What PAT covers
PAT is a combination of formal visual inspection and, where justified, electrical tests on portable and movable equipment — kettles, lamps, extension leads, office IT, landlord-supplied white goods.
It produces a record of items passed, failed or advised. Failed items should be taken out of service, not left with a green sticker from last year.
PAT is not an EICR
An EICR inspects the fixed installation: consumer units, circuits, sockets and lighting. PAT does not say those circuits are satisfactory.
Workplaces and furnished lets often need both conversations. Agents sometimes ask for PAT on landlord-owned appliances even when the law does not use the letters “PAT”.
How often?
There is no single statutory “every 12 months” for every toaster in England. Frequency is risk-based: construction sites and shared kitchens wear equipment harder than a locked spare-room lamp.
Insurers and corporate clients may set their own interval. We will not invent a legal annual duty that does not exist.
Book testing
See PAT testing or send a count via contact. Combined visits with an EICR are often the tidy option for voids.
Common questions
Do tenants’ own appliances need PAT?
Usually the landlord’s duty is about landlord-owned equipment and the installation. Workplace rules differ. Do not assume a tenant hairdryer is your test list.
Can you fail an item on visual inspection only?
Yes. Damaged flexes, cracked plugs and crushed leads do not need a fancy tester to be unsafe.