Compliance & Safety
PAT testing for your holiday let or second home
Every kettle, toaster, lamp and hairdryer you leave for guests is a portable appliance an insurer or booking platform can ask about. We arrange Portable Appliance Testing across Margate and the surrounding towns, carried out by a qualified electrician, with a written register you can show without a follow-up question. £75 standard for up to 15 items.
Standard home insurance and a normal holiday-let policy are not the same thing, and most holiday-let and Airbnb insurers expect proof that plug-in appliances are safe, particularly under the Furniture and Furnishings rules that apply to short-term lets. PAT testing is how that gets demonstrated. It is not currently a specific legal requirement in England, in the same way a Gas Safety Certificate is, but every insurer we deal with treats it as standard practice, and it is one more thing we can fold into a Holiday Let Readiness Audit or arrange as its own visit.
What we test
Every appliance, checked to the IET Code of Practice
Visual inspection
Cable, plug, casing, fuse rating, any sign of damage or overheating, on every item with a plug.
Earth continuity
On Class I equipment, anything with an earthed metal case.
Insulation resistance
Between live parts and earth, on every appliance tested.
Polarity and functional check
Leads and extension blocks checked for correct polarity, then every item switched on to confirm it works as intended.
What you receive
Each item gets a pass or fail sticker with the test date. Anything that fails is unplugged, labelled, and noted on the register with a short explanation. You receive a written PAT register (PDF, emailed) listing every item, its location, its result and its next-due date, the kind of paperwork an insurance assessor or a booking platform's compliance review accepts without further questions.
Booking PAT testing for a let coming up this season?
Tell us roughly how many items and which property, and we'll get it booked in, either on its own or as part of a Holiday Let Readiness Audit.
This page is general information, not legal or insurance advice. PAT testing frequency and insurer expectations vary; always confirm current requirements with your specific insurer or booking platform.