PAT Testing York: Portable Appliance Testing for Businesses (2026)

NICEIC Approved Contractor 7 min read

If you run a business, a let, a village hall or a charity in York, you are responsible for making sure the plug-in equipment on the premises is safe to use. PAT testing is the documented, industry-standard way of evidencing that responsibility, and it is what an HSE inspector, an insurer, a local authority licensing officer, or a buyer's solicitor will ask about.

What PAT testing covers

PAT testing covers every piece of portable or transportable electrical equipment in the building: computers, monitors, printers, kettles, microwaves, fridges, extension leads, lamps, power tools, audio-visual kit, professional kitchen equipment with a plug. It is separate from the EICR, which tests the fixed wiring of the installation. A building can have a satisfactory EICR and still carry unsafe portable appliances, because the two inspections look at different things.

I test to the IET Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment, the recognised technical standard that replaced the old labelled-by-frequency approach with a risk-based schedule.

Who needs PAT testing in York?

  • Offices. Any workplace with computers, desk lamps, kettles, heaters.
  • Hospitality. Cafes, restaurants, pubs, hotels, B&Bs, holiday lets.
  • Retail. Shops, hair salons, beauty rooms, gyms, studios.
  • Venues. Theatres, village halls, churches, event spaces.
  • Education and charities. Schools, nurseries, charity shops, community centres.
  • Landlords and HMOs. Shared appliances and anything provided with the let. Often explicitly required under HMO licensing.

How a PAT visit runs

  1. Scope the visitI confirm approximate asset count, premises type, access times, and anything sensitive (servers, medical or lab equipment) that needs handling differently.
  2. Visual inspectionEach item inspected for damage: plug pins, cable sheathing, cord grips, casing, strain reliefs. Many items fail on visual alone before the tester comes out of the case.
  3. Electrical testCalibrated PAT tester runs earth continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, and (Class I) earth leakage under load. Results recorded against each asset.
  4. Label and registerEvery item labelled pass/fail with test date and retest date. Asset register updated with location, ID, result and next due date.
  5. Report and retest planWritten report handed over (PDF and printed) with every asset listed and the recommended retest interval for each, ready for your insurer or local authority.

Common reasons items fail a PAT test

Most failures are visual, which is why the inspection comes before the tester does. The ones I see most often:

  • Cracked or chipped plug. Live pin exposed, fail. Old moulded plugs, dropped kettles, the plug that's been kicked under a desk for years.
  • Strain relief gone. Cable pulled, and the grip inside the plug or appliance has let go. The inner cores are now taking the load instead of the outer sheath.
  • Sheath worn through at a flex point. Vacuum cleaner leads, kettle flexes, hairdryer cables. Bare cores visible inside the outer sheath, fail.
  • Loose terminals in a rewired plug. Wrong strip length, screws not properly torqued. The earth wire is the one that's usually loose.
  • Class I appliance with a broken earth. Visual passes; the tester picks it up. High continuity reading or nothing at all. Can't be made compliant without a manufacturer repair, so it's bin-and-replace.
  • Daisy-chained extension leads. Two reels into one socket, trailing leads off that. The individual items often pass; the assembly is the hazard. Noted on the report.
  • Damaged charger and adapter leads. USB-C joints flexed past service life, kettle-style cables with a sharp kink near the appliance end. Common in hot-desking offices.

Some of these are repairable on the spot, others are bin-and-replace. The report tells you which is which.

Recommended retest intervals

Recommended PAT testing intervals by equipment type and environment
EnvironmentEquipmentRetest interval
Office, low-riskStationary IT (PCs, monitors)2 to 4 years
Office, low-riskPortable (lamps, kettles, chargers)1 to 2 years
Light commercial (shop, salon, hospitality)Most portable itemsAnnually
Commercial kitchenPortable equipmentAnnually, after every move
HMO or shared-houseLandlord-supplied appliancesAnnually or between tenancies
Construction site110 V hand-held toolsEvery 3 months
Event hire / theatreLighting, audio hire stockAnnually, and after damage

A note on cost

I scope every PAT visit on approximate asset count, premises type and access. Contact me with a rough number of items and I'll come back with a written estimate before I book. Get in touch.

PAT testing for York businesses — shops, offices, cafés, HMOs

Most PAT work in York happens on premises that host the public or employees: the shops on Coney Street, Fossgate and Stonegate; offices in the Guildhall quarter and the business parks off Clifton Moor; cafés and restaurants through town; the hotels and B&Bs around the Minster; hairdressers, gyms and clinics across Acomb, Fulford and Heworth; and village halls, schools and churches across the surrounding area. The common thread is that a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 applies, and PAT is how you evidence it.

For HMOs and furnished rentals, York's licensing scheme expects landlords to have documented checks on any electrical items they provide, kettles, toasters, microwaves, fridges, lamps, vacuum cleaners. I combine this with the EICR wherever possible so one visit covers both the fixed wiring and the portable items, and you get two certificates out of a single appointment.

Testing is scheduled around your trading hours. For retail and hospitality I usually work early mornings or after close to avoid disrupting customers. For offices I can cover a full floor in a day including asset labelling and a printed report. Every item tested gets a pass/fail sticker, a unique asset ID, and an entry on the asset register that stays with you.

Frequently asked questions

What is PAT testing?

PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) is the formal inspection and electrical testing of portable electrical equipment, anything with a plug: computers, monitors, kettles, microwaves, power tools, extension leads, desk fans. It is separate from an EICR, which covers the fixed wiring of the building.

Is PAT testing a legal requirement?

There is no law that requires PAT testing on a fixed schedule. However, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 all require employers to maintain electrical equipment in a safe condition. PAT is the industry-standard way to evidence that duty of care.

How often does PAT testing need to be done?

Frequency depends on equipment type and environment. Low-risk office equipment: two to four years. Portable equipment in light commercial environments: annually. Hand-held tools on construction sites: every three months. I recommend the appropriate interval for each asset on the report.

What does a PAT test actually check?

Visual inspection of the plug, cable, casing and cord grips. Then electrical tests with a calibrated PAT tester: earth continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, and (Class I) earth leakage under load. Each item gets a pass/fail label and goes on the asset register.

Who needs PAT testing in York?

Any business with employees or public on premises: offices, cafes and restaurants, hotels, shops, salons, gyms, theatres, village halls, schools, churches, charity shops. Also landlords with shared appliances or equipment provided with a let. HMO licensing often requires it explicitly.

What do I get after a PAT test?

Each item labelled with pass/fail, a test date and a retest date. Written report with every asset tested, the result, and the recommended retest interval, ready for your insurer, HSE or local authority. Failed items are noted separately for repair or removal.

Do you come outside business hours?

Yes. PAT testing in an office or restaurant is often easier outside trading hours. I can work evenings and weekends by arrangement. Quieter for you, less disruption to staff and customers.

How much does PAT testing cost in York?

I price PAT testing by the job, based on approximate asset count, location and access. Contact me with the rough number of appliances and the type of premises and I'll estimate accordingly.

Related services and references

EICR in York, fixed wiring inspection (the other half of your electrical safety record)

Landlord hub, compliance for rental portfolios

Fault finding service

Buy cheap, buy twice: commercial kitchen sockets, why heavy-use equipment needs the right accessories

  1. IET Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment, 5th Edition. electrical.theiet.org
  2. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, SI 1989/635. legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/635
  3. Health and Safety Executive, maintaining portable electric equipment. hse.gov.uk/electricity