Take steps to keep your water safe from Legionella bacteria | Tenant news

If you think that Legionnaires’ disease is something you can only get from the air conditioning in large office blocks or commercial buildings, think – you might even be at risk in your own home. 

Legionella bacteria can lead to Legionnaires’ disease, a serious lung infection that’s spread through tiny airborne droplets of contaminated water.

The bacteria is found naturally in freshwater, but they can become harmful if they grow in pipes and water systems inside buildings, including your home.

Common causes

In the home, Legionella bacteria may be found in water pipes, storage tanks, showerheads, garden hoses, outdoor taps, and even in appliances like humidifiers or indoor water fountains.

These bacteria grow best in warm, still water, especially between 20°C and 45°C. If water isn’t used often, or if it doesn’t get hot enough, the risk of Legionella increases.

Homes with older plumbing, poorly insulated pipes, or bathrooms that aren’t used regularly are more likely to have problems.

People can become ill if they breathe in tiny droplets of water containing the bacteria. This can happen when using showers, taps, garden hoses, or anything that sprays water into the air.

While most healthy people recover, it can cause serious illness for older adults or those with existing health conditions.

Reduce the risk

To keep your water system safe and healthy, you should:

• Run all taps and showers regularly – flushing them for a couple of minutes clears out stagnant water especially in rooms that aren’t used often.
• Keep hot water hot – hot water should be stored above 60°C or higher, and make sure it reaches at least 50°C when it comes out of the tap.
• Check cold water temperature – ideally, cold water should come out below 20°C.
• Clean showerheads – regularly descale and disinfect them to prevent bacteria and limescale build-up.
• Empty garden hoses after use – water left in hoses can heat up and stagnate, creating a risk if sprayed.

To help keep our tenants and their guests safe, we carry out yearly water safety checks in all of our homes. These inspections help make sure water systems are working properly and reduce the risk of bacteria like Legionella.

In the 2024/25 Tenant Satisfaction Measures results, our compliance for Legionella assessments improved from 97.6% to 100%. This means that every planned inspection was completed on time.

When to seek help

If your home has older plumbing, or if someone in your household is more at risk from infections, it’s a good idea to get advice about your water system.

Look for signs like rusty or discoloured water, strange smells, or water that’s not the right temperature. If you notice anything like that, contact Habinteg Direct on 0300 365 3100 or email direct@habinteg.org.uk.

To learn more, visit https://www.habinteg.org.uk/legionella.

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