EICR, PAT Testing & Electrical Compliance – What is actually required by Law?
There is a lot of advice out there about electrical testing. Some of it is good advice. Some of it is industry habit. And some of it is simply not quite true.
One of the conversations we regularly have with commercial clients, landlords, businesses and schools is surprisingly simple:
“What do we actually have to test, how often do we have to test it, and what is just good practice?”
It’s a fair question isn’t it.
You’ll often hear statements such as:
- “Your commercial property needs an EICR every five years.”
- “All portable appliances have to be PAT tested every year.”
- “You need a PAT certificate for everything.”
- “BS 7671 says you must test every five years.”
- “If you have an EICR, you’re legally compliant.”
The reality is different and understanding that difference matters, because true electrical compliance should never be about buying a piece of paper simply because somebody says you need one.
My own personal view has always been that the real product isn’t an electrician, it’s peace of mind.
Peace of mind.
Nobody actually wants an electrical contractor. What they want is for the lights to work, the machinery to run, their people and visitors to be safe, and their compliance paperwork to be in order.
So let’s clear up some of the confusion.
First: what does the law actually say? For most commercial premises, workplaces and schools, the starting point is the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EAWR).
The fundamental legal duty is to ensure that electrical systems and equipment are maintained so far as is reasonably practicable to prevent danger. And that is an important distinction. The Regulations do not simply say you should “have an EICR every five years.” And they don’t say, “PAT test everything every year.”
Instead, the duty is to maintain electrical systems and equipment in a safe condition, with the frequency and extent of inspection and testing determined by the risks involved.
HSE guidance is very clear on this point. Inspection and, where necessary, testing are an essential part of a preventative maintenance programme, but the frequency is a matter for the dutyholder’s judgement, taking into account factors such as the equipment, its use, environment, previous results and manufacturers’ recommendations.
In other words, the law requires safety and maintenance. It does not prescribe a universal testing timetable for every business. In fact, to protect your workforce, staff and students … is 5 years between testing to great a gap?
So where does the EICR fit in?
An Electrical Installation Condition Report, or EICR, is the document produced following an inspection and testing of a fixed electrical installation.
It can identify issues such as:
- deterioration of wiring
- damaged equipment
- overloaded circuits
- inadequate earthing or bonding
- defective protective devices
- potentially dangerous electrical conditions
- deterioration caused by the environment or use of the installation
A ‘competent person’ should determine whether an installation is suitable for continued use and what, if anything, needs remedial attention.
But here’s one of the biggest misconceptions – an EICR is not, in itself, a universal legal requirement for every commercial building at a fixed five-year interval.
For ordinary commercial premises, the Electricity at Work Regulations do not prescribe a blanket five-year EICR cycle. Instead, the inspection and testing regime should be appropriate to the installation and the risks. That could mean a five-yearly inspection. It could mean three years. It could be more frequent in a particularly harsh or high-risk environment.
In some circumstances, the competent person may determine that a different interval is appropriate.
The IET (Institution on Engineering & Technology) guidance similarly makes clear that subsequent inspection intervals should reflect the type of installation, its use and operation, maintenance history and external influences.
What about PAT testing – probably the biggest myth of them all. It isn’t legally required every year.
HSE explicitly says there is no legal requirement to carry out PAT annually, or indeed to carry out formal PAT testing on every item of portable electrical equipment. The legal requirement is to ensure electrical equipment is maintained to prevent danger.
That maintenance might include – user checks → visual inspections → formal inspection → electrical testing and the appropriate combination depend on the circumstances.
A desktop computer in a low-risk office environment is very different from a portable power tool being dragged around a construction site. A kettle in a staff room is different from a floor cleaner being used every day. A classroom projector is different from electrical equipment used in a workshop. A piece of equipment used outdoors, in a wet environment or where it is regularly moved or physically abused may warrant much more frequent inspection and testing.
HSE guidance specifically recommends taking account of the type of equipment, how it is used, the environment, frequency of use, likelihood of damage, previous results and manufacturers’ recommendations.
This is precisely why we refer to ‘competent person’. Such is more than ‘a qualified electrician’. If you want to keep your premises and people safe, they are a person trained specifically to understand the ins and outs of the regulations, not a ‘test and tick sparky’.
“But surely everything should be PAT tested?” Not necessarily.
And this is where sensible electrical safety differs from a tick-box exercise. For many low-risk workplaces, a combination of user checks and formal visual inspections may be sufficient for some equipment. Other equipment may justify combined inspection and electrical testing.
HSE even gives the example of its own offices, where experience from previous testing led it to conclude that some low-risk portable equipment did not need routine formal PAT testing, while continuing visual inspections and user checks.
That doesn’t mean:
“Don’t test anything.”
It means:
“Have a sensible, documented maintenance system based on risk.”
That’s a very different message.
What about schools?
This is an area we’re very familiar and well-practiced in. Schools are an excellent example of why a sensible risk-based approach matters.
There is a significant amount of electrical equipment in a typical school:
- fixed wiring
- distribution boards
- lighting
- emergency lighting
- sockets
- IT equipment
- kitchen equipment
- classroom equipment
- portable appliances
- maintenance equipment
- outdoor equipment
- fixed plant
- heating and ventilation equipment
Government guidance for schools states that fixed electrical installations should be inspected and tested by a competent person. (Him / her again.)
But it also confirms that the Electricity at Work Regulations do not prescribe exactly how often this must happen. The frequency and type of inspection should be based on the risk assessment for the particular installation and its prevailing conditions. (Dare we call it common sense!)
The same guidance makes the position on portable appliances clear:
Not every portable item necessarily needs a PAT test.
In some circumstances, a user check and visual inspection may be appropriate. Again, the risk determines the maintenance regime.
For a school, however, there is another important consideration – the consequences of failure can be significant.
Children, staff, visitors and contractors may all be using the premises.
There may be workshops, kitchens, science laboratories, sports facilities, outdoor equipment and other environments where the risk profile is higher than a conventional office.
That’s why a good school electrical maintenance programme should be more than simply asking – “Have we got a PAT sticker?”
It should ask – “Are we managing electrical risk properly across the whole estate?”
EICR, PAT and BS 7671 … what’s the relationship?
This is another point worth getting right.
BS 7671 – the IET Wiring Regulations – is the recognised UK standard for electrical installations. It’s widely used as the benchmark for design, installation, inspection, testing and maintenance.
However, BS 7671 is not itself an Act of Parliament or Regulation.
HSE explains that following BS 7671 is not itself a legal requirement, but it is the widely accepted standard and compliance with it is likely to achieve compliance with the Electricity at Work Regulations.
And there is a current development worth knowing about. The latest edition is now BS 7671:2018+A4:2026.
Amendment 4 was published earlier this year (2026) and includes a number of updates, including provisions relating to stationary secondary batteries, functional earthing, Power over Ethernet and medical locations.
There is a transition period – Amendment 3:2024 remains valid until 15 October 2026, so contractors and clients may currently encounter either edition depending on the circumstances and timing of the work.
The important point for building owners and facilities managers is simple (relatively speaking) … don’t assume that an old report automatically tells you everything you need to know about the current condition of an installation.
Electrical systems change. Buildings change. How people use buildings changes. Technology changes. And risk changes.
Are you changing?
What should a good electrical maintenance programme look like?
At JGF Electrical, we’d suggest thinking about electrical safety as a system, rather than a collection of certificates.
That system might include:
1. Fixed installation inspection and testing
An appropriate periodic inspection and testing programme, determined by the installation, its use, environment and risk.
2. Portable equipment maintenance
A risk-based programme incorporating user checks, visual inspections and formal electrical testing where appropriate.
3. Regular visual checks
Don’t wait for the electrician.
Staff should know what obvious signs of danger look like – damaged plugs, exposed conductors, cracked accessories, burn marks, damaged cables and equipment that simply doesn’t look right.
HSE recommends that users check equipment and remove defective equipment from service immediately.
4. Remedial works
Finding a problem is only half the job. A C1 or C2 observation on an EICR should not simply become another line on a spreadsheet. It needs appropriate action.
5. Records
Records aren’t merely paperwork.
They demonstrate what has been inspected, what was found, what was repaired and how the maintenance programme is performing.
HSE guidance notes that records can help demonstrate compliance and monitor the effectiveness of a maintenance policy, even though keeping such records is not universally a legal requirement.
6. Risk assessment
The frequency and extent of inspection should be reviewed when circumstances change.
- New equipment.
- New tenants.
- Alterations.
- Refurbishments.
- Solar PV.
- Battery storage.
- EV charging.
- Changes to occupancy.
- Changes to the environment.
All of these can change the electrical risk profile.
The difference between “legally required” and “advisable”
This is perhaps the most important part of the conversation.
- There are things you must do.
- There are things you should do.
- And there are things that may be sensible additional precautions depending on the circumstances.
Those are not the same thing. For example…
| Area | Legal position | Sensible approach |
| Fixed electrical installation | Must be maintained to prevent danger | Periodic inspection/testing by a competent person |
| EICR in ordinary commercial premises | No universal statutory five-year requirement | Establish an appropriate inspection interval based on risk |
| PAT testing | No blanket legal requirement for annual testing | Risk-based inspection/testing programme |
| User visual checks | Part of sensible electrical maintenance | Encourage trained users to identify obvious defects |
| Testing by competent persons | Work must be undertaken by people with appropriate competence | Use suitably qualified/experienced electrical professionals |
| Records | Not universally mandated for every maintenance activity | Keep records to demonstrate control and monitor deterioration |
| Insurance/lease requirements | May create additional contractual obligations | Check the policy and lease, not just legislation |
Being legally compliant is the minimum.
Good businesses often choose to go further and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, when people are working in your building, using your equipment and relying on your electrical systems, going further can be very good business sense.
Don’t test for the sticker. Test for the people.
This is ultimately where our view at JGF Electrical comes back to. We don’t think electrical testing should be about collecting certificates. We think it should be about managing risk. An EICR should tell you something useful about the condition of your fixed electrical installation.
A PAT programme should tell you something useful about the condition of portable equipment. A visual inspection should identify problems before they become incidents. And, a good maintenance programme should give the person responsible for the building confidence that electrical risks are being actively managed.
Because an electrical certificate sitting in a filing cabinet doesn’t protect anyone. The actions taken as a result of what we find are what make the difference.
So, what should a business, commercial landlord or school do?
If you’re responsible for a building, don’t start with “How often do I need an EICR?”
Start with:
“What electrical systems and equipment do we have, what are the risks, what maintenance has been done, and what does our competent person recommend?”
Then consider:
- When was the last fixed installation inspection?
- What did it identify?
- Have all remedial actions been completed?
- What portable equipment is being used?
- How is that equipment being checked?
- Are users reporting damaged equipment?
- Are higher-risk items being inspected more frequently?
- Have the electrical systems changed since the last inspection?
- Have new technologies such as EV charging, solar PV or battery storage been introduced?
- What do our insurers require?
- What does our lease require?
- Are our records clear enough to demonstrate that we are managing electrical safety?
If you can’t answer those questions, that’s probably a bigger concern than whether your PAT sticker says 2025 or 2026.
The JGF view
Electrical compliance shouldn’t be a race to collect certificates.
It should be a continuous process of inspection, maintenance, risk assessment and improvement.
- There are genuine legal requirements.
- There are recognised standards.
- There are sensible industry recommendations.
And, there are additional precautions that responsible organisations choose to adopt because they want to protect their people, their property and their business.
Whether something is technically mandatory, recommended or simply good practice, if it prevents an electrical shock, avoids a fire, protects a child in a classroom or keeps a business operating safely, it may well be worth doing.
Don’t test because someone told you that you have to.