PAT Testing (Portable Appliance Testing)
Quick answer
Electrical safety testing of portable appliances (kettles, lamps, toasters) supplied with the tenancy. Not legally required for private rentals in England, but recommended good practice and sometimes required by insurers and HMO licences.
At a glance
- Required?
- No (private residential England)
- Recommended?
- Yes, annually for high-wear items
- HMO + some insurers
- Often required contractually
Full guide
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Open full guideWhy PAT Testing (Portable Appliance Testing) matters for landlords
PAT testing is the most over-sold "compliance" service in the PRS — it is not a legal requirement for a standard residential tenancy in England. It becomes contractually required for many HMOs (through the licence terms) and for some insurance products, and a lot of insurance claims are rejected where a faulty appliance is shown to have been untested. A simple annual visual inspection with a dated photo log is usually enough for general lets.
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Related terms
Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016
The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 is the main law for renting a home in Wales. It has been in force since 1 December 2022. It replaced assured shorthold tenancies with "occupation contracts", and tenants are now called contract-holders. Private lets use a standard contract, and social housing uses a secure contract. The Renters Rights Act 2025 covers England only, so Welsh lets follow different rules.
Sub-letting
A tenant granting occupation rights to a third party (a sub-tenant) while the original tenancy continues. Most ASTs prohibit sub-letting without written landlord consent; under the Housing Act 1988 unauthorised sub-letting is ground 12 (discretionary) for possession and may also be a banning-order offence under section 79 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 if rent is taken from the sub-tenant beyond the rent paid to the landlord (“rent-to-rent fraud”). The Renters Rights Act 2025 retains sub-letting consent as a contractual landlord right with a reasonable-refusal threshold.
PCM (Per Calendar Month)
PCM stands for "per calendar month" — the standard way UK rent is advertised (e.g. "£1,200 pcm"). It is the rent due each month regardless of how many days that month has. To convert a weekly rent (pw) to pcm, multiply by 52 and divide by 12; dividing weekly rent by 4 understates the true monthly figure. The legal tenancy deposit cap and Section 13 rent-increase rules are all calculated from the monthly (or annualised) rent, so getting pcm right matters beyond the advert.
Periodic Tenancy
A tenancy that continues from period to period (usually monthly) with no fixed end date. From 1 May 2026 all assured tenancies in England are periodic by default under the Renters Rights Act 2025. Tenants can end the tenancy with two months' notice.
Pet Request (Renters’ Rights Act)
The tenant’s statutory right, under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, to request permission to keep a pet in a rented home in England. The landlord must respond in writing and cannot unreasonably refuse, and blanket “no pets” clauses in the tenancy are void. The landlord has 28 days to reply (extendable by a further 7 days if they reasonably need more information) and can make consent conditional on reasonable terms.
Possession Order
The court order made at the end of a possession claim, requiring the tenant to give up the property to the landlord on a specified date. Two main types under Section 8: outright (give up by a fixed date, typically 14–42 days) or suspended (postponed if the tenant complies with terms, e.g. clearing arrears). If the tenant does not leave by the date in the order the landlord must apply for a Warrant of Possession to enforce eviction by a county court bailiff or High Court Enforcement Officer.