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PAT Testing from £59.99

Portable Appliance Testing for furnished rental properties and HMOs. From £59.99 for up to 10 appliances — around £6 per appliance. Pass/fail label on every item. Digital asset register and certificate emailed within 24 hours.

from£59.99

From
£59.99
Covers
up to 10 appliances
Certificate
emailed within 24 hours
Includes
digital asset register

What is PAT Testing?

Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) is a series of visual inspections and electrical tests carried out on plug-in electrical appliances to verify they are safe to use. Every appliance is checked for visible damage to the cable, plug, casing, and connector, then tested electrically for earth continuity (on Class I appliances) and insulation resistance. A pass or fail label is applied to each appliance and a digital asset register is produced recording every item tested.

For landlords of furnished properties, PAT Testing is the recognised way to show that all supplied electrical appliances meet the safety standard required by law. A furnished property without a current PAT certificate may leave you exposed if a tenant is injured by a faulty appliance — and most landlord insurers will not pay out without one.

Legal basis: The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires landlords to keep all electrical appliances in safe working order. The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 require that all electrical equipment supplied with a tenancy is safe. PAT Testing is the recognised method of demonstrating compliance with both.

Which appliances need to be tested?

Any plug-in appliance you supply as part of the furnished tenancy. If you provided it and it has a plug, it needs a PAT test. If a tenant brings their own appliance, you are not responsible for testing it.

White goods

Washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher, fridge, freezer, fridge-freezer

Kitchen appliances

Microwave, toaster, kettle, electric hob, extractor fan with plug

Living room

Television, set-top box, DVD/Blu-ray player, games console, lamps

Cleaning & other

Vacuum cleaner, electric heater, dehumidifier, fan, extension leads

Fixed appliances wired directly into the mains — such as an electric oven or hob — are covered by your EICR, not the PAT test.

PAT Testing pricing

Fixed pricing by number of appliances — no per-item surcharges within a band and no call-out charges. A furnished 1–3 bedroom property typically has 8–12 appliances.

PAT Testing — price by appliance count

Up to 10 AppliancesCheapest£59.99
10–15 Appliances£69.99
15–20 Appliances£79.99
20–25 Appliances£99.99
25–30 Appliances£129.99
30–35 Appliances£169.99
35–40 Appliances£199.99
40–45 Appliances£229.99
45–50 Appliances£259.99

Additional charges (where applicable)

  • Parking charge if no free parking available on site: £10
  • Congestion Charge Zone: £20

Comparing all landlord certificate prices? View our complete pricing page →

What's included for £59.99

  • Visual inspection of every portable appliance, lead, and plug
  • Earth continuity test on all Class I (earthed) appliances
  • Insulation resistance test on all appliances
  • Pass (green) or Fail (red) label applied to each appliance on the day
  • Digital asset register listing every appliance tested with make, model, and result
  • PAT test certificate emailed to you within 24 hours

PAT Testing for HMOs

HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation) present a higher electrical risk than single lets. Multiple unrelated tenants use shared appliances more intensively, cables and plugs deteriorate faster, and fault detection is less reliable when no single occupant takes responsibility for reporting problems. Most HMO licences issued by London boroughs include an explicit condition requiring current PAT Testing for all supplied appliances.

An HMO with 5 bedrooms might supply 20–30 appliances across communal and individual rooms — washing machine, tumble dryer, fridge-freezer, microwave, and kettle in the kitchen, plus a TV and lamp in each bedroom. Our pricing scales transparently by appliance count, so a 30-appliance HMO would be £129.99 — no surprises.

HMO compliance bundle: Most HMOs also need an EICR and a Gas Safety Certificate. Book all three together and save with our HMO Complete bundle.

Most landlords who book PAT Testing also hold a current EICR and Gas Safety Certificate. HMO landlords also require a Fire Risk Assessment. Book all together with our HMO Complete bundle.

How it works

  1. 1

    Book online

    Choose your appliance count, select a date, and pay securely. The booking takes under 3 minutes. You receive a confirmation email immediately.

  2. 2

    Engineer visits

    A City & Guilds 2377 qualified engineer arrives at the property and tests every appliance in situ. A pass or fail label is applied to each item on the day. You or a tenant can provide access — you do not need to be there.

  3. 3

    Digital certificate emailed within 24 hours

    Your PAT certificate and full digital asset register are emailed to you within 24 hours of the visit. The register lists every appliance by make, model, serial number, and result — your complete compliance record.

Appliance classes — why they affect your test

Not all electrical appliances are tested the same way. There are three classes of electrical appliance, and the class determines which tests are required. Your PAT engineer identifies the class of each item before testing.

Class IEarthed appliances

Have a metal body and rely on an earth connection for protection. If insulation fails, the earth wire carries fault current safely away and trips the breaker before anyone receives a shock.

Examples
Metal-bodied kettles, irons, tumble dryers, toasters, most power tools
Tests required
Earth bond test + insulation resistance test
How to identify
No special marking — Class I is the default for most domestic appliances.
Class IIDouble-insulated appliances

Have two layers of insulation, so no earth connection is needed. Even if the outer layer fails, the inner layer protects the user. Usually have a plastic body.

Examples
Hairdryers, many electric drills, laptop chargers, vacuum cleaners
Tests required
Insulation resistance test only — there is no earth to bond
How to identify
Look for a small double-square symbol on the casing or data plate.
Class IIILow-voltage appliances

Operate at less than 50V AC via a safety isolating transformer. The voltage is low enough that it cannot cause a dangerous electric shock under normal conditions.

Examples
Some LED garden lights, battery charging systems
Tests required
Usually visual inspection only
How to identify
Marked with the Roman numeral III or the relevant IEC symbol.

What happens during a PAT test

PAT testing is a two-part process — a visual inspection followed by electronic testing. Both parts are required. Around 90% of faults are caught visually.

Part 1: Visual inspection

  • Cable conditionChecked for fraying, cuts, kinking near the plug, and damage where the cable enters the appliance.
  • Plug conditionCracked casing, bent or corroded pins, and missing or incorrect fuse are all fail conditions.
  • Fuse ratingA 3A fuse for appliances under 700W; 13A for above 700W. A 13A fuse in a 200W lamp is dangerous — it will not blow before the cable overheats.
  • Signs of overheatingDiscolouration, burn marks, or melted plastic near the plug or cable entry point.
  • Cable anchorageThe cable must be gripped at the plug body — not pulling directly on the internal terminals.

Part 2: Electronic testing

Earth bond test(Class I appliances only)

Confirms the earth conductor is intact and low-resistance (should be under 0.1 Ohms). A broken earth means the appliance cannot protect against electric shock if insulation fails.

Insulation resistance test(All classes)

Applies 500V to the wiring and measures resistance — should be above 1 Megaohm. Low readings indicate damaged or deteriorated cable insulation.

Leakage current test(Where required)

Measures current flowing from live parts to earth during normal operation. Kept below 0.75mA to prevent shock risk.

PAT testing frequency — how often is enough?

There is no single legal interval for PAT testing. The IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) and HSE provide guidance based on the environment and equipment type. For landlords, the following intervals apply:

EnvironmentRecommended frequency
HMO (shared house)Annually
Furnished single letEvery 2 years
Commercial premisesAnnually for most equipment
Commercial kitchensEvery 6 months
Construction sitesEvery 3 months
SchoolsAnnually (IT equipment: every 4 years)
The legal position: These are recommended intervals, not legal minimums. The key obligation for landlords is that any appliance you supply must be safe under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016. PAT testing is the recognised way to demonstrate you have checked this. If a tenant is injured by a faulty appliance you provided and you have no PAT records, the absence of testing will be treated as evidence of negligence by courts and insurers alike.

PAT Testing — frequently asked questions

Ready to book PAT Testing?

Book online in under 3 minutes. An engineer will contact you to confirm your appointment slot. From £59.99 for up to 10 appliances — digital certificate and asset register emailed within 24 hours.

Book PAT Testing — from £59.99

No hidden charges. Digital certificate emailed within 24 hours.