PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) covers every landlord-supplied portable electrical appliance in a Maidstone rental — fridges, washing machines, kettles, microwaves, lamps, hairdryers and even the cooker hood. Maidstone is the county town of Kent and one of the largest private rented sectors in the South East, with a mix of Victorian terraces around Tonbridge Road, town-centre flat conversions and large new-build estates around Park Wood and Langley. That housing mix means landlord compliance work is a daily fixture for local sparks, gas engineers and letting agents.
If you have a licensed House in Multiple Occupation in Maidstone, your local authority's HMO licence will almost certainly require annual PAT testing as a condition. Failing to provide test records on request can lead to licence revocation and Improvement Notices.
A registered tester (typically a Maidstone electrician with City & Guilds 2377 or equivalent) will:
Most Maidstone testers charge a callout fee plus per-appliance rate. Typical pricing: callout £40–£60, then £1.50–£3 per appliance. A 2-bed furnished flat usually has 8–15 testable items (about £60–£100 total). HMOs with kitchens and shared lounges can hit 30–50 items.
Technically, the law doesn't require a specific qualification — but in practice, you need calibrated test equipment (PAT tester, £400+) and the City & Guilds 2377 certificate to produce records that hold up to scrutiny from Maidstone's council or your insurer. Most landlords find it cheaper to pay a local tester.
The IET Code says new appliances should have a visual check before first use, then enter the standard PAT cycle. Many landlords ask the tester to PAT a new appliance immediately so the test register is complete.
EICR tests the fixed electrical installation (consumer unit, sockets, switches, fixed wiring). PAT tests anything that plugs in. You need both, and they should be done by competent electricians — but it's the same person on most Maidstone jobs.
An appliance can pass PAT and still be unsafe in use — for example, a microwave with damaged door seals will pass electrical tests but fail a visual. A good PAT register records both the electrical results and visual notes.
There's no statutory requirement to hand over the PAT register, but most letting agents in Maidstone include it in the move-in pack alongside the EICR and CP12 — it's a useful liability shield if the tenant later claims an appliance caused damage.
Tell us how many appliances and we'll forward your enquiry to Maidstone testers.