PAT Test Certificate

Q: Can PAT testing damage equipment?

PAT testing is completely safe. If carried out by a competent and certified individual there is no risk of damaging in equipment. To find a qualified electrician in your area just click here

Q: Can PAT testing be done by anyone?

According to legislation, you must be deemed competent before you can carry out a PAT testing inspection. In layman’s terms, this means that if you have taken the PAT testing training course you will be certified and therefore can conduct the inspection yourself

Q: How many items can be PAT tested in an hour?

PAT testing appliances can take anything between 1 to 2 minutes. An experienced electrician should be able to pat test around 30 to 40 items within an hour

Q: Do i need to PAT test my holiday rental properties?

There is no legal obligation to PAT test holiday rental properties or rental properties in general. However, landlords are legally responsible for the safety of tenants which include holiday rental and should ensure all electrical appliances are safe to use. We therefore recommend to conduct a PAT testing inspection

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What is PAT testing?

PAT stands for Portable appliance testing. It is the process of examining the safety of what is known as portable electrical appliances to detect faulty electrical equipment so they can be fixed to prevent any accident.

Electrical appliances are considered "portable" when there is a lead attached to them and connected to a plug.

A typical PAT testing will include a visual inspection to ensure the electrical equipment is not damaged and in some cases a more in-depth examination of insulation resistance, lead polarity and if the equipment is properly earthed.

Once the PAT has been completed by a qualified electrician, all appliances should be labelled with a "passed" or "failed" tag which will include the test date along with the appliance ID number.

Ensure all electrical installations and appliances you provide are safe.
Book a PAT testing now! Call one of our registered London electricians

07947 194 448

What needs to be PAT tested?

If you have no idea what needs to be PAT tested here is an easy way to figure it out:

To keep things simple, any electrical appliances that can be portable or movable and connected to the main supply by a cable or plug and socket will require testing.

Typical portable appliances will range from toasters to hoovers, food blenders and electric kettles.

Anything considered as a "movable" appliance will be your typical dishwasher, washing machine, fridge and so on if they are 18kgs or less.

Any equipment such as laptops, cordless drills do not require testing however, their battery chargers, which require to be plugged in, will need to be tested too.

Ensure all electrical installations and appliances you provide are safe.
Book a PAT testing now! Call one of our registered London electricians

07947 194 448

Is PAT testing a legal requirement?

This is a very common question and the short answer is NO. There is currently no legal requirements in the UK, for any businesses, to carry out portable appliance tests on their electrical equipment.

However, if you are a business owner or a landlord, you have a legal obligation to maintain all electrical equipment so it adheres to health and safety electrical regulations. And the best way to comply with this legal obligation is through a PAT testing.

Despite not being enforce by the law, many insurrance companies will require businesses and landlords to conduct PAT testing at least once a year.

Under the Health & Safety at Work Act of 1974, Failing to comply with electrical regulations could result in a maximum fine of £5000 and or six months imprisonment.

So, despite not being a legal requirement, we thoroughly encourage any business to conduct a PAT testing to be in compliance with electrical regulation and to give you peace of mind.

How often do you have to PAT test?

Since PAT testing is not a legal requirement, there is no defined frequency as to how often testing should be carried out.

As mentioned previously, some insurance companies may want businesses to do yearly checks.

To really understand how often PAT testing should be done and to be compliant with electrical regulations you should take the factors listed below into consideration:

How often the electrical equipment is being use. The more often it is used, the more often it needs to be tested.
What type of electrical equipment is being used (hand held equipment are more likely to be damaged than more robust electrical equipment)
How is the electrical equipment being used (hard handling vs soft)?How old is the electrical equipment (older electrical equipment may require to be tested more often rather than new one).
In which environment is the equipment being used (outdoor vs indoors)
How often is the equipment being moved.

Ensure all electrical installations and appliances you provide are safe.
Book a PAT testing now! Call one of our registered London electricians

07947 194 448

Do new items need to be PAT tested?

Purchasing brand new electrical equipment doesn't guarantee compliance with electrical safety regulation.

With the rise of the internet and the choices of cheaper suppliers, it is easily possible to purchase electrical items which don't follow proper checks from manufacturer.

It is therefore recommended that even new electrical items are also PAT tested.

At the very least you should check if the item is labelled with the CE marking (CE stands for "Conformité Européene" which means "European Conformity") and visually verify the item hasn't been damaged during transportation and/or fitting.

PAT testing labels

Once an electrical appliance has been tested it should be marked with a failed or passed sticker.

The stickers should include the following information:

Date of when the appliance was tested
Name of the person who tested the appliance
Result of the test

Is PAT testing mandatory for landlords?

As we've already mentioned, Landlords and businesses are not required, under UK law, to PAT test their electrical equipment. However, like any business, they have a legal health and safety obligation.
Find out the full details and obligations by visiting our landlord electrical certificate page

PAT testing prices

We offer very competitive rates starting at £60 for up to 10 electrical appliances.
Each additional appliance will be charged at a cost of £3 per appliance.

For more information visit our rates page

Ensure all electrical installations and appliances you provide are safe.
Book a PAT testing now! Call one of our registered London electricians

07947 194 448