EICR vs PAT Testing: What's the Actual Difference for London Landlords?

An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) tests the fixed electrical installation: the consumer unit, the cables in walls and ceilings, the sockets, switches, light fittings, hardwired showers, hardwired cookers and the earthing/bonding system. Everything from where the meter tails leave the meter to the back of every accessory on the wall.

PAT testing (Portable Appliance Testing) covers everything that plugs into those sockets via a flexible lead: kettles, lamps, microwaves, vacuum cleaners, hairdryers, IT equipment, power tools. Anything with a 13A plug on the end of a cord, plus IEC-leaded equipment in commercial use.

The simplest rule: if it is fixed to the wall and wired in, it is EICR. If you can unplug it and walk away with it, it is PAT.

An EICR is a structured visual + electrical inspection of every circuit. The inspector verifies earth continuity, insulation resistance at 500V DC, polarity, RCD operating time and tripping current, and earth-fault loop impedance. Findings are coded C1, C2, C3 or FI on a BS 7671 Model Form 4 certificate. Half a day to a full day on site depending on circuit count.

PAT testing is a per-item check. Each appliance gets a visual inspection (cord intact, plug correctly wired, no damage to housing), an earth continuity test (Class I appliances only), and an insulation resistance test at 500V DC. Pass or fail is recorded with a serial number, asset register entry, and a coloured label stuck to the appliance. Typically 30-50 items per hour.

EICR is heavy on diagnostic interpretation. PAT is largely a procedural compliance task; the diagnostic value sits in the visual inspection more than the electrical measurement.

EICR for rented properties: every 5 years, mandatory under the Electrical Safety Standards (Private Rented Sector) Regulations 2020. Failure is a Civil Penalty up to £30,000. EICR for HMOs: every 5 years, often shortened to every change of tenancy by selective licensing schemes.

PAT for landlord-provided appliances: not mandated by a single regulation, but required in practice by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (duty to provide goods in safe condition), HMO Management Regulations 2006 (where furnished), and most landlord insurance policies. Annual is standard for furnished lets; the HSE accepts longer intervals (up to 4 years) for low-risk equipment in low-risk environments based on a documented risk assessment.

Commercial PAT cadence follows IET Code of Practice intervals: 3-6 months for construction sites and rental equipment, 12 months for offices and retail, 24-48 months for stationary IT equipment under low-risk office conditions.

EICR for a 1-2 bedroom flat: £89.99. 3-4 bedroom house: £99.99. 5 bedroom: £110.99. HMO uplift varies by unit count and consumer unit configuration. Commercial EICR from £120 for up to 12 circuits.

PAT testing visit fee: £44.90 for up to 25 items. Additional items £1.20 each. Most furnished one-bed flats have 8-15 items (kettle, toaster, microwave, lamps, hoover, fridge, washing machine, TV, router). A typical visit is well inside the base fee.

Bundle pricing: EICR + PAT same visit typically saves £15-£25 across the two. Adding CP12 gas safety and EPC pulls the bundle saving to 10-15% across all four certificates.

Letting agents and a handful of landlord forums conflate the two — describing PAT as part of an EICR or selling "complete electrical safety packages" that quietly omit one. They are separate tests, separate certificates, separate competencies in the strictest interpretation (though most NICEIC electricians can deliver both).

A landlord who books only an EICR and assumes portable appliance safety is covered is exposed. If a tenant suffers shock or injury from an unsafe landlord-supplied appliance, the absence of PAT records is evidence of negligence in a personal injury claim.

Conversely, a landlord who books only PAT and assumes the fixed installation is verified is in breach of the 2020 Regulations from day one of the tenancy. The two are complementary, not interchangeable.

Unfurnished lets where the landlord provides no appliances: EICR only. The tenant's own kettle, microwave and TV are the tenant's responsibility — landlord PAT does not apply.

Holiday lets and serviced apartments: both required. Furnished by definition, used by short-stay guests who cannot reasonably be expected to maintain appliances. Annual PAT plus the standard 5-year EICR is the minimum.

Owner-occupier homes selling: EICR is sometimes commissioned voluntarily as part of pre-sale due diligence. PAT is irrelevant — the appliances stay with the seller unless explicitly sold with the property.

Insurance interaction: most landlord policies (Direct Line for Business, Simply Business, Hiscox) name EICR and PAT separately in the policy conditions. A claim involving the fixed installation needs a valid EICR; a claim involving a supplied appliance needs PAT evidence.