In England, it isn’t generally a legal requirement to carry out PAT Testing if you’re a landlord. However there are some cases whereby this is legally required such as Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). Whilst the law doesn’t specifically state that you must have PAT Testing, it’s highly recommended to ensure that the safety of the property is up to legal safety standards under both the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016).
What actually is PAT Testing for Landlords?
PAT Testing (Portable Appliance Testing) is the process of inspecting gadgets and appliances around the property to ensure that they are safe for the tenants to use. The testing itself is pretty intricate and exposes any issues which may not be visible to the naked eye, this would be conducted by both a visual inspection and an instrument test on all appliances - once the test is complete the electrician then places a sticker on to the appliance or socket with the results and a date to state when the appliance is next due a test.
What kind of appliances need to undergo a PAT Test in a rental property?
The general rule of thumb for PAT testing is that we will test any electrical equipment or appliances that have been provided by the landlord and can be unplugged and moved. This isn’t just small appliances you can unplug and move, this even includes the white goods such as a washing machine, dishwasher, fridge/freezer and ovens that are free standing. There are some exceptions for the testing for items that are technically installed to the wall and should still be included in the test, such as a heated towel rail.
Is it just minor issues PAT Testing uncovers?
No, it can actually expose some pretty grim issues. We recently were called out to a 3 bed rental property on Cedar Close, Buckhurst Hill. This was a young family who lived there with preschool age children. We were sent to the home as there was a fault on an appliance and the customers were unsure what could be the cause. This experience ended up being the perfect example as to why PAT Testing should be the standard for rental properties.
What we discovered after testing was a fault to earth, which resulted in the earth cable blowing apart inside the lead. There were explosion marks where the faulty appliance has been making contact with the appliance that was earthed. Quite scarily, this caused an explosion, which then tripped the circuit breaker and resulted in us being called out to inspect the issue at the property.
This issue had been hiding, sleeping quietly beneath the kitchen work tops whilst the tenant has been taking the families wet clothes in and out of a faulty appliance. Ultimately the fault caused the metal body of the machine to become energized - this could have been fatal for this tenant.
It really doesn’t bear thinking about the consequences of not getting this type of thing checked on a yearly basis.
Tack Electrical Solutions - Offering PAT Testing for landlords in Buckhurst Hill
If you’d like to proceed with PAT Testing on your rental property, why not either fill out our contact form or give us a call today.
Thank YOU for helping us keep another person in Buckhurst Hill safe - that’s what’s important to us.
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