Who can do PAT testing?

Answer. Anyone who is competent to do it. Regulation 16 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 requires anyone doing work where technical knowledge or experience is needed to prevent danger to have that knowledge or experience, or to be suitably supervised. It does not require an electrician or a particular qualification. HSE says that for combined inspection and testing the person needs the right equipment, the ability to use it properly and the ability to properly understand the results.

Last reviewed 1 November 2026 against the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 on legislation.gov.uk, HSE guidance and the Scottish Government's statutory guidance. Not legal advice.

Three levels of competence

HSE’s guidance matches the competence needed to the kind of check. In HSG107, competent means “having suitable training, skills and knowledge for the task to prevent injury to themselves or others” (paragraph 6).

• User checks. The person using the equipment, encouraged to look at it and its cable before use. HSE describes a relatively brief check based on simple training, perhaps with a short checklist.
• Formal visual inspections. A member of staff with enough information and knowledge of what to look for and what is acceptable (HSG107, paragraph 40). INDG236 says you don’t need to be an electrician for this, but you need to know what to look for and enough knowledge to avoid danger to yourself and others. Trained people should know when they have reached the limit of their knowledge.
• Combined inspection and testing. More knowledge, training and experience, because the tests have to be done and the results interpreted (paragraph 49). HSG107 (paragraph 50) describes two levels: a person not skilled in electrical work using a simple pass or fail tester where no interpretation of readings is needed, provided procedures are followed and acceptance criteria are clearly defined; and a person with electrical skills using an instrument whose readings need interpreting.

Employer’s duty, not the tester’s

It is the employer’s duty to make sure the people testing are competent for the work (HSG107, paragraph 50), and the dutyholder keeps overall responsibility even when a contractor does the work (paragraph 18). The tester records what they found; the dutyholder decides when each item is next due.

Landlords and holiday lets

• Scotland, private landlords. The statutory guidance on the Repairing Standard (Annex D3, paragraph D.78) says PAT must be done by a suitably competent person: either a skilled person (electrically) or a person, including the landlord, who has completed appropriate training. Paragraph D.79 treats a landlord or other person who has completed an appropriate assessed training qualification as competent.
• England, social landlords. Equipment they provide must be checked by a “qualified person”, defined as a person competent to undertake the checking (regulation 3A, added in 2025).
• Scotland, short-term lets. The licence conditions require a competent person to inspect, produce the PAT report and label the appliances, having regard to the Scottish Ministers’ guidance on competence.

The rules for each nation are on PAT testing for landlords.

How Hovermarks handles this

Hovermarks records who did each check: a PAT session saves the tester’s name in a “Tested by” field that appears on the record and the PDF report, and an external contractor’s records show their name and company. In-house staff and contractors work from the same appliance records, and the interval stays the one you set. See the PAT testing solution page.

Frequently asked questions

Does PAT testing have to be done by an electrician?

No. HSE's answer to "I have been told that I have to get an electrician to do portable appliance testing work. Is that correct?" is that the person doing the work needs to be competent to do it. Its leaflet INDG236 says a portable appliance test does not need to be carried out by an electrician, but needs more knowledge and experience than a visual inspection, and the right equipment.

Can my own staff do PAT testing?

Yes, if they are competent. HSE's HSG107 says user checks and formal visual inspections can be carried out by a competent employee, and that combined inspection and testing, although it needs more electrical knowledge, "can often be carried out by a competent employee" (paragraphs 6 and 49). It is the employer's duty to make sure the people doing it are competent for the work (paragraph 50).

Is there a required PAT testing qualification?

Not in the law for workplaces. Regulation 16 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 asks for the knowledge or experience needed to prevent danger, or suitable supervision, not a named qualification. HSE describes competence in terms of training, knowledge and the right equipment. For private landlords in Scotland, the Scottish Government's statutory guidance treats a landlord or other person who has completed an appropriate assessed training qualification as competent to carry out PAT.

Do PAT testers need calibrated instruments?

The HSE guidance cited here says the tester needs the right equipment for the tests, the ability to use it properly and the ability to understand the results. We found no calibration interval in HSG107, INDG236 or HSE's PAT FAQs. HSG107 (paragraph 53) does warn that readings taken with a different instrument may differ because of the instrument rather than the appliance, which matters when comparing results over time.

Can I use a contractor?

Yes. HSG107 (paragraph 18) notes that even if a contractor carries out maintenance, the dutyholder still has overall responsibility for complying with the law. HSE also says the person carrying out the test should not decide when the next test is due: that decision is yours, made on a risk assessment.

Who decides how often items are tested?

The dutyholder, usually the employer. HSG107 says determining the frequency is a matter of judgement by the dutyholder based on an assessment of risk (paragraph 55), and that the tester should not assess when the next test is due (paragraph 54). HSE's suggested starting intervals are on the how often page.

Related: how often PAT testing is needed, PAT testing for landlords, PAT due date checker, Hovermarks for contractors.