Legionella risk assessment for Caravan and holiday parks

Updated 12 September 2026

Holiday parks have a seasonal risk profile that few other building types share. Static caravans and holiday lodges sit empty for weeks between lets and, on parks that close over winter, for months at a stretch. Every van on the park has its own small water system: a cold feed from the pitch supply, a small water heater, and pipework that warms up quickly inside a thin-skinned structure in sunny weather. That combination of stagnation and warmth is exactly the condition legionella needs, and it arrives reliably every closed season and every gap between bookings.

The control scheme therefore has two layers. At park level there is the distribution network: mains and stored cold water feeding the pitches, standpipes, shower and toilet blocks, and any laundry, each needing temperature control, flushing of little-used outlets and routine checks. At unit level there is the recommissioning routine: a documented flush of every outlet in each caravan before it is reoccupied, with particular attention to showers, and a longer recommissioning protocol for vans that have stood all winter. Changeover cleaning staff are the people who actually carry this out, so the written scheme has to be simple enough to follow on a busy turnaround day and the records have to capture which van was flushed and when.

Parks with hot tubs, spa pools or holiday lodges with private hot tubs move into a different class of duty. HSG282 applies, and each spa needs daily water-quality checks, documented disinfection, and a regime that survives being handed between letting guests. A hot tub offered to paying guests is not a domestic amenity; it is a commercial spa pool for water-safety purposes, and it should be treated and recorded accordingly.

Is it legally required?

Holiday park operators are duty holders under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, including the section 3 duty to guests, with ACOP L8 and HSG274 as the framework for the site water systems. Spa pools and hot tubs made available to guests fall within HSG282. The fact that a caravan is someone's holiday home does not remove the duty: where the park operator supplies the water or lets the unit, the legionella risk from that supply has to be assessed and controlled, and site licence conditions can add further expectations on water supply and sanitation.

Who is the duty holder?

The duty holder is whoever has control of the premises or the water system. For caravan and holiday parks premises, this is usually the employer, owner, landlord, or managing agent. The duty cannot be contracted out: you can hire a water hygiene consultant, but the legal responsibility still sits with you.

If you are unsure who holds the duty for your premises, see: Who is responsible for a legionella risk assessment?

What the assessment should cover

ACOP L8 sets out five things a suitable and sufficient assessment must do:

1. Identify and assess sources of risk across the whole water system, including stored hot and cold water, dead legs, rarely used outlets, and any equipment that generates aerosols
2. Produce a written scheme for preventing or controlling the risk, with specific tasks, temperatures, and frequencies
3. Implement, manage, and monitor the scheme in practice, not just on paper
4. Keep records of the assessment, the scheme, monitoring results, and any remedial action taken
5. Appoint a competent person (often called the "responsible person") to be accountable for the scheme

Specific water system risks to check

For caravan and holiday parks premises, assessors typically pay close attention to:

• Hot water storage temperatures (calorifiers must reach 60°C throughout)
• Hot water distribution temperatures (50°C within one minute at outlets)
• Cold water storage tank condition, lid seal, and temperature (below 20°C)
• Dead legs, redundant pipework, and little-used outlets
• Shower heads, flexible hoses, and thermostatic mixing valves
• Any cooling tower, evaporative condenser, or spa pool (these are notifiable to the local authority under the Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations 1992)

How often to review

There is no fixed legal interval, but ACOP L8 requires that the assessment is reviewed regularly and whenever there is reason to believe it may no longer be valid. For most caravan and holiday parks premises, that means at least every 12 months and sooner after any of the following:

• Changes to the water system (new pipework, fittings, equipment)
• Changes to the use of the building or the number of occupants
• A positive legionella test result or a case of Legionnaires' disease linked to the premises
• Prolonged periods of low occupancy or system shutdown (a risk during holidays, term breaks, or refurbishment)
• New guidance from HSE

Typical cost

A professional legionella risk assessment for caravan and holiday parks premises typically costs between £350 and £900, depending on the size of the building, the number of water outlets, and whether there are any cooling towers or evaporative condensers (these add significantly to the cost because of the statutory inspection regime).

Use our cost calculator for an estimate based on your specific water system.