What goes in a responsible person appointment letter?
On this page
Key points
- A responsible person appointment letter records who holds the role, the scope of their duties, their authority, the deputy, and the review date. It records the appointment; it does not certify competence or compliance.
- ACOP L8 expects the duty holder to appoint a competent person; the letter is the evidence the appointment was actually made.
- The letter should say explicitly that the legal duty stays with the duty holder, so nobody believes accountability has been delegated.
- Reissue it whenever the person, premises or system changes, and keep old versions with your records for at least five years.
A responsible person appointment letter is a short, signed document that records who the duty holder has appointed to manage legionella control, what they are responsible for, the authority they hold to act, who covers for them, and when the appointment will be reviewed. It is the piece of paper that turns "someone looks after that" into an arrangement you can show an inspector.
This page sets out the structure section by section, so you can draft your own. If you would rather start from a finished, editable Word document, the LegionellaCheck Pro Pack includes one (document 03, Responsible Person Appointment), drafted to this structure.
Why the appointment belongs in writing
ACOP L8 expects the duty holder to appoint a competent person, or persons, to take day-to-day responsibility for controlling the risk. The code does not demand a particular form, but think about what an appointment has to survive: the appointee leaving, an inspector's first question ("who is your responsible person?"), and the passage of years. A verbal arrangement fails all three. A signed letter, dated and filed with the risk assessment, answers the question in seconds and shows the role was created deliberately.
Keep one caution in view: the letter records the appointment, it does not certify that anyone is competent, and it does not make the scheme compliant. Competence is evidenced by training, knowledge and experience, and the letter simply records why the duty holder is satisfied the appointee has it. For what the role itself involves, see the responsible person explained, and for how it sits alongside the duty holder, duty holder, responsible person and competent person.
The structure, section by section
A complete appointment letter has seven short sections. None needs legal language.
- The parties and the premises. Name the duty holder (the employer, landlord or organisation), the appointee, and the premises and water systems the appointment covers. If the building has more than one system, say so: a letter that covers "the building" but not the outbuilding's tank is a gap waiting to be found.
- The scope of the role. List what the responsible person is appointed to do: maintain the risk assessment and the written scheme of control, ensure the monitoring schedule is carried out, keep the log book, act on out-of-range results, and manage any contractors working on the system.
- The competence basis. Record why the duty holder is satisfied the appointee is competent: their role and experience, and the training they hold or will complete. This is a record of judgement, not a qualification certificate.
- The authority granted. State what the appointee may do without asking first: book contractors up to a stated limit, take an outlet out of use, stop an activity that creates a risk. A responsible person who cannot authorise a repair cannot control the risk, and ACOP L8 expects the authority to match the responsibility.
- The deputy. Name who covers absences, and record that the deputy has access to the risk assessment, written scheme and log book. Monitoring that pauses for annual leave shows up in the records as a gap.
- The legal position. One sentence stating that the appointment does not transfer the duty holder's legal responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and COSHH. This protects both parties from a misunderstanding about who is accountable.
- Review and signatures. A review trigger (annually, and on any change of person, premises or system), the date of appointment, and signatures from both the duty holder and the appointee, so acceptance of the role is recorded too.
The letter's job is to answer, in one page: who, for what systems, with what authority, covered by whom, reviewed when. Anything that answers those five questions in writing will do.
The done-for-you version
The LegionellaCheck Pro Pack includes this letter as document 03, Responsible Person Appointment: an editable Word file with all seven sections drafted, so you fill in names, premises and limits rather than starting from a blank page. It sits alongside the editable risk assessment and written scheme, so the three documents reference each other consistently. Like everything in the pack, it records your arrangements; it never certifies them.
Free legionella risk assessment template
A structured Word document following the five-step approach in ACOP L8. Covers risk identification, written scheme, monitoring, and records. If it isn't written down, you can't evidence it.
Follows ACoP L8 and HSG274 Part 2. Free. No spam.
Keeping the appointment live
File the signed letter with the risk assessment and reissue it whenever anything material changes: the appointee moves on, the building is altered, the system is extended, or the risk assessment review concludes the role needs redefining. Keep superseded versions for at least five years with the rest of your compliance records. And test the arrangement occasionally: if the responsible person is away this week, does the deputy actually know where the log book is? A letter that exists but a deputy who has never seen it is only half an appointment.
Free legionella risk assessment template
A structured Word document following the five-step approach in ACOP L8. Covers risk identification, written scheme, monitoring, and records. If it isn't written down, you can't evidence it.
Follows ACoP L8 and HSG274 Part 2. Free. No spam.
Frequently asked questions
Does a responsible person appointment have to be in writing?
ACOP L8 does not prescribe a form, but it expects the duty holder to appoint a competent responsible person, and an appointment that exists only as a conversation is almost impossible to evidence. A short written appointment letter, signed and dated, records who holds the role, the scope of their authority, and the date it took effect. It is the document an inspector asks for when they ask who manages your water safety.
Can a landlord or business owner appoint themselves?
Yes. There is no rule that the responsible person must be a different individual from the duty holder, and in a small business or a single let they are very often the same person. Even then, the appointment is worth writing down: it fixes the scope of the role, names a deputy for absences, and shows the arrangement was deliberate rather than assumed.
Does an appointment letter transfer the legal duty?
No. The appointment shares the workload, never the liability. The duty holder remains accountable in law whatever the letter says, and no wording can sign that accountability away to an employee or a contractor. A well-drafted letter says so explicitly, so both parties understand the responsible person manages the scheme while the duty holder owns the duty.
How often should the appointment be reviewed?
Review it whenever the person, the premises or the water system changes: when the appointee leaves or changes role, when the building is altered or extended, and when the risk assessment is reviewed. Many duty holders set an annual check alongside the assessment review. Reissue the letter with a new date whenever the substance changes, and keep the superseded copies with the rest of your records.
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