Inspection & testing

Portable appliance testing (PAT) for workplaces and rented homes

Portable appliance testing (PAT) is a formal check of equipment that plugs in: a close look at the plug, flex and casing, then electrical tests chosen to suit how the item is built. Each item tested is labelled, and you get a record of what passed, what failed and why.

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Each item: Inspected, tested to suit its type, and labelled
The record: Every item listed with its result and the reason for any failure
How often: Depends on risk; there is no fixed legal interval

The plug should be undamaged, with no cracks or scorching, and fitted with a fuse of the right rating for the appliance.
It should clamp the outer sheath, not the coloured cores inside it, so a tug on the flex does not pull on the terminals.
Checked along its full length for cuts, crushing, kinks, taped joints and signs of heat.
Checked for cracks, missing parts, loose fixings and signs of overheating. On an earthed metal-cased item like this, a test confirms the earth reaches the casing.
Shows that the item has been inspected and tested, when, and the result. The details are in the record.
Two squares, one inside the other, mark Class II equipment. It has no protective earth, so it is tested differently from earthed items.

Fig. 1 — A plug, its flex and an earthed appliance, with a double-insulated item for comparison (Illustration)

Sound familiar?

Why people arrange PAT

Most faults on plug-in equipment can be found by looking: a split flex, a cracked plug, a cord grip that has let go of the sheath. Testing finds some that cannot be seen, such as a broken earth connection inside a metal-cased appliance. The record then gives you a dated account of each item’s condition, which is part of showing that equipment is being maintained.

If a plug, flex or appliance is scorched, smells of burning or is unusually hot, stop using it. If you can do so without touching anything damaged, switch it off at the socket and unplug it, then keep it out of use until it has been checked. If anything is smoking or on fire, keep away and call 999. A socket outlet that is hot or scorched needs an electrician, not a PAT visit: stop using it. Urgent electrical problems.

You have moved into new premises or taken over equipment, with no record of when it was last inspected or tested
Your insurer, landlord, a client or a venue wants evidence that equipment is maintained
Equipment is handled and moved a lot, or used outdoors, in a kitchen, a salon or a workshop
A furnished let is about to start, or appliances have been replaced between tenancies
Extension leads and adaptors have multiplied under desks and behind counters
Staff bring in their own chargers, fans or heaters
Damaged flexes and cracked plugs keep turning up, and you want every item checked, not only the ones people notice

Who this helps

Offices and shops

Computers, monitors, chargers, kettles, heaters and the extension leads that collect under desks and behind counters.
Salons, cafés and other busy premises

Hair dryers, straighteners, blenders and other equipment that is handled, moved and plugged in many times a day, so it tends to wear faster.
Landlords and letting agents

Kettles, toasters, washing machines and other appliances supplied with a furnished let, checked and recorded before or between tenancies.
Managing agents and facilities teams

Equipment in communal areas, site offices and staff rooms across one building or several, where you need records for a compliance file.

Explained

How often should equipment be tested?

There is no fixed legal interval. HSE guidance is that how often to inspect and test depends on the type of equipment and the environment it is used in. These are the factors to weigh.

Type of equipment: Earthed (Class I) equipment depends on an intact earth connection, which only a test can confirm, so it generally needs testing more often than double-insulated (Class II) equipment, which does not rely on an earth.
How it is used: Hand-held equipment and anything moved, coiled or unplugged often, such as power tools, hair dryers and extension leads, gets damaged more often than a monitor that never leaves the desk.
Where it is used: Kitchens, salons, workshops, outdoor areas and building sites are harder on equipment than a dry, quiet office, so checks are usually needed more often.
User checks: People looking at equipment before they use it, and reporting damage, catch many faults between formal visits. Good user checks are part of setting a sensible interval.
What the records show: Results from earlier visits show whether the interval is right: frequent failures suggest checking more often, while consistently clean results may support checking less often.

Step by step

How the work is done

Before we quote

We quote from a rough inventory: about how many items you have, where they are, and whether they are spread over several floors or sites. A count by room is enough; it does not need to be exact.

Tell us about anything that needs planning or may need a different approach: equipment that must stay on, such as servers or chilled stock, 110 V site tools, items with industrial plugs, and anything wired into the wall rather than plugged in. If you have a previous PAT record, send it, because it shows how items were numbered and what failed last time.

Step 1:Agree a time

Choose a time when equipment can be unplugged, and warn staff that they will need to save their work and shut computers down. List anything that must stay on so it can be planned for.
Step 2:Identify each item

Each item is given a number and its location is noted, so the label, the record and the next visit all refer to the same thing.
Step 3:Formal visual inspection

The plug, fuse, cord grip, flex and casing are examined for damage, wear and signs of overheating, and the item is checked as suitable for where it is used.
Step 4:Tests to suit the item

The item is unplugged from the wall socket and connected to a PAT instrument. Earthed items are tested for earth continuity and insulation, double-insulated items for insulation, and extension leads and detachable power leads are also checked for correct polarity.
Step 5:Label the result

Items that pass are labelled with the date and result. Items that fail are labelled as failed and the reason is recorded, so it is clear which ones must come out of use.
Step 6:Record and advice

You receive the record of every item tested, with results and reasons for failure, and advice on when each type of equipment should next be inspected and tested.

Scope

What is included

Included

A formal visual inspection of each item
Electrical tests suited to how each item is built
A label on each item tested, showing the date and result
A record of every item, its result and the reason for any failure
Advice on when equipment should next be inspected and tested

Depends on what we find

Visit length, which is set by the number of items, how spread out they are and whether plugs are buried behind furniture
Whether everything can be tested on the day, for example equipment that cannot be switched off or rooms that are locked
How sensitive equipment is tested, such as computers and surge-protected extension leads
Whether a failure has a simple cause, such as a wrong fuse or a damaged plug, or points to a fault inside the appliance

Afterwards

Keep failed items out of use until they are repaired or replaced; a repaired item should be inspected and tested again before it goes back into use
File the record with your health and safety or tenancy paperwork, so it is to hand when an insurer, landlord or client asks for it
Ask users to look over equipment before use and report damage, and add new equipment to your list
Review the interval if many items fail, or if equipment starts being used somewhere harsher

Not covered by this service: The building’s fixed wiring, socket outlets and consumer unit, which are checked by periodic inspection and testing; Repairing or replacing failed appliances: the record gives the reason for each failure so you can decide which.

The paperwork you receive

Portable appliance test record

Inspection and testing of portable equipment.
- Each item tested and its result
- Reasons for any failures
- Labels on the items themselves

Simplified outline, not a real certificate (Illustration)

Standards and regulations

We are a NICEIC Approved Contractor, registration number 619998000, and fully insured. How to check our registration and insurance.

REFThe Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical systems, including equipment plugged into them at work, to be maintained, so far as is reasonably practicable, to prevent danger. They do not say what checks to make, who makes them or how often
REFHSE guidance: the law does not require portable equipment to be tested every year; inspection and testing should be based on risk, and how often depends on the type of equipment and the environment it is used in
REFThe IET Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment is industry guidance that sets out recommended inspections, tests and records
REFIn England, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 cover the fixed electrical installation of a privately rented home, not its appliances, and the government guidance encourages private landlords to have appliances they supply tested. Since the regulations were extended to social housing in 2025, social landlords who provide electrical equipment must have it tested

Questions

Questions about pat testing

Is PAT testing a legal requirement every year?

No. The law requires electrical equipment used at work to be maintained, so far as is reasonably practicable, to prevent danger. It does not say how often equipment must be tested, and HSE guidance is that the right frequency depends on the equipment and where it is used. Check your insurance policy, lease and client contracts, though: they can set their own requirements.

Do landlords have to PAT test the appliances they supply?

Private landlords do not, under the electrical safety regulations. In England, those regulations cover the fixed electrical installation of a privately rented home, which must be inspected and tested at least every five years, but not the appliances in it. The government guidance encourages private landlords to have appliances they provide tested, and the record gives you a dated note of their condition. Social landlords are different: since the regulations were extended to social housing in 2025, electrical equipment they provide must be tested. Either way, appliances you supply should be safe, and a council licence for a house in multiple occupation may set its own conditions, so check yours if you have one. Appliances your tenants bring themselves are theirs to look after.

What counts as portable equipment?

Broadly, anything that connects to the supply with a plug: kettles and microwaves, computers, monitors and chargers, heaters and fans, floor cleaners, power tools, and the extension leads and detachable power leads that serve them. Larger plug-in items such as fridges and washing machines count too. Equipment wired directly into the building, such as a hand dryer or a water heater, is fixed rather than portable: list it separately when you ask for a quote, so the quote can say how it will be dealt with.

Will we have to switch everything off?

No, only one item at a time, for as long as it takes to inspect and test it. Computers need shutting down properly first, so ask staff to save their work. If something has to keep running, such as a server, network equipment or a fridge full of stock, say so beforehand so it can be planned rather than unplugged without warning. Sensitive equipment such as computers is tested using methods suited to it.

What happens to items that fail?

They are labelled as failed and listed in the record with the reason. Take them out of use straight away, and keep them out of use until they have been repaired and passed a fresh inspection and test, or replaced. Some failures have a simple cause, such as the wrong fuse or a damaged plug; others point to a fault inside the item, where replacing it may make more sense than repairing it.

Does new equipment need testing before we use it?

Not usually. New equipment should be supplied in a safe condition, and HSE guidance does not expect a formal test before it is first used. A quick look for damage in transit is still sensible. Add it to your list so it is included next time.

Do we have to label equipment and keep records?

No: HSE guidance says the law requires neither. Both are useful, though. A label tells users at a glance that an item has been checked and when, and the record shows insurers, clients and inspectors that equipment is being maintained. Results kept over several visits also show whether you are checking often enough.

Can our own staff check equipment between visits?

Yes, and it is worth doing. Anyone using equipment can look it over before use for a cracked plug, a cut or taped flex, scorch marks or a cord grip that has let go of the sheath. Damaged items should be taken out of use and reported, not repaired on the spot. A member of staff with enough knowledge and training can carry out formal visual inspections; testing needs a suitable instrument and the competence to interpret the results.

Next step

Arrange PAT testing

The list below is what we need to prepare a written quote. Landlords with more than one furnished let: tell us how many properties there are and which appliances each one has.

What to send us

Your postcode, what the premises are used for, and the number of sites
Roughly how many items, by room or floor if you can
Anything that must stay switched on, and any 110 V tools, industrial plugs or wired-in equipment
Times when equipment can be unplugged
Your previous PAT record, if you have one

An enquiry is not a booking: we contact you first, and you see a written quote before anything goes ahead.

We list towns in London and surrounding areas, Kent, Essex, East Sussex and West Sussex. Check your postcode.

Call or email us for a free quote

Tell us the postcode and a little about the job. We will contact you to discuss it, and you get a written quote before any work starts. Quotes are free. Some survey or diagnostic visits may be charged: ask when you book.

Call 020 3883 1321 Email us

Our email address: support@dualcurrent.co.uk

Helpful to include

The postcode of the property
What the job is, or what is going wrong
Photos, if you have them, taken without removing any covers