I am been in contact with an agent who mentions in their contract that the Landlord gives them permission to ‘periodically test electrical appliances’ under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 for a duty of care to the tenant.
The only electrical appliances in the property are an electric oven and cooker hood. I have a 5 yr electrical certificate.
Is this something that is a legal requirement? Surely, this law would stand whether an agent is involved or not?
Is this a legal requirement does anyone know?
Thank you.
portable appliances need to be p a t tested if OWNED by the Landlord
1 Like
Thank you Colin.
I understood their wording to mean they can randomly test any electrical item in the property owned by the Landlord whenever they see fit. They quote this Consumer Act.
Is this just to charge more?
take no notice. . . This is why I do not provide any cookers or white goods and I have no trouble finding tenants… the oven and hood will be wired in,… not portable… It will be worth checking if they are o k I would use my own electrician .The agent will charge on top
Many thanks Colin. I have a 5yr electrical certificate and thought that was adequate. I did ask the agent to give me the clauses in this Consumer Act document which is a ton of government nonsense. The bit I read seemed to apply to manufacturers.
any appliance has to be fit for use so a new item does not need testing for a year as the manufacturer has tested it Your 5 yr cert is for the building electics .
Oh right, it’s building electrics that is covered. I understand now! So as cooker is over a year old they could insist it was tested. Thank you! (Just don’t trust agents)
whether a cooker that is wired into the wall can be classed as portable is debatable . Portable is with a plug on the end. However if you provided the cooker its prudent to have it checked
1 Like
Great, thank you once again.
I assume it’s wired in but think mine at home has a plug.
Sounds like it wouldn’t hurt to cover myself and get it tested.
Some of the “lighter” cooker can be on a plug and some people plug into the ring main . However cookers are best on their own dedicated cable usually 6mm or 10mm back to the consumer unit and circuit breaker
1 Like
Thank you. Will look when I am next up there. Although goodness knows when that will be.
Another conundrum. Do you have any theories or knowledge why some tenants seem to turn rude and difficult (not allowing trades people in ) for no apparent reason?
We have to have the electric certificate but to test the appliances is not obligatory I thought , not sure
2 Likes
if you supply portable elec items e g an electric kettle in an HMO they have to be PAT tested
i have never had a tenant not let a tradesman in . I am that tradesman . Joiner. theory They are ashamed how they live ,its a pigsty or hiding something or someone
Yes it’s strange to be sure. Maybe if it isn’t bothering them they don’t want the intrusion. Having a lot of trouble with ours. And so it goes on!
That’s really interesting 
thank you Colin , I have just rent my house with open rent the only thing I provided was a new electric oven and a fridge I did the electric certificate with open rent and then I change what needed to be change but not this PAT thing
Anything that plugs in to a socket has to be PAT tested. If memory serves me correctly it’s once a year for small items like fan heaters and every 4 years for large items like washing machines (but check it out as I may be wrong). In my flat the cooker and hood are both plugged in to a socket so you can’t assume that’s not the case. You can book PAT testing via Openrent for a reasonable fee, then send a copy of the report to the agent so that they have no excuse to do it themselves and charge you through the nose. If you don’t do these things then you open yourself up to being got on a technicality by the tenant if you ever need to evict them or claim against their deposit.
1 Like
Hi. About appliances with plugs on…
Pretty much all of the newer single ovens are OK to have on a 13a plug, as they power up below the 13a plug threshold, mostly 2.9kw/h rating or below. As technology moves on, the kW/h drain seems to be dropping, so a13a plug is perfectly acceptable. That said, being sure before installing is essential. If unsure, don’t put it on a plug.
I’ve also been told by my plumber (who’s brother is my spark), that training is now leading gas fitters to head toward using a 13a plug connection on combo boilers. This again flagged up the issue of PAT testing in my mind.
The advice I have been reliably given, is about how we define a portable appliance. Just because it has a plug, it doesn’t make it portable. The key to deciding if it’s portable is how you would remove it from the premises. If you unplug it, pick it up & go, the it’s portable. If it’s fixed to the building, like built in appliances, then it’s not portable, no matter how it connects to the electrical supply.
I’m open to being told I’m wrong, but this seems to be the advice I keep getting when I enquire.
1 Like
No, not at all. That is called PAT test. This is required only for portable units such as microwave, kettle, toaster etc.
I don’t provide these so I don’t need a PAT certificate. Just the electrical safety certificate is enough.
I’ve been told that PAT is for insurance purposes.