The honest answer on whether you need it
PAT testing is not a standalone legal requirement for every landlord in the way an EICR or an annual gas safety check is. Nothing sets a date by which every toaster in the country must be tested. Plenty of companies sell it as though there were such a rule, and there isn't.
What does exist is a duty to make sure the electrical equipment you supply with a property is safe. Testing is simply the usual way landlords evidence that duty. A labelled appliance and a dated schedule are easy to show to a tenant, an agent, a council officer or an insurer. An assurance that the kettle looked fine is not.
Expectations are tighter in some situations. Social landlords have a set requirement to have the equipment they provide checked, described below. Councils that license HMOs commonly ask for appliance safety records as part of the licence conditions, and those conditions vary from borough to borough, so read your own licence rather than assuming. If you are unsure where your property sits, check the GOV.UK guidance linked at the foot of this page, or ask your local authority.
We would rather you booked this because it is useful than because we told you the law said so. If the honest answer to your situation is that a visual check at each changeover is enough, we will say that too.
Social landlords: equipment checks every five years
This part is a requirement, not a recommendation. Social landlords who supply electrical equipment must have that equipment checked at least every five years, alongside the five-yearly inspection and testing of the electrical installation.
For social housing tenancies granted before 1 December 2025, the installation must be inspected and tested, and the equipment the landlord supplies checked, before 1 November 2026. If you manage stock and that date is close, it is worth scheduling in blocks rather than property by property.
What the test actually involves
Portable appliance testing is a short sequence repeated on every item. It is not glamorous, and it is not slow.
Visual inspection
Most faults are found by looking. Cracked plugs, scorch marks, frayed flex, taped repairs, the wrong fuse, a loose cord grip. An appliance can fail here alone and never reach the tester.
Earth continuity
On earthed appliances, a test that checks the metal casing is properly connected to earth, so a fault inside cannot make the outside of the appliance live.
Insulation resistance
A check that the insulation between the live parts and everything you can touch is still doing its job, rather than leaking current.
Pass or fail, labelled
Every item gets a label with the date and the result. Anything that fails is taken out of use and written up, so there is no doubt about which kettle was the problem.
Not every appliance gets every test. A double-insulated item has no earth to check, so the earth continuity step does not apply to it. The tests that do apply are recorded with their readings.
What gets tested in a furnished let
The rule of thumb is simple: if it plugs in and you supplied it, it is in scope. In a typical furnished London flat that usually means:
- Kettle, toaster and microwave
- Fridge, freezer, washing machine and dishwasher
- Electric oven, hob and extractor where they plug in
- Vacuum cleaner and iron
- Table and floor lamps supplied with the let
- Television, and any extension leads you have left in the property
- Electric heaters and dehumidifiers
What sits outside it
- — Anything the tenant owns and brought with them
- — Fixed wiring, sockets, switches and the consumer unit — that is the EICR
- — Hard-wired appliances with no plug, which are inspected as part of the installation
- — Gas appliances, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
A part-furnished flat might have four items. A furnished house share can have forty. That is why the price follows the appliance count rather than the number of bedrooms.
How often, and what you get back
For private lets there is no interval fixed in law. In practice most landlords test annually, or at each change of tenancy, and a good number peg it to the gas safety check so the whole property is dealt with on one date each year. Equipment that is used hard or carried about is usually tested more often than something that sits in place and rarely moves.
The report is a schedule rather than a certificate in the EICR sense. It lists every item, where it was found, what it is, the tests applied, the readings, and a pass or fail. Failures are described so you know whether you are replacing a plug or replacing a washing machine. Each item also carries a label with the date and result, which is the first thing an inspector looks at.
Keep the schedule with your other property paperwork. Between tests, a quick look at flexes and plugs at each changeover catches most of what goes wrong, and costs nothing.
Doing it with the rest of the paperwork
PAT testing pairs naturally with the EICR, which covers the fixed wiring rather than the appliances, and is due at least every five years. The gas safety certificate is annual, and is carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The EPC runs on its own separate cycle. Our landlord certificates page sets out how the dates fit together, and a membership brings the hourly rate down and includes free certificates each year.
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Registration 64777, and fully insured including public liability.
Inside the M25 and just outside
One team for the whole portfolio, wherever the properties are.
Priced on the item count
From £120, fixed before we book, and members pay less on every certificate.
PAT testing questions landlords ask
Is PAT testing a legal requirement for landlords?
Not in the way an EICR or a gas safety check is. There is no rule that says every landlord must have every appliance tested on a set date. What there is, is a duty to make sure electrical equipment you supply is safe, and PAT testing is the normal way landlords show they have taken that seriously. Social landlords are treated differently — see the next question. If you want to be certain where your own property stands, read the GOV.UK guidance linked at the foot of this page or speak to your council.
What do social landlords have to do?
Social landlords who supply electrical equipment must have that equipment checked at least every five years, alongside the five-yearly inspection and testing of the installation itself. For social housing tenancies granted before 1 December 2025, both the installation test and the equipment check have to be done before 1 November 2026.
How often is PAT testing usually done?
There is no single interval set in law for private lets. Landlords commonly have it done once a year, or at each change of tenancy, and many time it to land with the gas safety check so there is one visit and one renewal date to remember. Equipment that gets heavier use or moves around tends to be tested more often than something that sits still in a cupboard.
What does the report look like?
You get a schedule listing every item tested, where it was, what it is, the date, the test results and a pass or fail against each one. Anything that failed is described, with what was wrong. Each appliance also carries a small label showing the result and the date, which is what a tenant, an agent or an inspector will look for first.
What happens if an appliance fails?
It is labelled as failed and taken out of use so nobody plugs it back in. Some failures are small and can be put right on the spot, such as a wrong fuse or a damaged plug. Others mean the appliance is at the end of its life and should be replaced. We tell you which is which and leave the decision with you.
Do tenants' own appliances get tested?
No. The duty is about equipment you supply. A tenant's own television or games console is theirs, and we do not test it unless you ask us to and the tenant agrees. This is worth being clear about in the inventory, because it is a common point of confusion at the end of a tenancy.
Can PAT testing be done at the same time as the EICR?
Yes, and it is the sensible way to do it. The electrician is already in the property, the power is already going on and off, and you end up with the appliance schedule and the installation report from one visit. The same goes for arranging the gas safety check nearby, though that is carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
How much does PAT testing cost?
From £120 for a typical furnished flat. Beyond that it follows the appliance count rather than a headline figure we would have to change. Tell us the property and roughly what is in it and we will give you a fixed price before we book. Members get 5% to 20% off certificates depending on tier, and at least one free certificate a year.
The social rented sector requirements and dates on this page are taken from the GOV.UK guidance Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors and were last checked on 12 September 2026. Everything said here about private lets describes common practice, not a fixed legal interval. This page is a summary written to be useful, not legal advice, and the rules can change. Landlords remain responsible for confirming their own obligations, including any conditions attached to an HMO licence.