No law in Great Britain requires portable appliance testing by name, and no law sets an interval for it. What the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require is that electrical systems are maintained, so far as is reasonably practicable, so as to prevent danger. Testing is one way of meeting that duty and evidencing it. HSE says in as many words that annual testing of everything in a low-risk workplace is a myth.
What the regulations actually say
Regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 requires that, as may be necessary to prevent danger, all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent danger, so far as is reasonably practicable. That is the whole of the duty. It does not name portable appliance testing, does not set frequencies, and leaves the method to the duty-holder to justify.
Why the myth is so persistent
Because a testing industry grew up around a real duty and simplified it into a product with an annual cycle. HSE published guidance specifically to counter it, saying it is a myth that all portable appliances in a low-risk environment such as an office need a test every year, and that the law does not state what needs to be done or how often.
Who does ask for it in practice
Insurers, landlords of commercial premises, principal contractors running site inductions, event venues, licensing authorities and clients writing procurement conditions. None of them is applying a statutory requirement; they are managing their own risk. That is a real commercial requirement even though it is not a legal one, and it is usually what the search is actually about.
Landlords and rented homes
A residential landlord must ensure electrical appliances supplied with the let are safe. Testing is the normal way of showing it, and many letting agents require it, but the statutory five-yearly inspection in England applies to the fixed installation rather than to appliances. The two duties are often bought together and are not the same duty.
What a defensible position looks like
A written assessment of the equipment and the environment, a maintenance regime that follows from it, records of what was inspected and when, and user checks between formal inspections. That is what an inspector or an insurer will actually ask to see, and it is a stronger answer than a stack of annual certificates nobody thought about.
Questions people ask about is pat testing a legal requirement
Is PAT testing a legal requirement in the UK?
No. The law requires electrical equipment to be maintained so as to prevent danger. PAT testing is one common way of doing and evidencing that, not a legal requirement in itself.
Is annual PAT testing required by law?
No. HSE says explicitly that annual testing of everything in a low-risk environment is a myth and that the law does not state what needs to be done or how often.
Do landlords have to have appliances PAT tested?
Landlords must ensure appliances they supply are safe. Testing is the usual evidence for that, but no statute sets a PAT interval for a rented home.
Why does my insurer ask for PAT certificates then?
Because it is their contractual condition, not a statutory one. It is still binding on you, and it is worth asking what evidence they will actually accept.