Cambridge · England
PAT Testing in Cambridge
From enquiry to certificate: PAT Testing for landlords in Cambridge, handled by professionals holding the registration the law requires, with pricing confirmed before you commit.
Straight answer
PAT is the quick one: minutes per appliance, a pass label on each item, and a register of results for your file. It isn't blanket-mandatory for ordinary lets in England and Wales, but any appliance you leave in the Cambridge property is yours to evidence as safe — and licence conditions often turn good practice into a requirement.
Booking
Booking in three steps
We're building coverage in Cambridge through our national onboarding programme, and we won't pretend otherwise with a fake availability calendar. Send the property details and we'll confirm by email whether we can cover the job, and the price, before anything is committed.
The law
What the law asks of landlords in Cambridge
The duty is outcome-based: supplied appliances must be safe. What turns that into a schedule is context — Scotland's regular-check requirement, HMO licence conditions set by Cambridge City Council, and the practical need for evidence if an appliance is ever implicated in an incident. A dated register answers questions that 'it looked fine' can't.
There is no blanket law that says rented homes must be PAT tested. What the law does require is that any electrical appliances the landlord supplies are safe — PAT testing is the standard practical way to evidence that, and it is frequently a condition of HMO licences.
The 5-yearly electrical safety inspection must include appliances provided by the landlord, so appliance testing is effectively part of the statutory regime in Scotland.
Penalties stated are statutory maximums or court-set; Cambridge City Council is the local housing authority for Cambridge.
The inspection
What the tester actually checks
Testing is item-by-item and quick: a typical furnished let with ten to twenty appliances is done within the hour. Failed items are removed or repaired before reuse — with cheap goods, replacement usually beats repair — and the register notes the outcome either way.
For landlords in Cambridge
Letting in Cambridge: the practical points
In Cambridge as anywhere, PAT earns its keep at the boundaries: HMO licensing from Cambridge City Council, insurance claims, deposit disputes over damaged appliances, and Scotland's regular-check duty where it applies. Cheap, quick, and disproportionately useful when something goes wrong.
Paperwork
Registers, labels and receipts
Keep the register with the tenancy file: item list, test dates, results, tester details — plus purchase receipts for newer appliances brought in on a visual check. Labels on the items do the day-to-day work; the register does the work when Cambridge City Council, your insurer or a dispute asks the question.
Pricing
What PAT testing costs
Expect a minimum charge that covers the callout, then a small per-item rate on top. What moves the total is simply the count: a fully furnished HMO with thirty items books differently from a flat with a fridge and a washer. Confirmed pricing comes before the visit, per the label above.
Credentials
Who you're letting in
The credential here is demonstrable competence with calibrated equipment. Many landlords use an electrician so PAT rides along with other electrical work; specialist test firms are equally valid. Either way we check training, instruments and insurance before confirming — and the paperwork should show per-item results, not just a summary.
FAQ
PAT Testing questions, answered
What happens if an appliance fails?
It should be removed from the property or repaired by a competent person and retested before reuse. The record notes the failure — replacing cheap failed items is usually more economical than repair.
What affects the cost of PAT testing?
Mainly the number of appliances and the callout: per-item pricing usually drops as quantity rises, and minimum charges apply for small jobs. Combining PAT with other visits to the property typically works out cheaper.
Do HMO licences require PAT testing?
Very commonly, yes — licence conditions frequently require appliances supplied by the landlord to be tested at set intervals with certificates available to the authority. Check the schedule issued with your licence from Cambridge City Council.
My Cambridge let is unfurnished — do I need PAT testing?
If you supply no electrical appliances at all, there is nothing to test. Any item you do leave — even a single fridge or lamp — is equipment you supplied, and testing it is the sensible way to show it was safe.
What records should I keep?
A register of appliances with test dates and results, plus the pass labels on the items themselves. Keep the records with your tenancy file — they are your evidence if an appliance is ever implicated in an incident.
Is PAT testing the same as an EICR?
No. The EICR inspects the fixed wiring of the building; PAT covers plug-in appliances. A rental in Cambridge with landlord-supplied appliances is fully evidenced by having both: EICR for the installation, PAT records for the appliances.
Nearby
Also serving landlords in: Ely · Huntingdon · Newmarket · Peterborough · all of Cambridgeshire
Two minutes on the form now saves the annual scramble later — start your PAT Testing booking today. Get availability by email
Sorting your PAT Testing in Cambridge?
Tell us the property and we'll confirm coverage and price by email before anything is committed.