Commercial PAT Testing

Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)

Portable Appliance Testing is a reliable and recognised way to check that moveable electrical appliances are safe to use. Having testing done by a qualified electrician is a way to make sure you meet your statutory obligations.

Landlords who provide an electrical appliance for the use of their tenants must make sure that the appliance or appliances are safe to use and will not cause harm. To make sure that appliances are safe they should be tested at least every two years – and ideally more frequently. For Landlords, it is good practice to arrange PAT tests at the same time as the EICR undertaken for each new tenancy, even if the last test was done less than two years ago.

Portable Appliance Testing is for any electrical appliance which can be unplugged and moved, even if you would not usually expect to move it. If you own the building from which you do business, your responsibilities are the same. If you are a tenant but have introduced portable electrical appliances into the building (eg computers, photocopiers etc) you should also arrange for Portable Appliance Testing.

PAT testing

What does Portable Appliance Testing check?

Most electrical appliances suffer wear and tear, so PAT checks that they are still safe to use. We’ll look for things like loose parts, damaged covers, wires visible where they join the plug and damage to the lead covering. We will spot signs of overheating and damage caused by storage in a damp environment, and build up of dust which can be a fire hazard.

When the test is complete you receive a report including and inventory, test results for each appliance including and an explanation of any failed items. Each tested appliance will carry a label with the date of testing, the inspector’s signature and the date of the next due date.

Portable Appliance Testing is not only required by law for landlords, it makes sense too.

You can find more information on PAT tests and EICR inspections and in our Landlord Checklist and our Tenant Checklist.
We also undertake PAT Testing and EICR inspections for domestic premises.