PAT test your property

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By Emily Rivers
Last updated 18th July 2022

Why do I need a PAT test?

You must have seen them at work,school or in your rented accomodation? The labels attached to electrical appliances with a pass written on them, dated quite recently? These are the result of a PAT test or Portable Appliance Test that is a legal obligation for employers or landlords to check that electrical appliances are fit for purpose and do not present a fire or electric shock risk.

It is not a legal obligation to PAT test electrical appliances in your home but the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Housing Act states that it is a requirement in a work setting and an obligation for landlords. So it is not a legal requirement as of 2023 for landlords to get their electrical appliances tested but electrical items in rented accommodation need to be in a safe condition in case of fire which is the whole point of a PAT test.

PAT testing cost

How much does a PAT test cost?

A PAT test can be conducted quite quickly in a small office setting or one bedroom flat so should not take longer than an hour. For larger properties with lots of electrical equipment and appliances you can expect to pay more as it will take a lot longer to complete the inspection. Some PAT testers will charge you by the hour or size of property, others will charge per electrical appliance which will include wiring, stationary equipment, IT equipment, moveable equipment, portable appliances and hand held appliances. You will be surprised what these guys can stick a sticker on!

How much you pay will depend a lot on your location in the UK as it tends to be more expensive in the South East of England. On average the cost of a PAT test on up to 30 items should cost no more than £60. For this you will get a PAT test certificate and a lot of electrical items in good working order and a fresh pass sticker.

If the working environment is testing or represents a danger to the tester expect to pay more. Busy working kitchens or machine shops are an example of this. As said before, the more electrical appliances, the more you will have to pay.

Who does a PAT test?

You might be surprised to learn that you don’t need to be a qualified electrician to conduct a PAT test but you do need to have taken a PAT testing course to be let loose on all those electrical appliances.

This is something qualified electricians will have done so unless you want to take the course and have time to inspect your appliances it might be better to hire an electrician. They can also help identify other electrical safety issues with your property that an untrained eye might miss.

Either way you will also need the equipment to conduct a test and there are a number of PAT testing kits to make your life a hell of a lot easier. Unfortunately they are not cheap. The PAT testing machines start from £200 and go up to £1750 depending on the specification which includes things like printing labels to stick on the tested appliances.

Each electrical item is different and may require a different way to be tested. So having an understanding of not only being able to visually inspect the appliance for its safety but also to be able to test the appliance using authorised PAT testing equipment correctly is important.

What is measured in a PAT test

The first part of a PAT test is to visually inspect the appliance and lead and then to conduct a test using a custom PAT testing device. The test will check for current leakage, earth continuity, lead polarity and insulation resistance. The appliance is plugged into the PAT machine and probes are fixed to the appliance so that the machine can show whether it has passed or failed. Each appliance is then given a pass or fail sticker.

There is no definition of what a portable electrical appliance is and it doesn’t have to be something you carry around with you. Basically if it's got a plug socket attached to it, it should be tested but there are differences.

Electrical appliances are categorised as class I,II and III.

  • Class III: refers to low voltage items. They are the least dangerous and therefore the safest class of electrical appliance. Class III items do not need to be PAT tested, although any charging leads should be checked.

  • Class II: includes electrical equipment that doesn’t rely on earth for protection. These should be tested.

  • Class I: relates to equipment that has basic insulation and needs earth for protection.

How often do I need to do a PAT test?

There are no hard and fast rules as to when you should be conducting a PAT test and this depends on the use of the electrical equipment, the environment they are used in and the class of the appliance.

How do I hire an electrician to conduct a PAT test?

There are companies dedicated to PAT testing but the majority of PAT tests are conducted by qualified electricians. Get a quote to PAT test your property today from electricians in your local area. Simply post your job on HaMuch, get the electrician rates and talk to electricians that fit your budget.


Estimates for common electrician jobs;

JobEstimate
Cost to troubleshoot and diagnose an electrical fault£95
Cost to upgrade to smart lighting£62
Cost to fit a satellite dish£150
Cost to rewire a single room or circuit£1,000
Cost to rewire a house or flat£6,250
Cost to replace a consumer unit£744
Cost to do a PAT test£60
Cost to replace electric oven£433
Cost to install an outside power socket£105
Cost to install outside garden lighting£180
Cost to install a storage heater£701
Cost to install LED lights£149
Cost to install solar panels£9,460
Cost to installing an electric shower£365
Cost to install a TV aerial£240
Cost to install downlights in a room£410
Cost to install a bathroom extractor fan£267
Cost to install a hot tub£750
Cost to install or fix a light switches£52
Cost to install an electric hob (or an induction hob)£174
Cost to install or fix a light fitting fixture£92
Cost to fit an new plug socket£182
Cost to install an electric vehicle charger£1,397
Cost to lay electric underfloor heating£576
Cost to install an electric radiator£359
Cost to install an electric combi boiler£2,108
Cost of an EICR test£150
Cost to earth bond a gas meter£470
Cost to install of a cooker hood£300
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PAT testing cost in the UK
PAT testing cost in the UK (excluding VAT or callout charges)
Location in UKPAT testing cost
PAT testing near London£94
PAT testing near Birmingham£66
PAT testing near Glasgow£68
PAT testing near Leeds£64
PAT testing near Liverpool£66
PAT testing near Sheffield£62
PAT testing near Edinburgh£70
PAT testing near Manchester£64
PAT testing near Belfast£48
PAT testing near Bristol£70
PAT testing near Leicester£66
PAT testing near Cardiff£64
PAT testing near Coventry£66
PAT testing near Bradford£64
PAT testing near Nottingham£62
PAT testing near Newcastle Upon Tyne£66
PAT testing near Brighton and Hove£72
PAT testing near Derby£62
PAT testing near Hull£62
PAT testing near Plymouth£62
PAT testing near Stoke-on-Trent£60
PAT testing near Southampton£72
PAT testing near Northampton£74
PAT testing near Wolverhampton£66
PAT testing near Luton£90
PAT testing near Portsmouth£72
PAT testing near Reading£88
PAT testing near Norwich£68
PAT testing near Milton Keynes£82
PAT testing near Bournemouth£66
PAT testing near Aberdeen£62
PAT testing near Peterborough£70
PAT testing near Bolton£64
PAT testing near Swindon£74
PAT testing near Southend-on-Sea£84
PAT testing near Warrington£64
PAT testing near Oxford£80
PAT testing near Swansea£62
PAT testing near Sunderland£66
PAT testing near Slough£92
PAT testing near Kingswood£70
PAT testing near Telford£62
PAT testing near Cambridge£76
PAT testing near Ipswich£74
PAT testing near Blackpool£64
PAT testing near Middlesbrough£64
PAT testing near Dundee£64
PAT testing near Huddersfield£64
PAT testing near York£64
PAT testing near Poole£66
PAT testing near Watford£94
PAT testing near Newport£64
PAT testing near Colchester£76
PAT testing near Exeter£58
PAT testing near Blackburn£64
PAT testing near Crawley£88
PAT testing near Gloucester£64
PAT testing near Stockport£64
PAT testing near Basingstoke£86
PAT testing near Basildon£88
PAT testing near Cheltenham£64
PAT testing near Gateshead£66
PAT testing near Worthing£70
PAT testing near Rochdale£64
PAT testing near Oldham£64
PAT testing near Chelmsford£86
PAT testing near Birkenhead£66
PAT testing near Maidstone£86
PAT testing near Gillingham£86
PAT testing near Salford£64
PAT testing near Solihull£66
PAT testing near St Helens£64
PAT testing near Worcester£66
PAT testing near Lincoln£66
PAT testing near West Bromwich£66
PAT testing near Eastbourne£72
PAT testing near Wakefield£64
PAT testing near Wythenshawe£64
PAT testing near Bedford£82
PAT testing near Hemel Hempstead£92
PAT testing near Preston£64
PAT testing near Stevenage£90
PAT testing near Southport£66
PAT testing near Bath£70
PAT testing near Harlow£92
PAT testing near Sutton Coldfield£66
PAT testing near Darlington£64
PAT testing near Chester£64
PAT testing near Hastings£76
PAT testing near Nuneaton£66
PAT testing near Halifax£64
PAT testing near Hartlepool£66
PAT testing near Aylesbury£86
PAT testing near Doncaster£62
PAT testing near Grimsby£62
PAT testing near Wallasey£66
PAT testing near Londonderry£46
PAT testing near Stockton-on-Tees£64
PAT testing near Weston-super-Mare£68
PAT testing near High Wycombe£90
PAT testing near Ashford£72
PAT testing near Redditch£66
PAT testing near Wigan£64
PAT testing near Scunthorpe£62
PAT testing near Bury£64
PAT testing near Paisley£68
PAT testing near Bracknell£90
PAT testing near Burnley£64
PAT testing near Rugby£68
PAT testing near Guildford£90
PAT testing near Carlisle£60
PAT testing near Chatham£86
PAT testing near East Kilbride£68
PAT testing near Newcastle-under-Lyme£60
PAT testing near Chesterfield£62
PAT testing near Burton upon Trent£64
PAT testing near Tamworth£66
PAT testing near Shrewsbury£60
PAT testing near Woking£92
PAT testing near St Albans£94
PAT testing near Harrogate£64
PAT testing near Crewe£60
PAT testing near South Shields£66
PAT testing near Craigavon£48
PAT testing near Stafford£64
PAT testing near Rotherham£62
PAT testing near Barnsley£64
PAT testing near Lowestoft£68
PAT testing near Walsall£66
PAT testing near Gosport£72
PAT testing near Dartford£94
PAT testing near Bognor Regis£70
PAT testing near Corby£70
PAT testing near Paignton£58
PAT testing near Maidenhead£90
PAT testing near Rochester£86
PAT testing near Ellesmere Port£66
PAT testing near Loughborough£64
PAT testing near Dudley£66
PAT testing near Bangor£48
PAT testing near Dewsbury£64
PAT testing near Mansfield£62
PAT testing near Margate£64
PAT testing near Kettering£72
PAT testing near Cannock£66
PAT testing near Sale£64
PAT testing near Taunton£64
PAT testing near Runcorn£64
PAT testing near Farnborough£88
PAT testing near Tynemouth£66
PAT testing near Hereford£62
PAT testing near Halesowen£66
PAT testing near Widnes£64
PAT testing near Huyton with Roby£66
PAT testing near Scarborough£62
PAT testing near Gravesend£90
PAT testing near Bebington£66
PAT testing near Kidderminster£66
PAT testing near Stourbridge£66
PAT testing near Barry£64
PAT testing near Smethwick£66
PAT testing near Dunfermline£70
PAT testing near Livingston£70
PAT testing near Weymouth£66
PAT testing near Brentwood£90
PAT testing near Barrow-in-Furness£64
PAT testing near Hamilton£66
PAT testing near Canterbury£68
PAT testing near Wellingborough£72
PAT testing near Sittingbourne£82
PAT testing near Macclesfield£64
PAT testing near Bootle£66
PAT testing near Carlton£62
PAT testing near Esher£94
PAT testing near Clacton-on-Sea£74
PAT testing near Lancaster£64
PAT testing near Beeston£64
PAT testing near Banbury£74
PAT testing near Torquay£58
PAT testing near Folkestone£68
PAT testing near Kingswinford£66
PAT testing near Bloxwich£66
PAT testing near Bridgend£62
PAT testing near Welwyn Garden City£92
PAT testing near Lisburn£48
PAT testing near Leamington Spa£66
PAT testing near Washington£66
PAT testing near Tunbridge Wells£86
PAT testing near Kirkcaldy£70
PAT testing near Hinckley£66
PAT testing near Durham£66
PAT testing near Cumbernauld£68
PAT testing near Wokingham£90
PAT testing near Horsham£84
PAT testing near Crosby£66
PAT testing near Yeovil£68
PAT testing near Thundersley£86
PAT testing near Altrincham£64
PAT testing near Willenhall£66
PAT testing near Christchurch£66