As a tenant, are you aware of your rights when it comes to electrical safety and PAT testing?
It’s your landlord’s responsibility to ensure that you have a safety property to live in, so it’s recommended that the electrics that have been provided for you are checked annually along with your gas appliances.
Below, I’m going to explain some of the recommendations and legal requirements that should landlord should be fulfilling, so you can check if your own property is fully in-line with regulations.
What is PAT testing?
Before I go any further, let me explain what PAT testing actually entails. It essentially stands for portable appliance testing and applies to electrical appliances that are supplied by your landlord for your rented property. So, things like televisions, kettles, and irons.
Annually, these appliances should really be checked for correct fuses and load, to ensure that you are fully protected from faulty products which could otherwise be a danger – however, annual PAT testing is not compulsory by law.
Let me tell you what is…
The latest legislation
Since the 1st December 2015, private landlords in Scotland have been required by law to make sure that their properties are electrically safe.
This includes:
- Any installations in the property that supply electricity
- All electrical lights, fixtures and fittings
- Appliances that your landlord has provided for you
Your landlord is also responsible for ensuring an electrical safety inspection is carried out by a registered electrician at least every five years. The safety inspection itself will include an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), which covers the safety of electrical installations, fittings and fixtures, as well as a PAT test.
Your landlord or landlady must also be able to prove that all of the above mentioned installations, fittings and appliances are in a “reasonable state of repair and in proper working order“.
At the very least, an electrical safety inspection should have been carried out before your tenancy started, as well as during your tenancy (at least every five years). You should have also received a copy of the latest EICR report for the property.
Annual checks
It’s recommended by the Electrical Safety Council that the minimum a landlord should do is carry out a visual inspection of all of the electrical appliances he or she has provided to ensure things are in working order.
However, some letting agents and estate agents insist on official PAT testing by a registered electrician once per year, at a cost of around £50 – £100 on the part of your landlord. This is not compulsory by law, so it can be a bit of a grey area.
TIP: If you’re unsure about when your last PAT test was carried out, ask your landlord to clarify, or check the appliances your landlord has provided for you – there should be the stickers with a date on them (more about that below).
What happens when a PAT test is carried out?
You’ll know when a PAT test has been carried out, as each appliance should be provided with a clearly labelled sticker (usually placed around the plug area) that indicates either a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ along with the date the next test should be carried out.
Your landlord should also receive:
- A detailed inventory of each appliances
- A list of the test results for each appliance
- Details of any failed items and why they have failed
Conclusion
I hope this blog post has been helpful, but if you’re feeling unsure of when your last PAT test was carried out, it’s definitely worth asking your landlord. Remember, there should be stickers indicating dates on your appliances (kettle, iron, toaster).
If you have any other questions about electrical safety for your rented property, please feel free to leave me a comment on this post, or get in touch with me directly – I’ll be happy to help.
