Kitchen extract cleaning and insurance requirements

Commercial insurers may refer to TR19 Grease, recognised extract maintenance standards, cleaning intervals or evidence. Exact requirements vary between policies, premises and risk surveys. The operator or broker should identify the applicable condition instead of assuming one certificate satisfies every insurer.

Failure to meet an express maintenance condition can complicate a claim. After a fire, the questions are likely to include when the system was last cleaned, who completed it, what was included and whether the selected interval matched the risk.

Store surveys, quotes, reports, certificates and remedial invoices together. The records should connect each clean to an identifiable system and show that outstanding access or repair issues were managed.

If policy wording changes at renewal, compare it with the existing schedule. Ask the insurer or broker to clarify ambiguous requirements in writing. A cleaning contractor can document the system but cannot rewrite the insurance contract.

A commercial kitchen extract is one connected route: canopy, filters, plenum, ductwork, fan and discharge. Filters reduce carry-over but cannot capture every grease particle. Decisions based only on visible stainless steel can therefore miss the section that contains the greatest hidden deposit.

A useful survey follows that complete route. It records access points and limitations before a quote is agreed, so the cleaned scope and resulting evidence match what was physically possible.

Every project begins with a survey of the complete extract route. The survey records the canopy, filters, plenum, duct direction, access points, fan position and discharge. It also identifies sections that cannot be reached safely with the existing access. That matters because a clean-looking canopy does not prove that hidden ductwork is free from grease.

The written quote defines the included surfaces, access assumptions and any remedial work before the visit. On the day, the kitchen and nearby equipment are protected, grease is contained, and the system is cleaned in sections. After cleaning, the team records the condition with photographs and deposit readings at repeatable points so the next visit can be compared with the last one.

Useful evidence is more than a one-line receipt. It should identify the site and system, state the date and scope, show representative before-and-after photographs, record inaccessible areas and explain any follow-up action. A dated hygiene certificate supports the report, but the supporting detail is what helps a facilities team, fire-risk assessor or insurer understand what was actually completed.

Records should be retained with the fire-risk assessment and maintenance file. Cleaning frequency is reviewed against cooking hours, cooking method, observed deposit levels and any insurer-specific condition. There is no universal certificate expiry period: the relevant date is the next clean established for that system and accepted under the operator's own risk and insurance arrangements.

Collect the latest cleaning report, fire-risk assessment, insurance wording and any system drawings. Note changes to equipment, menu and hours since the previous clean. If the records do not identify the duct and fan, arrange a survey that establishes a complete baseline.

Ask for a fixed written quote. Our commercial extract cleaning starts from £550, with the final price confirmed from system scope, access and condition. Use WhatsApp or the survey form to describe the kitchen and preferred working window.