What is PAT testing?

PAT Testing is routine check for electrical appliances.  It is a legal requirement for landlords and places of work to prove that a PAT test has been carried out by an approved electrician.

What is PAT?

PAT stands for Portable Appliance Testing, although the term PAT is a little misleading as it covers all electrical systems and appliances – not just portable ones - ensuring that they are maintained to prevent danger.

PAT Testing for Landlords

It is a landlord’s legal duty to ensure that all electrical equipment is safe for the tenant at the start of a contract.  Most estate agents require that landlords do a PAT test before letting their property.

A record of the PAT test should be made to show the test has been carried out, who carried out PAT inspection, and when they did it.

How often should a PAT test be carried out?

There are no strict rules or legal requirements about the frequency of PAT tests either in rented accommodation or the workplace. However, it is recommended health and safety best practice to have this work carried out on an annual basis.

What does a PAT test cost?

A typical PAT test for a landlord should cost no more than £100. Affleck are the leading London electricians; we offer a flat rate fee of £80 for PAT testing and a landlord PAT certificate. 

Save Money on your PAT test

The cheapest option for most people will be to ask for an all-inclusive rate, as offered by many reputable electricians.  However if you are able to find a good all-inclusive rate these are some useful suggestions:

1. Dispose of unused electrical items
2. Don’t test new items, as they will be insured for at least one year
3. Check only relevant items that require checking; Class I & Class II electrical items

Useful Links

• Wikipedia: PAT Testing
• NICEIC: Electrical Jargon Buster

'Skip Tax': Consumers to be Dumped with the Duty

On the 18th of May the HMRC issued guidelines stating that Landfill Tax was being increased from £2.50 to £64 per tonne; a tax rise of 2640%! To you and I this means typical prices per skip have gone from around £200 to upwards of £500 - potentially adding thousands to the cost of home improvements.

To add further insult to the industry the tax hike was issued from the Government without any consultation to stakeholders within the construction industry and seemingly no understanding of the knock on effects. We and our several of regular customers are outraged and baffled by this ill-conceived and potentially highly damaging policy.

Environmental Impact

Even if you didn't have building works going on in your home, local neighbourhoods are likely to see more and more building waste being dumped illegally, causing greater social and environmental harm.

In addition to this landfill operators also rely on the building industry for the non-hazardous top layer on landfill sites so there is a risk of the environment being exposed to more hazardous materials and chemicals, as less building waste will be being disposed of with due care at landfill sites. The increase in tax discourages skip companies from trying to separate hazardous and non-hazardous types of waste, as it is now costing them the same amount to dispose of both, and so will have a harmful impact on the environment.

Calling for Consultation

Affleck have sent experienced construction industry professional Paul Rayment to lobby with the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in Parliament and encourage the Government to rethink their approach. We have urged the government to suspend the tax on landfill for a further 6 months, allowing for a full consultation with the construction industry. We are proposing an intermediate tax along with other alternatives, with a 'phase-in' of these taxes to allow the industry make allowances for such a radical change.

Update

The media claim the Government have made a U-turn on tax rates, as a result of Paul's and the FMB's firm and qualified opposition. The HMRC have clarified that the tax increase for non-hazardous waste will not increase, however more clarity is still needed on the criteria materials will be subjected to.

To save a deluge of illegal dumping and major price hike for consumers, landfill operators and skip companies must be engaged to find ways of reducing their rates, as well as improving the environmental effect of waste disposal. Support our demand for fairer taxes on an important, yet struggling, industry so that we can provide you, our customers, with an efficient, environmentally sound and economic service.