What changes the price of PAT testing for landlords

PAT testing for a let is priced mainly by how many plug-in appliances you supply, because each is inspected, tested, labelled and logged. No law requires private landlords to PAT test, and HSE's PAT guidance says there is no legal requirement to test yearly (updated 16 April 2025). Licensed properties must keep supplied appliances safe and declare it on demand (Housing Act 2004, Schedule 4).

This guide explains what moves a PAT quote, the three ways testers price the work, and what the paperwork should include. It gives no price figures: we could not verify a current published range from a source we would stand behind. We are EliteShires Property Services, based in Kenton. Our PAT testing for landlords covers Harrow, Kenton, Stanmore and Edgware, at a fixed price confirmed before we attend. Checked October 2026.

What are you paying for in a PAT test?

You are paying for a competent person's time to check each appliance you supply, and for a record that proves it. Each item gets a visual inspection, then the electrical tests that suit it, then a pass or fail and a dated label. Every result goes on an asset register.

HSE's PAT guidance, written for workplaces, says the person doing the testing must be competent. It also says there is no legal requirement to label tested items or keep records. For a landlord, though, the register is the useful part. It is the evidence you would show a council or an insurer that a named item was safe on a given date.

Ours includes:

• inspection and testing of every plug-in appliance you supply;
• a pass or fail label on each item;
• an asset register listing every item and its result;
• a certificate for your records, issued with the register on the day.

What changes the price of PAT testing?

The number of items changes the price most, followed by the type of item, access and any retests. A part-furnished flat with a few appliances is a short visit. A fully furnished HMO with a kettle, toaster and lamp in every room is not.

What moves a PAT testing quote, and what to tell the tester (our practitioner view, checked October 2026)

Per item, per visit or hourly: which pricing suits a let?

For a single let, a fixed price for the whole visit is usually the clearest, because the count is small and known. Testers tend to use one of three models, and the right one depends on how many items you have.

How PAT testing is commonly priced (our practitioner view, checked October 2026)

Whichever model you are quoted, ask the same five questions:

1. Are labels, the asset register and the certificate included?
2. Is the paperwork issued on the day, or later?
3. Are retests after a minor repair included or extra?
4. Are plug, fuse and lead repairs priced, and approved before they are done?
5. Does the price cover every room, including a garage or outbuilding?

We quote one fixed price for the visit, based on your count. It does not move unless you approve extra work.

What counts as an item, and what doesn't?

Only plug-in appliances that you supply count. Leaving out what is not yours, or not portable, keeps the quote right and the register accurate.

• Hard-wired items. An oven, hob or electric shower wired into the circuit is part of the fixed installation. It is covered by the EICR, not PAT; our guide to what changes the price of an EICR explains that quote.
• The tenant's own appliances. These are not yours to test. Our PAT testing page explains how we handle a tenant who asks.

How often will you pay for PAT testing?

As often as your risk, or your licence, requires: no law sets an interval for private landlords. HSE says "the frequency of inspection and testing depends upon the type of equipment and the environment it is used in". Many landlords test at the start of each tenancy, when the property is empty and every item is easy to reach. Our PAT testing service page gives our view on intervals, and our guide to landlord certificate renewal dates puts PAT alongside the checks with fixed dates. To see which checks your own let needs, try our six-question certificate checker.

What can Harrow, Brent and Barnet ask you to show?

Any licensed property must keep supplied appliances safe and give the council a safety declaration on demand. Schedule 4 of the Housing Act 2004 puts that condition in every HMO and selective licence. Some councils go further and ask for test reports.

What local licence conditions ask about supplied appliances (council documents, checked October 2026)

Harrow's HMO standards quoted here are the May 2020 version, and Harrow's Cabinet adopted updated HMO and selective licence conditions in December 2025, so check the conditions on your own licence. Brent's HMO conditions document dates from the scheme approved in 2020, and its additional licensing restarted on 2 February 2026, so check your licence there too. Harrow's previous additional HMO scheme ended on 5 August 2026, and the council has approved a new one for three or four sharers, starting on 6 January 2027. A declaration is easy to sign when you have a dated register behind it. For the full conditions, see our guides to HMO licence conditions and safety checks and HMO safety requirements.

What does a failed item add to the bill?

A fail adds either a small repair and a retest, or the cost of replacing the item. Faults in the plug, fuse or lead can usually be repaired on the spot and retested. Internal faults usually mean replacing or removing the item, and on a cheap kettle or toaster replacement is the sensible answer. Our guide to what to do when an appliance fails a PAT test covers the steps and the paperwork.

How can you keep the cost of PAT testing down?

Most savings come from an accurate count and good timing, not a cheaper tester.

1. Count before you book. A count room by room gets an accurate fixed price, with no surprises on the day.
2. Stop supplying what you don't need. Old extension leads and spare lamps are items to test. If you remove them, update the inventory and tell the tenant.
3. Test during a void. Every item is free to unplug and reach, and nothing is in use.
4. Combine it with the EICR. Both are electrical checks. One visit for the fixed installation and the appliances means arranging access once.
5. Group your properties. Several lets tested on the same day share the travel.

How does a fixed PAT quote work with us?

You give us the count, we confirm a fixed price, and the certificate and register are issued on the day.

1. Tell us roughly how many items you supply, and anything built in.
2. We confirm the fixed price before we attend.
3. We test everything you supply, and label each item.
4. Failed items are repaired and retested where the fault is minor, or taken out of use. We tell you which.
5. You get the certificate and the asset register before we leave.

For a fixed price on your property, book PAT testing, or use your local page:

• PAT testing in Harrow
• PAT testing in Kenton
• PAT testing in Stanmore
• PAT testing in Edgware