#landlords

If you’re a landlord in London, you may have heard that you need a PAT test certificate for every electrical appliance in your rental property.

But is PAT testing actually a legal requirement?

Not as a blanket rule. London landlords are not generally required to PAT test every portable appliance every year. However, landlords are responsible for ensuring that electrical equipment they provide to tenants is safe to use.

This is where PAT testing can be useful.

What is a PAT test?

PAT stands for Portable Appliance Testing. It involves inspecting and, where appropriate, electrically testing portable appliances to identify potential safety problems.

For example, a furnished rental property might contain:

Kettles

Microwaves

Washing machines

Lamps

Fridges and freezers

Vacuum cleaners

Extension leads

A PAT inspection can look for damaged plugs, cables, casings and other electrical faults. Depending on the appliance, appropriate electrical tests may also be carried out.

Do landlords legally need PAT testing?

The important thing is not to confuse PAT testing with an EICR.

For most private rented properties in England, landlords must have the property's fixed electrical installation inspected and tested at least every five years under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations.

An EICR covers the fixed electrical installation, such as wiring, sockets and the consumer unit.

PAT testing, on the other hand, concerns portable appliances supplied by the landlord.

So, having an EICR does not mean that all the appliances in the property have been PAT tested.

Similarly, a PAT test does not replace an EICR.

Why should London landlords consider PAT testing?

Even though there isn't a universal requirement to PAT test every appliance annually, it can be a useful part of a landlord's electrical safety routine.

Portable appliances can become damaged through everyday use. Tenants may move equipment, cables can become worn and plugs or casings can become damaged.

Regular inspection and appropriate testing can help identify these problems before an unsafe appliance remains in use.

PAT testing can be particularly useful for:

Furnished rental properties

HMOs

Shared kitchens

Properties with frequently used appliances

Landlords supplying several electrical appliances

For HMO landlords, the higher number of occupants and frequent use of shared appliances can make a sensible appliance inspection programme especially valuable.

How often should landlords PAT test?

There is no universal legal requirement to PAT test every appliance every 12 months.

The appropriate frequency should depend on the level of risk.

Factors such as appliance type, frequency of use, environment, age, condition and previous inspection results can all affect how often equipment should be checked.

A heavily used appliance in a shared HMO kitchen may need more attention than an appliance that is rarely moved or used.

The Health and Safety Executive supports this type of risk-based approach rather than treating annual PAT testing as a legal requirement.

What happens if an appliance fails?

If an appliance is found to be unsafe, it shouldn't simply be left for tenants to continue using.

Depending on the fault, it may need to be:

Repaired

Replaced

Removed from service

Checked again after appropriate repair

A PAT failure applies to the appliance concerned. It does not automatically mean the property's entire electrical installation has failed.

Do you get a PAT testing certificate?

After testing, a landlord can receive a PAT testing record or report showing which appliances were inspected and their results.

A useful record may include the appliance identification, inspection date, test results and whether the appliance passed or failed.

Keeping these records can help landlords maintain an organised electrical appliance safety programme.

Choosing a PAT tester in London

If you decide to arrange PAT testing, don't choose a provider based only on the cheapest price.

Look for a competent tester who can:

Properly identify the appliances

Carry out appropriate inspections and tests

Clearly record results

Identify failed equipment

Explain any faults

Provide useful documentation

For London landlords, especially those managing furnished properties or HMOs, keeping portable appliances properly maintained is a practical way to support overall electrical safety.

The bottom line

PAT testing isn't a blanket legal requirement for every London landlord. However, landlords still have a responsibility to keep electrical equipment they provide safe.

Think of it this way:

EICR = fixed electrical installation

PAT testing = portable electrical appliances

Both deal with electrical safety, but they are not the same thing.

Neither is a pleasant option.

But now I can’t take soup to the elderly woman across the alley, because the gate is chained and locked and I don’t have a key, and I wasn’t told. None of us were told.

Like, it seems improbable that every single apartment available in my county now costs no less than $1800/mo. to rent (and many more cost over $2000/mo.) when they were "just" $800/mo.-$1000/mo. 15 years (cumulative inflation since then, just under 50%) ago and like $600/mo.-$800/mo. 25 years ago (cumulative inflation since then, just under 90%, so almost a doubling)

They've collectively, not just individually here&there, gone up at 2½ times the rate of inflation

And yet not a single corporate landlord offers apartments on buildings they've completely owned for 10-20 years or more for a few percentage points above cost. Not a single landlord is offering apartments at rate (still profitable to them) but well below what other landlords are asking

It's like collusion by another name

They don't need to use that algorithmic software to price their rentals: they just follow the lead of their alleged competitors.

I think of how when tariffs raise the price of imports above the domestically made models, the domestic makers don't take advantage and keep their prices below the imports, they just raise their prices to match and pocket the higher profits

That's what it feels like anyway

So why not a movement to nationalize rent controls or to make rental properties non-profit

Or maybe make the state the landlord like it used to be for a complex I once lived in before it got privatized and subject to "market forces" rather than actual costs?

Something's gotta break because my job generally paid between 2½ and 3 times the prevailing rents for a long time and since 2022, it's fallen to less than 2 times the prevailing rents

I don't think my employer is actually the problem here. I don't think they're the ones who are making life unaffordable (they could do better, yes, but I don't think they're actively sabotaging affordability)