In Scotland, private water supplies are defined as those that are not provided by Scottish Water.
Many remote parts of Scotland, such as the Highlands and Islands, rely on private water supplies for their drinking water. Around 3% of the Scottish population use a private water supply, which means that 163,500 people must test their water system every year.
Private water supplies are either commercial or domestic and there’s different rules for each.
If carefully managed, a high standard of drinking water can be maintained from a private supply. However, there are serious health risks if water treatment is neglected. E-coli, Legionella and other harmful bacteria can easily breed in dirty water tanks if you’re not careful.
If you’re a landlord or manage holiday lets on a private water supply, it’s essential to regularly test your water and follow up to date Scottish Government guidelines.
The Scottish Government and the Drinking Water Inspectorate introduced new regulations for managing private water supplies that:
Under these regulations, privately rented properties are considered commercial premises. That means landlords and Airbnb hosts are bound by law to test and treat their water supply.
Landlords and Airbnb hosts must register their private water supply with their local council’s environmental health department and must let tenants know they’re using a private water supply.
If requested, your local council must report information about water quality to:
Find out more about your rights and responsibilities as a landlord with a private water supply here.
If you’re a landlord or own commercial properties or private dwellings (such as a B&B, holiday let or Airbnb) that feed on private water supplies, you have a legal responsibility to test the water.
Testing, sometimes referred to as sampling, is an important part of maintaining a safe supply of water.
Testing your water supply will help detect if harmful bacteria or chemicals are present in your water.
Large or commercial private water supplies must be tested at least annually. Your local council can check whether your water is complaint with current legislation.
If you own a domestic private water supply, you are responsible to ensure your own drinking water is safe for consumption in order to prevent you and your family from illness. It is important therefore, that you know the correct preventative measures to ensure no one get sick.
If you own a commercial premises on a private water supply that is preparing food for the public, you must ensure your water is deemed safe for drinking and meets all legal regulations. Food preparation requires clean, legionella free water to ensure any consumables given to the public are safe from disease. Your local authority will have direct guidance as to what you must do when preparing food to meet legal regulations.
Unclean water poses potential contamination threats to food items you prepare, from cleaning your equipment to using it as an ingredient. Not to mention the effect it could also have on your staff who may then become sick an unable to work. It is important that your private water supply is risk assessed and proven free from contaminants before using it in food preparation.
Water testing isn’t compulsory for domestic properties in Scotland. However, you should be aware of the serious threat untested water poses to human health. Microbiological, chemical or hydrocarbon contaminants if ingested can’t be seen by the naked eye but they will put you at risk of dangerous diseases. A risk assessment for Legionella and other harmful bugs will put your mind at ease and outline any fixes needed.
If you are selling your property, you will need to prove that the water supply is safe to use before the property can switch to the new owner. Consideration should be given to ensure the system is sampled and any remedial work is completed before putting the house on the market to avoid financial burden and delays.
A risk assessment is the best way to check the condition of your private water supply.
A private water risk assessment typically involves:
People who own or run a business that is served by a private water supply have a legal duty to ensure staff, visitors, tenants and guests have access to safe water.
Risk assessment guidance:
A risk assessment isn’t necessary if your private water supply is for a domestic property, although you do have a duty of care towards those in your household who use the water supply.
PHX Water can help you carry out your Private Water Supply Risk Assessments.
A risk assessment involves checking the source of your water supply and the surrounding area to identify possible risks, such as points of contamination. A risk assessment should also check the raw water quality, borehole chamber, pipework and water system equipment.
Things to consider during a risk assessment:
Identifying any risks from the list above will help you to mitigate any hazards to your drinking water.
PHX Water provides private water supply testing throughout Scotland. We provide Legionella Risk Assessment, Water Tank Cleaning & Disinfection, water testing and private water supply installation.
Our private water supply testing system ensures that the amount of bugs, chemicals, and metals in your water stays below a certain level. This means that your building will comply with Scottish water maintenance laws. It is important to note that a water supply sample can only provide a snapshot of the moment it was taken.
If you have a large, industrial, or commercial private water supply in Scotland you must have it tested once a year.
Here are some of the other services we cover:
No more sleepless nights worrying about your private water supply. Our expert team are here for you, even in an emergency.
Complete our contact form or call 01738 472149 to receive a quotation
One of our friendly team will confirm a date and estimated time of arrival for your appointment.
An engineer will be with you on your scheduled date, with a curtesy call to confirm they’re on route.
An engineer will risk assess your water system as outlined above.
You’ll be provided an easy to understand report and digital logbook to manage your ongoing water treatment needs.
If you’re a landlord or own commercial properties that feed on private water supplies, you have a legal responsibility to test the water. A risk assessment isn’t necessary if your private water supply is for a domestic property, although you do have a duty of care towards those in your household who use the water supply.
Any property not served by Scottish Water will be on a private water supply. This means water comes to your property from a borehole, spring, well, burn or loch.
Many remote parts of Scotland, such as the Highlands and Islands, rely on private water supplies for their drinking water. Roughly 3% of Scots’ water comes from a spring or borehole instead of being provided by Scottish Water. It’s the responsibility of property owners to regularly test their water supply to ensure it’s safe to drink.
In Scotland, private water supplies are defined as those that are not provided by Scottish Water. Private water supplies are either commercial or domestic and there’s different rules for each.
If carefully managed, a high standard of drinking water can be maintained from a private supply. However, there are serious health risks if water treatment is neglected. E-coli, Legionella and other harmful bacteria can easily breed in dirty water tanks if you’re not careful.
The ‘Water Intended for Human Consumption (Private Supplies) (Scotland) Regulations 2017’ came into effect in 2017. These new regulations require private water supplies to be risk assessed once every 5 years and sampled annually. Your local council can carry out a risk assessment and will charge you for this service.
Small domestic water supplies, where all the properties are owner occupied, are exempt from these new regulations.
On a private water supply you might run low or run out of water completely. Scottish Water can provide you with water in such emergencies and you’ll have to arrange this with your local council. If you think something is wrong with your current supply don’t drink the water. Use bottled water and wait until a professional has identified the source of the problem.
Our opening hours are 8am-4.30pm Monday to Friday.
Please call us on +44 (0) 1738 231670 or complete the form below. Should your enquiry be urgent, please call our emergency number +44 (0) 7503 343328.
Our opening hours are 8am-4.30pm Monday to Friday. Please call us on +44 (0) 1738 231670 or complete our contact form.
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