The Benefits of Letting Agents Offering Legionella Risk Assessments

Letting agents are increasingly expected to provide landlords with more than simply finding tenants and collecting rent. Landlords want professional management, support with their responsibilities and confidence that their properties are being properly looked after.

One service letting agents should consider incorporating into their property management offering is a Legionella Risk Assessment.

Not only can this help landlords manage their health and safety responsibilities, but it can also provide letting agents with an additional service, strengthen landlord relationships and create another potential revenue stream.

What Is a Legionella Risk Assessment?

Legionella bacteria can develop in water systems under certain conditions and, if contaminated water droplets are inhaled, can cause Legionnaires’ disease.

Landlords have duties under health and safety law to assess and control the risk of exposure to Legionella. Importantly, this does not necessarily mean every rental property requires professional water testing or a particular certificate at fixed intervals. The appropriate approach depends on the property and its water system.

A Legionella Risk Assessment helps identify potential risks and records the condition of relevant parts of the water system so that appropriate action can be taken where necessary.

Help Landlords Manage Their Responsibilities

One of the biggest benefits of offering Legionella Risk Assessments is that it gives landlords additional support with an area of property management they may know relatively little about.

A structured assessment can record relevant information such as water outlets, water storage, temperatures where appropriate, potential areas of stagnation and other identifiable risk factors.

Where concerns are identified, these can then be brought to the landlord’s attention so that further investigation or remedial action can be arranged where required.

For letting agents, this is another opportunity to demonstrate that their management service goes beyond basic administration.

Create a Clear Digital Record

Documentation is becoming increasingly important throughout the property industry.

Rather than relying on a verbal confirmation that a property has been checked, a professional report can provide a clear record of what was inspected, when the assessment took place and any observations or recommendations made.

Photographs can also provide additional evidence of the property’s water system and relevant fixtures at the time of the assessment.

Good records provide valuable continuity for landlords and property managers, particularly when managing large portfolios.

Add More Value to Your Management Service

Competition between letting agents is considerable, and landlords increasingly compare agencies based on the overall service they receive.

Offering additional services such as property inspections, damp and mould reports, Legionella Risk Assessments and other safety and compliance reporting can help differentiate an agency from competitors.

Instead of simply reacting when something goes wrong, agents can demonstrate a more proactive approach to property management.

That can be a powerful selling point when winning new landlords and retaining existing ones.

Generate an Additional Revenue Stream

Legionella Risk Assessments can also present a commercial opportunity.

Agents may choose to offer assessments as part of a premium management package or as an additional chargeable service.

When multiplied across a managed portfolio, additional property services can potentially create meaningful recurring revenue while simultaneously delivering additional value to landlords.

The opportunity becomes particularly interesting when assessments can be incorporated into existing property visits, where appropriate, helping agencies make better use of staff time.

Identify Potential Problems Earlier

Regular visits to rental properties provide an opportunity to identify issues that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

For example, an assessor may identify little-used outlets, stored water, temperature concerns or other factors that warrant further attention.

Finding potential issues earlier gives landlords the opportunity to investigate and address them before they become more significant.

Technology Can Make Reporting Easier

One of the challenges with offering additional property services is the extra administration they can create.

If every assessment results in significant amounts of typing and office work, increasing the number of services offered can quickly increase the workload.

This is where modern property reporting technology can make a major difference.

With Peach Inventory Software, agencies can create dedicated Legionella Risk Assessment reports alongside inventories, check-ins, check-outs, mid-term inspections, damp and mould reports and other property reports.

Using Report AI, users can take photographs and use AI to help generate professional descriptions and condition notes. They can also dictate observations while at the property, reducing the amount of manual report writing required afterwards.

This can help reduce reporting time by up to 70%, making it much easier for agencies to expand the range of property reporting services they provide.

Turn Property Visits Into an Opportunity

For letting agents, every property visit takes time and resources. Technology provides an opportunity to make those visits more productive.

By offering landlords additional services such as Legionella Risk Assessments, agents can potentially increase revenue, improve documentation, strengthen landlord relationships and deliver a more comprehensive management service.

As property management becomes increasingly focused on standards, evidence and proactive inspections, agencies that invest in the right services and technology can put themselves in a much stronger position.

More services. Better reporting. Less administration.

Discover how Peach Inventory Software and Report AI can help your agency create professional property and compliance reports faster.