What a PAT Report Should Include (UK)

After a PAT visit the customer gets a report. Some testers hand over a one-page certificate, others a full register with every reading. This guide sets out what a useful report contains, using the model forms in the IET Code of Practice and the guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). It covers England, Wales and Scotland, with a section on social housing in England.

Is a PAT certificate a legal requirement?

No. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (regulation 4) say electrical systems must be maintained, where needed, to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable. HSE's leaflet INDG236 explains what that means for plug-in equipment: "You must maintain electrical equipment if it can cause danger, but the law does not say how you must do this or how often."

On records, the same leaflet says: "You may find it useful to keep records of all inspections and tests, and to label equipment with the result and date of the test, but there is no legal requirement to do either of these things."

Records are still useful. A report shows what was checked, what failed and what was done about it. Social housing in England is the exception, covered below, where the law does require a record.

How often equipment is checked

The law sets no interval. INDG236 gives suggested initial intervals in its Table 1, to be adjusted once you have results. Some rows:

These are for low-risk places such as offices and shops. The leaflet also says that where equipment is grouped together for testing at the same time, you should use the shortest interval in the group.

The IET Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment, 5th edition (2020), also leaves the interval to a risk assessment. The IET's own article on the 5th edition says the table of testing frequencies in the 4th edition was removed.

What a PAT report should include

The IET publishes free model forms for the Code of Practice, numbered V1 to V6. They are a good checklist for what a report should carry, even if yours looks different.

A cover page

Form V2 asks for the inspector's name and organisation, the client (including the building where the equipment is) and the date of the inspection or test. Form V6 is a record of the test instrument: its type, model, serial number and date of last calibration. Putting the instrument and its calibration date on the cover of the report is common practice, so the customer can see what the readings were taken with.

A summary for each site

None of the IET forms asks for this. It is common practice where a customer has more than one building: how many items were tested at each site, how many passed and how many failed.

The failed items and what was done

Form V5 is a faulty equipment register. For each item it records the date, equipment ID, the fault, the location and the action taken. The notes to Form V2 say any equipment unsuitable for use should be removed from service by the duty holder, so the report should make clear which items those are.

The full register

Form V1 is the equipment register: an ID number, location, description and serial number for each item, and how often it gets a formal visual inspection and a combined inspection and test. Form V2 is the record of the visit itself. For each item it asks for:

• equipment ID, description, construction class, type and location
• the frequency of formal visual inspection and of combined inspection and test
• make, model and serial number
• voltage (if not 230 V), rating and fuse
• the condition of the socket-outlet, plug, flex and body
• test results for earth continuity, insulation resistance, polarity and function, and any other test such as leakage
• whether it is suitable for its environment, comments, and whether it is suitable for continued use
• the initials of the person who did the work

Pass is shown with a tick, fail with a cross, and N/A or N/C for not applicable or not checked.

Retest dates

The notes to Form V2 say both frequencies are to be derived from a risk-based assessment. HSE is direct about who decides: "The person carrying out the test should not assess when the next test will be due as this decision should be made by you on a risk assessment basis." The "you" is the person responsible for the equipment. A tester can propose dates, and the report should show the dates the customer has agreed.

A signed declaration

Form V2 asks for the initials of the person who did the inspection or test, and of the duty holder if different. A signed declaration at the end of the report, naming the tester and the date, is common practice.

Labels

Form V3 gives two labels: a pass label and a "Danger, do not use" fail label, each with the date of check, initials and appliance number. As quoted above, HSE says labelling is not a legal requirement.

Social housing in England

Since 1 May 2026, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, as amended by SI 2025/1043, cover electrical equipment that registered providers of social housing supply with a tenancy. Under regulations 3B and 3C the registered provider must:

• have each item checked by a qualified person before the tenancy starts, and at intervals of no more than 5 years, or sooner if the last record says so
• obtain a record from the person doing the check that gives the results and, where the item is safe for continued use, the date by which the next check is required
• where an item is not safe for continued use, tell the tenant immediately (after a check before a tenancy, if it is still unsafe when the tenancy starts), and have it made safe by a qualified person or replaced as soon as reasonably practicable and no later than 28 days after the check (for a check before a tenancy, before the tenancy starts if that is later)

Here the record is a legal requirement, and the next check date must be on it.

The standards behind it

The IET Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment is in its 5th edition, published in 2020. The IET describes it as guidance on in-service inspection and testing to determine whether electrical equipment is safe for continued use. The book is paid for; the model forms are free.

BS EN 50699:2020, Recurrent tests of electrical equipment, is a European standard published in the UK by BSI on 31 March 2021. BSI describes it as setting out the test procedures for recurrent tests of current-using electrical equipment.

Making PAT records in CertBox

CertBox makes a PAT record for each site. Start a PAT visit from the customer's page, test each appliance on your phone or type and paste them into a grid, and sign once for every site's record. The customer can also have one PAT report covering every site and the register as a spreadsheet. See the PAT testing certificate page.

Frequently asked questions

Is a PAT certificate a legal requirement?

Not for most businesses. The law requires electrical equipment that can cause danger to be maintained. HSE says there is no legal requirement to keep records of inspections and tests or to label equipment. Registered providers of social housing in England are the exception: they must obtain a record of each check.

Who decides when equipment is next tested?

The person responsible for the equipment, on a risk assessment. HSE says the person carrying out the test should not decide when the next test is due. A tester can suggest dates for the customer to agree.

Does every appliance need a PAT test?

No. HSE says not every electrical item needs a portable appliance test. For double insulated (Class II) equipment it says a test is not needed, though user checks and visual inspections should still be done.

Sources

Checked against these on 2026-10-31.

• Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 4
• HSE, INDG236 (rev3): Maintaining portable electric equipment in low-risk environments
• IET, model forms V1 to V6 for the Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment
• IET shop: Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment, 5th Edition
• IET Wiring Matters, July 2020: the 5th Edition of the Code of Practice
• Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, regulation 3B
• Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, regulation 3C
• Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, regulation 3A
• BSI: BS EN 50699:2020 Recurrent tests of electrical equipment

Corrected and updated 2026-10-31. This article is for general guidance only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Always refer to the relevant standards and consult qualified professionals for definitive requirements.