staff showers, kitchens, little-used toilets and water heaters all count. Every commercial Legionella risk assessment Southampton firms book with us comes with a fixed price. That way, you know the cost before we visit.