Guides

PAT Testing, Explained Properly

Straight answers to the questions we get asked most — what the law actually says, what things cost, and what you genuinely need to do. No scare tactics.

Legal & compliance

What the law requires, how often to test, and how PAT relates to your EICR.

Is PAT testing a legal requirement in the UK?

PAT testing is not named in any UK law — but the legal duties it satisfies are very real. What the Electricity at Work Regulations actually require, and who carries the duty.

How often does PAT testing need to be done?

There is no fixed legal interval for PAT testing — frequency is risk-based. Here are the intervals the IET Code of Practice suggests for offices, rentals, holiday lets, and industrial sites.

PAT testing vs EICR: what's the difference?

One covers the wiring in your walls, the other covers what you plug into it. What each inspection includes, which is legally required, and why most premises need both.

PAT testing intervals: suggested maintenance schedule

Risk-based PAT testing intervals for offices, rentals, kitchens, and construction — based on HSE and IET guidance, simplified for duty holders in Devon and Cornwall.

Landlords & sectors

Holiday lets, HMOs, care homes, offices, and letting-agent obligations.

PAT testing requirements for landlords

What landlords must do about appliance safety, how HMO licensing changes the picture, and where PAT testing fits alongside your EICR — explained without scare tactics.

PAT testing requirements for HMOs

What HMO licences expect for appliance safety, how PAT testing fits with your EICR, and the records licensing officers ask for at inspection.

PAT testing for Airbnb and holiday lets

What short-term let hosts need for appliance safety — platform expectations, insurance, fire risk assessments, and when to test between guest changeovers.

PAT testing for care homes and CQC inspections

How PAT testing supports CQC Safe KLOE evidence, what to test in residential care settings, and how to keep maintenance records inspection-ready.

PAT testing for offices and workplaces

Employer duties for workplace appliances, typical test intervals for offices, and what HSE and insurers expect from your maintenance records.

Technical guides

What testing involves, equipment classes, common failures, and extension leads.

What happens during a PAT test?

Step by step: user checks, formal visual inspection, earth continuity, insulation resistance, labelling, and what you receive afterwards — so you know exactly what to expect on the day.

Class I vs Class II appliances: what gets tested

What Class I and Class II mean for PAT testing — earth continuity, insulation tests, the double-insulated symbol, and why your kettle and laptop charger are treated differently.

What fails a PAT test? The most common failures

Damaged plugs, cracked casings, failed insulation resistance, missing earths — the failures we actually see, why they matter, and which ones you can prevent for free.

PAT testing extension leads and RCDs

Why extension leads fail PAT tests more than anything else, how RCD leads and adaptors are checked, and what landlords and offices should include on their register.

Local pricing

What PAT testing costs and our fixed bands across Devon and Cornwall.

What does PAT testing cost in the UK?

Per-item pricing, minimum charges, and call-out fees explained — plus what is (and is not) included in a PAT testing quote, and how fixed-price testing compares.

PAT testing cost in Devon and Cornwall

What PAT testing costs across Devon and Cornwall — fixed band pricing from £89, no call-out fee, no travel surcharge, and what is included in every visit.

Question answered? Get your price.

Fixed pricing from £89, certificates in 24 hours, and reminders so you never look this up again.