If you run a business, manage a rental property, or operate an HMO anywhere in Edinburgh, PAT testing is something you need to get right — and get documented. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require every employer to keep electrical equipment safe. That applies whether you're running a busy café on Leith Walk, a letting agency managing flats in Marchmont, or an office on George Street with 50 laptops and a bank of extension leads.
We cover every Edinburgh postcode — EH1 through to EH17 — and the surrounding areas. City centre, Old Town, New Town, Leith, Portobello, Morningside, Corstorphine, Gorgie, Liberton, Gilmerton. Same fixed price regardless of where you are in the city.
How the test actually works
We arrive with a professional multi-parameter PAT tester — not the cheap pass/fail box that some contractors use. Here's what happens on the day:
First, we do a visual check on every item. Frayed leads, cracked plugs, damaged casings, missing earth pins, signs of overheating — anything obvious gets flagged immediately before we even pick up the tester. A lot of faults are caught at this stage.
Then the electronic tests. For Class I appliances (earthed equipment like toasters, kettles, most white goods), we run earth continuity, insulation resistance, and earth leakage. For Class II (double-insulated items like most modern laptops and power tools), insulation resistance and touch current. Extension leads get polarity checks on top of everything else. Each test takes seconds — we're not here all day.
Everything is logged digitally as we go. At the end of the visit you get a full certificate listing every item tested, the result, the test values, and the recommended retest date. The certificate has our company details and £5 million public liability insurance on it. That's what Edinburgh City Council's HMO licensing officers want to see, what your insurer wants, and what any letting agent will ask for.
Pricing — no surprises
We price by appliance count, not by the hour. A small Edinburgh flat or office with 15–25 items costs from £60. A medium office or shop with 50–100 items from £90. For larger premises — hotels, schools, care homes — we quote per-item from £1.50 with no call-out charge anywhere in Edinburgh.
If something fails and needs replacing, we'll tell you straight — what it is, why it failed, and what your options are. We don't condemn items to generate sales.
Edinburgh landlords and HMO operators
Edinburgh has over 6,000 licensed HMOs — more than any other Scottish city. Edinburgh City Council's HMO licensing team is active and thorough, and a PAT certificate dated within the last 12 months is a basic requirement for licence renewal. If it's missing or out of date, your renewal gets held up — and that means no legal income from the property until you sort it.
We work with HMO landlords across Newington, Tollcross, Gorgie, Leith, and Marchmont every week. We know the format the council expects. We issue the certificate on the same day, and we can usually fit urgent pre-renewal visits within 48 hours. If you manage multiple Edinburgh properties, we'll coordinate a single annual visit across your portfolio so everything stays in sync.
Private furnished lets outside HMO licensing still need PAT testing under the Repairing Standard. If you supply appliances as part of a tenancy — washing machine, microwave, dishwasher, lamps, anything with a plug — those need to be tested and documented. The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland has been clear on this: missing PAT records on supplied appliances is a Repairing Standard breach.
Edinburgh businesses we work with regularly