PAT testing for holiday lets and small businesses

What is included

I test all eligible portable appliances — kettles, toasters, lamps, chargers, extension leads, appliances with a plug — with a visual inspection and instrument test, label each item, and give you a written report you can keep on file and show to your insurer or a letting agency.

What the law says

There is no single law that names “PAT testing” or sets a fixed interval. Instead, several regulations place a duty on employers, landlords and business operators to keep electrical equipment safe, and testing is the recognised way to show that duty has been met:

• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 — a general duty of care to employees and others affected by the work.
• Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 — systems must be maintained “so as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, such danger”.
• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) — work equipment must be maintained in an efficient state and good repair.
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 — a requirement to assess risks to employees and others.

For holiday lets, guests are treated similarly to members of the public in a workplace, so the same duty to provide safe electrical equipment applies. Home offices and work-from-home arrangements can also fall within an employer’s responsibility for the equipment they provide.

Because there is no fixed legal frequency, testing is risk-based: higher-turnover or higher-risk equipment is checked more often. I can advise on a sensible schedule for your situation.

Further reading: swpattesting.co.uk — legal requirements and the HSE’s guidance on maintaining portable electrical equipment. This page is a summary, not legal advice.

Booked with other work

If I am already visiting for a guest WiFi setup or a survey, adding PAT testing to the same visit usually saves a separate call-out.