PAT testing certificates, and what the law actually says

No law requires a PAT testing certificate, or PAT testing itself. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical equipment to be maintained so as to prevent danger, and HSE says the law does not say how you must do that or how often, so the level of maintenance depends on risk. What people call a PAT certificate is a record from whoever did the testing, listing what was tested and the results. HSE says records and labels can be useful, but there is no legal requirement to keep either.

Sources last checked 19 October 2026.

What the law says

Regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 says systems must be maintained so as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, danger. HSE's leaflet INDG236, Maintaining portable electric equipment in low-risk environments, says you must maintain electrical equipment if it can cause danger, but the law does not say how you must do this or how often. You decide the level of maintenance according to the risk of an item becoming faulty and how the equipment is constructed.

HSE's own FAQ on portable appliance testing says the law does not make inspection or testing of electrical appliances a legal requirement, that annual testing is not always necessary in low-risk environments, and that there is no legal requirement to label equipment that has been inspected or tested.

User checks, visual inspection and testing

HSE separates three things. User checks are the look a person gives equipment before using it, for example for a damaged lead or plug or signs of overheating. A formal visual inspection includes those checks and, where possible, taking the plug cover off to check for internal damage, the correct fuse, correct terminations, tight terminals and a cord grip holding the outer sheath. A portable appliance test is the combined inspection and testing step.

According to INDG236, a visual inspection does not need an electrician but the person needs to know what to look for. A PAT does not need an electrician either, but it needs more knowledge and experience, the right equipment, and the ability to use it and interpret the results.

The leaflet's point on limits matters when you write a record. Testing only gives an indication of the safety of an appliance at the time of the test and does not imply it will stay safe for any period afterwards, so user checks should continue on tested equipment. It also says the person carrying out the test should not decide when the next test is due, because that is the duty holder's decision on a risk assessment basis.

How often

There is no fixed legal interval. For low-risk environments such as offices, shops and some parts of hotels and residential care homes, INDG236 gives initial indications only. Visual inspection at initial intervals of between six months and four years depending on the equipment, and a portable appliance test for equipment that is not double insulated at initial intervals of between one and five years depending on the equipment. It says to review those intervals and decide whether to lengthen or shorten them.

That leaflet is written for low-risk environments. For harsher or higher-risk settings HSE's FAQ points to HSG107 for suggested intervals, so do not apply the low-risk table to a workshop or a building site without reading it.

What a PAT record should show

Neither the regulations nor HSE prescribe a format, so this is practical rather than statutory. A useful record identifies each item (asset number, description, location), says what was done (inspection, test, or both) and the result, who did it and when, and notes any item removed from use or repaired. The next due date belongs to the duty holder, going by HSE's guidance above, so if you record one, record it as their decision.

HSE says damaged or faulty equipment should be removed from use without delay and either repaired by someone competent or disposed of.

Common mistakes

• Telling a customer PAT testing is a legal requirement. It is not. Maintenance is.
• Defaulting to an annual retest on every item regardless of risk.
• Leaving the impression that a pass label means the item is safe until the next test. HSE says it only indicates safety at the time of the test.
• Applying the low-risk environments table to settings it was not written for.
• Recording a retest date as if the tester had set it, when it is for the duty holder to decide.