Guide
Questions to ask before signing a hood-cleaning contract
A cheap signature locks you into thin scope. The contract should name what gets cleaned (hood → plenum → duct → fan → grease path), what you get in writing afterward, whose insurance covers a roof fall or a flooded line, and how you exit. Verbal “we do the whole system” is not a scope. Fire suppression is almost always a separate licensed job — do not assume the cleaner owns it.
Short answer
Before you sign: get a written component list (not “hood cleaning”), match frequency to cooking volume / your AHJ’s adopted NFPA 96 schedule (secondary summaries — AHJ edition wins), require before/after photos + a report that names inaccessible areas, demand a current COI with general liability and workers’ comp (ask to be named additional insured if your landlord or insurer requires it), and read cancellation / auto-renew / multi-hood pricing. Suppression service is usually excluded. Compare three written quotes on the same sheet. Not legal advice.
Question → why it matters → red answer
| Ask | Why it matters | Red answer |
|---|---|---|
| Is scope hood→fan bare metal, or canopy/filters only? | Secondary hiring guides and RFPs treat full path (hood, filters, plenum, horizontal/vertical duct, fan, rooftop grease path) as the job; canopy-only leaves fuel in the duct | “Hood cleaning” as one line with no duct/fan named |
| How did you set the visit frequency? | Secondary NFPA 96 summaries separate inspection cadence by volume (monthly solid fuel, quarterly high, semiannual moderate, annual low) from condition-based cleaning | Generic “quarterly for everyone” with no questions about your cookline |
| Are duct access panels and fan hinge / hold-open assumed, or billed as extras? | Missing panels and welded fans drive change orders and incomplete cleans | Flat low price with no questions about duct length or roof access |
| After-hours or while open — which window, and is the premium itemized? | Most full cleans need shutdown; night premiums should be transparent, not sprung after start | “We’ll figure schedule later” with no window in the contract |
| Do I get dated before/after photos, a written report, and a hood label? | Secondary insurance / NFPA documentation guides: label + written report (often within two weeks) + photos are what loss-control and AHJs actually read | “Sticker only” / no photo set / no inaccessible-area list |
| Will you email a COI naming our restaurant (GL + workers’ comp) before the first visit? | Roof work + chemicals + wet floors; secondary vendor and hiring guides treat COI as non-negotiable; AI endorsement is separate from certificate-holder status | “We’re insured” with no document, or refusal to name the insured legal entity |
| Cancellation notice, auto-renew, and price-increase rules? | Multi-year auto-renew with silent escalators is common; know the exit | Evergreen renew with 30-day window you never noticed |
| How is multi-hood / multi-fan pricing structured? | Apples-to-apples bids need per-system or clearly bundled line items | One lump sum with no hood count or “we’ll add as we go” |
| Who owns wet-chemical suppression inspection/service? | Usually a separate licensed fire-protection contractor on its own ITM cycle — not the grease cleaner | “We’ll handle the fire marshal / suppression too” without a suppression license |
| What is explicitly excluded? | Access-panel installs, hinge kits, structural repairs, grease-trap pumping, wastewater haul-off, and suppression are common exclusions | Silence on exclusions — then change orders on site |
Pre-sign checklist
- Written component list: canopy, filters, plenum, all reachable duct, fan housing/blades, grease receptacle / containment path
- Same scope sheet sent to every bidder (use the Cost quote checklist)
- Sample anonymized photo set + sample report before you commit
- Named credential on site if you require it (IKECA CECT/CECS are individual credentials — not a company seal; verify the person)
- COI on file; confirm workers’ comp covers the people who will be on your roof
- After-hours window, water/power needs, and who stays on-site for the crew
- Inaccessible areas must be listed in the report — not silently skipped
Contract worth signing
- Scope names duct + fan + photos + report + label
- COI arrives before first visit; entity name matches the invoice
- Exclusions and change-order approval are written
- Frequency tied to your volume / AHJ — not a sales default
Walk away signals
- Cash-only, no COI, or “trust us”
- Canopy wipe sold as full-system compliance
- “NFPA certified company” (NFPA does not certify companies)
- Price far below peers with no access questions — regional Unknown; treat outliers as scope risk
Field note — suppression vs grease clean
- Grease cleaner: exhaust path to bare metal where accessible, documentation, grease waste handling per the contract
- Suppression contractor: nozzles, links, agent, semi-annual ITM — separate license in most jurisdictions
- Do not let one invoice blur both jobs; keep both files for the marshal and the broker
Who it’s for / not for
- For: GMs and facilities leads about to sign an annual or multi-visit cleaner agreement; multi-unit ops comparing three bids
- Not for: legal contract drafting, inventing price ranges, or treating this page as insurance or AHJ advice
Sources
- FindHoodCleaner — how to choose a hood cleaning company (secondary; COI / workers’ comp / written scope / IKECA individual credentials / three quotes)
- Grease Trap Locator — hood cleaning provider scope & hiring checklist (secondary; system-specific written scope, exclusions, insurance wording, no national price as quality proof)
- Facilitec Southwest — insurance-ready hood cleaning file (secondary; label, written reports, schedule; owner-responsibility framing)
- Qwick — what NFPA 96 requires (secondary; NFPA does not certify companies; IKECA individual credentials; bare-metal + access)
- Hood Cleaner Insurance — KEC business insurance notes (secondary; typical GL $1M/$2M client ask, COI before work, workers’ comp for employees)
- NOVA / commercialhoodcleaners — quote red flags (secondary; missing duct/fan/photo language on quotes)
Next step
Print the Cost quote checklist. Send the same component list to three cleaners. Do not sign until a COI and a sample photo report are in your inbox — and the contract names duct + fan, not just “hood.”