Guide
Red flags: uninsured crews and too-cheap quotes
The lowest number on a three-bid sheet is often a different job. Uninsured or underinsured crews shift roof falls, chemical damage, and wet-floor injuries onto the restaurant. Canopy-only work sold as “NFPA compliant” leaves grease in the duct and a sticker that lies. This page is a walk-away list — not a price guide (regional costs are Unknown without a local three-quote set).
Short answer
Walk if there is no COI, no workers’ comp for people on your roof, cash-only with no legal entity, refusal to name the insured, no before/after photos, canopy-only sold as a full clean, “we’re an NFPA-certified company” (NFPA does not certify companies), or a quote far below peers that never asked about duct length or fan access. IKECA credentials are held by individuals — verify the person, don’t treat a logo as a company seal. Ask for the contract questions list before you sign.
Red flag → why → what to do instead
| Red flag | Why it bites | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| No COI / “we’re insured” with no paper | Secondary hiring and vendor guides treat proof of GL before work as baseline; damage or injury without coverage lands on you | Require email COI before day one; match legal name to invoice |
| No workers’ comp (or “everyone is a 1099” on a multi-person roof crew) | Injured cleaner on your property can chase the restaurant if the employer has no WC; secondary commercial-cleaning risk notes flag this | Ask for WC evidence covering the people who will be on site; pause if they refuse |
| Cash-only / no verifiable business entity | Hard to file a claim, hard to find them after a bad job, hard for your broker | Pay a named company; keep W-9 / invoice with matching COI insured |
| Refusal to name insured entity or add your restaurant as required | Certificate holder ≠ additional insured; secondary COI explainers: endorsement lives on the policy, not the PDF alone | Ask broker what wording you need; get revised COI + confirm endorsement path |
| Quote far below the other two with no access questions | Secondary quote guides: suspiciously low flat rates that never ask duct length / roof layout usually omit duct and fan | Re-scope in writing; if they won’t name duct+fan, discard the bid (prices regional Unknown) |
| Canopy / filter wipe sold as full-system clean | Leaves fuel in plenum/duct/fan; secondary sources and insurers treat canopy-only as incomplete maintenance | Require component list; use full-system vs canopy guide |
| No before/after photos or “certificate” | No proof of what was opened; secondary insurance docs want photo path + written report | Demand sample photo set before signing; no photos = no hire |
| “NFPA 96 certified company” | NFPA writes the standard; it does not certify contractors (secondary NFPA explainers are explicit) | Ask for the person’s IKECA CECT/CECS (or other AHJ-accepted credential) and verify it |
| IKECA logo with no named tech / no credential number | Credentials are individual; company membership ≠ every tech is certified | Get name + credential type + number; verify in IKECA search before the visit |
| Day laborers on the roof with no fall-protection mention | Roof work without a safety plan is how people get hurt and how your site inherits claims | Ask how they hinge the fan, who is on the roof, and what fall protection they use |
| “We’ll handle the fire marshal” | Often blurs grease cleaning with suppression ITM or promises outcomes the cleaner cannot control | Keep suppression with a licensed fire contractor; cleaner delivers docs — AHJ decides |
| High-pressure “fire hazard tonight — sign now” | Secondary hiring guides flag urgency manufacturing that skips COI and scope checks | Even urgent jobs allow time for COI + written scope; get a second bid if safe |
Insurance paper you should actually open
- ACORD-style COI: effective dates still open on service day
- General liability limits shown (secondary vendor notes often cite $1M occurrence / $2M aggregate as a common client ask — confirm what your landlord/broker requires)
- Workers’ compensation line present — not blank
- Insured legal name matches the contract and invoice
- If your lease requires additional insured: ADDL INSD indicated and your broker confirms the endorsement exists (COI alone does not create AI status)
- Producer / agency contact you can call if the PDF looks altered
Credible bid
- Asks about hoods, duct length, fan hinge, access panels
- Names photos, report, label in the quote
- Emails COI same day; names a credentialed tech when asked
- Explains exclusions (suppression, panel installs, grease trap)
Too-cheap pattern
- One-line “hood cleaning” price, no site questions
- Cash discount if you skip paperwork
- Promises marshal outcomes or suppression service they aren’t licensed for
- Won’t share a sample photo report
Field check before they climb
- Paper first — COI in the office binder before ladders go up
- Scope read-back — “Confirm you’re cleaning duct interiors and the fan to bare metal where accessible”
- Photo plan — before shots of plenum, duct through panels, fan blades, grease cup
- Who’s on the roof — named crew, not anonymous day labor with no WC story
- Stop work — if the crew arrives without the insurance you required, send them home
Who it’s for / not for
- For: operators comparing bids, new GMs inheriting a cheap contractor, anyone who just got a canopy wipe and a failed reinspection
- Not for: publishing dollar thresholds (regional Unknown), accusing a specific vendor, or legal/insurance advice
Sources
- NOVA / commercialhoodcleaners — how to read a hood cleaning quote (red flags) (secondary; missing duct/fan/photo language; low “hood-only” bids)
- FindHoodCleaner — how to choose a hood cleaning company (secondary; COI, workers’ comp, price outliers, no-photo red flags)
- Qwick — what NFPA 96 requires (secondary; NFPA does not certify companies; IKECA individual credentials)
- Kitchen Guard — NFPA-aligned cleaning & insurance (secondary; canopy-only gaps; GL + workers’ comp; sample documentation)
- Facilitec Southwest — insurance documentation file (secondary; what carriers look for after incomplete maintenance)
- LegalClarity — COI vs additional insured (secondary; certificate holder ≠ AI; endorsement must exist on the policy)
- Hood Cleaner Insurance — KEC insurance requirements (secondary; GL/COI/workers’ comp expectations for hood crews)
Next step
Open your lowest bid. If duct, fan, photos, and COI are missing from the page, mark it incomplete and rebid with the quote checklist — don’t schedule them for Saturday night to “save money.”