PAT testing is not specifically named in UK law. Duty holders in England must keep electrical equipment in a safe condition under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, and PAT is a recognised way to meet that duty. Landlords carry extra obligations for fixed installations under the Private Rented Sector Regulations, covered below.
TL;DR:
- UK law does not name PAT or set intervals; employers must maintain safe equipment using checks and testing suited to each item’s risk.
- Landlords must arrange fixed installation EICRs every five years and give tenants reports within 28 days; supplied appliances require maintenance, though PAT is not mandated.
- Group equipment by risk and location, use the shortest interval in each group, then revise schedules when fault patterns or working environments change.
- Trained staff can handle basic pass or fail checks on low risk office equipment, but borderline results and complex tests require relevant knowledge and experience.
- Keep dated test records, label appliances with test and due dates, and review intervals annually against failures before adjusting the schedule.
Table of Contents
- What PAT testing is and how it fits with user checks
- The legal framework: statutes and official guidance in England
- Who must act: employer and landlord responsibilities
- Which items need testing, and how often
- Who can carry out PAT testing: competence and training
- Setting up a risk-based PAT programme: a practical checklist
- How CityPat supports compliance in England
- A risk-based system beats a rigid annual habit
- Get a PAT testing quote from CityPat
- FAQ
- Sources
What PAT testing is and how it fits with user checks
Portable appliance testing combines a visual inspection with electrical tests, usually an earth continuity check and an insulation resistance reading, run through a handheld PAT tester. It sits alongside two other layers of a maintenance regime that HSE describes: everyday user checks before an item is plugged in, and periodic formal visual inspections by someone trained to spot damage. PAT catches faults a visual check cannot, such as a failed earth connection inside a casing, and it creates a dated record that shows a duty holder has acted on their maintenance obligation.
- User checks: a quick look for damage, done by whoever uses the equipment.
- Formal visual inspection: a closer, documented check by a trained person, no testing involved.
- Combined inspection and testing: the full PAT process, used where risk or equipment type justifies it.
Technical detail on carrying out these checks sits in HSE’s own publications and in the IET Code of Practice referenced in HSR25, which draws on BS 7671 wiring standards.
The legal framework: statutes and official guidance in England
Three sources of law and guidance shape what duty holders actually have to do.
- The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 place a general duty on employers to maintain electrical systems and equipment so they do not become dangerous; the regulations do not mention PAT by name or set a testing frequency.
- The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require landlords to have fixed electrical installations inspected and tested by a qualified person, normally every five years, and to give tenants and local authorities a copy of the report within set timescales. The duty has since extended to the social rented sector.
- HSE’s practical guidance, including INDG236 and HSG107, translates the general legal duty into suggested inspection intervals and competence levels, without creating new legal requirements of its own.
Together, these set a clear pattern: the law states the outcome (safe equipment, safe installations, proper records for rented property), and the guidance sets out the accepted route to get there. For most employers that route includes some level of PAT; for landlords it also means a five-yearly EICR on the fixed wiring.
Who must act: employer and landlord responsibilities
Responsibility splits along fairly predictable lines, though the detail trips people up.
- Employers must maintain every piece of electrical equipment used at work, run user checks as routine practice, and schedule formal inspections or PAT where risk warrants it.
- Landlords must arrange an EICR on the fixed installation at least every five years, supply the report to tenants within 28 days and to the local authority on request, and complete any remedial work within the timescale the report specifies, under the 2020 Regulations.
- Landlords who supply appliances (kettles, microwaves, white goods) with a let property take on the same maintenance duty as an employer for that equipment, even though PAT itself is not separately mandated for it.
- Where equipment is shared between businesses, such as in a serviced office, or supplied by a contractor working on site, responsibility should be agreed and recorded in writing rather than assumed.
Which items need testing, and how often
Not every appliance carries the same risk. A handheld drill on a construction site faces more wear and a higher consequence of failure than a desktop monitor in a quiet office, and the testing regime should reflect that difference.
Class I equipment has a metal casing earthed for safety and generally needs combined inspection and testing at some point in its life. Class II equipment is double insulated, has no earth connection, and often only needs visual inspection unless it is used in a harsher environment. HSE’s INDG236 sets out suggested starting intervals rather than fixed legal deadlines:
- Group equipment by risk and location, then apply the shortest interval within the group rather than testing item by item.
- Adjust intervals up or down based on fault trends: a high failure rate on an item type justifies shortening the gap.
- Review the schedule when equipment moves to a different environment, since a kettle moved from an office to a workshop faces different wear.
Who can carry out PAT testing: competence and training
Competence, not qualifications on paper, is what HSG107 asks for. A Level 1 tester can run basic pass/fail checks using a simple PAT tester. Interpreting borderline readings, working out why an item failed, or testing more complex equipment calls for Level 2 competence, built on electrical knowledge and experience.
- A trained staff member can often cover routine Level 1 testing on low-risk office equipment.
- Combined inspection and testing beyond basic pass/fail results should go to someone with electrical training or a contracted tester.
- Formal visual inspections can be done in-house with a short briefing on what damage to look for.
Pro Tip: Keep a simple log of who tested what and when, even for in-house checks: it becomes the evidence you need if an incident is ever investigated.
Setting up a risk-based PAT programme: a practical checklist
A working PAT regime does not need to be complicated, but it does need to be deliberate.
- List every appliance on site, noting its class, age and environment.
- Group items by risk and how often they move, then set an initial interval from HSE’s suggested table.
- Assign a competent person, in-house or external, to each testing tier.
- Label tested items with the test date and next due date.
- Log results, including failures, and schedule remedial action or replacement promptly.
- Review intervals annually against fault trends and adjust where the data supports it.
- Keep the rationale for your chosen intervals on file alongside EICR and ISIT records, particularly if you are a landlord managing let property.
How CityPat supports compliance in England
We offer a range of electrical and fire safety services as a coordinated service, allowing a single provider to handle your safety calendar instead of several contractors working from different schedules.
- PAT testing with clear, dated records for every appliance checked.
- EICR and fixed wire testing to meet the five-yearly landlord cycle.
- Emergency lighting, fire alarm and extinguisher servicing alongside your electrical compliance.
- Fire risk assessments to complete the wider safety picture.
For landlords managing multiple properties or businesses running several sites, one point of contact for scheduling and documentation cuts the administrative load of tracking separate renewal dates.
A risk-based system beats a rigid annual habit
Too many duty holders default to testing everything annually because it feels safe, when a risk-based schedule, backed by genuine user checks, protects people better and costs less. The bigger confusion I see is landlords mixing up the five-year EICR cycle with PAT intervals: they are separate duties, on separate timescales, for separate equipment.
— Gemma
Get a PAT testing quote from CityPat
Whether you need a single office tested or a rolling programme across several sites, our PAT testing service gives you dated records and a schedule that fits your risk profile, alongside EICR, emergency lighting and fire safety testing if you need them bundled together.
Get in touch through our PAT testing page to arrange a visit, or check our full range of services if you are coordinating compliance across multiple sites.
FAQ
Is electrical PAT testing a legal requirement?
No single law names PAT testing, but the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require employers to maintain electrical equipment in a safe condition, and PAT is the commonly accepted way to demonstrate that. Landlords face a separate, specific duty to test fixed installations under the Private Rented Sector Regulations 2020.
What are the electrical safety rules in the UK?
The core rule is that electrical systems and equipment must be maintained so they do not become dangerous, a duty set out in the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. Landlords in England have the added requirement to have fixed installations inspected at least every five years and to supply the report to tenants and the council where asked.
What are the 7 electrical tests?
A combined inspection and test typically covers checks such as earth continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth leakage, and a functional check, alongside the visual inspection itself. The exact set applied depends on the equipment class and the tester’s judgement, following HSE guidance rather than a single fixed list in law.
What is a PAT test in the UK?
A PAT test is a combined visual inspection and electrical test of a portable appliance, checking things like earth continuity and insulation resistance using a handheld tester. It is one layer of the wider maintenance duty under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, sitting alongside everyday user checks and formal visual inspections.
Sources
- PAT (Portable appliance testing) – HSE
- Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020