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Extraction cleaning - handover documents
When premises change hands - a new lease, a business bought, a building handed over - the paperwork often says little or nothing about the extraction ductwork. That omission leaves the new occupier blind to a fire-critical system they are now responsible for. Understanding what handover documents should say about the ductwork, and why the gap matters, protects whoever takes it on.
The short answer
When premises change hands, the handover documents should tell the new occupier about the extraction ductwork they are taking on - but often they say little or nothing. What should be included: that the ductwork exists and where it runs; its condition and cleaning history, so the new occupier knows whether it has been maintained; the cleaning records and certificates showing when it was last cleaned to standard; and any design or maintenance documents for the system. Without this, the new occupier inherits a fire-critical system blind - not knowing its state, when it was last cleaned, or what they are responsible for. So the ductwork should be part of the handover, and its omission is a real gap worth checking for and filling.
The ductwork often gets left out
When commercial premises change hands - a new tenant taking a lease, a business being bought, a building handed over - there is usually a set of handover documents passing information about the premises to the new occupier. But the extraction ductwork is often poorly covered or left out of these documents entirely. The paperwork might address the obvious things - the lease terms, the visible fixtures, the main systems - while saying little or nothing about the ductwork, which runs hidden through the building and is easy to overlook. So the ductwork frequently falls into a gap in the handover, its existence and condition not properly documented for the incoming occupier.
This omission matters because the new occupier is taking on responsibility for that ductwork - and if it is a kitchen extract, a fire-critical system - without the information they need about it. A handover that does not mention the ductwork leaves the new occupier blind to a system they are now responsible for maintaining, not knowing its condition, its history, or even necessarily its full extent. So the gap is not harmless: it means someone inherits a fire-critical system with no information about it. Understanding what the handover documents should say about the ductwork, and recognising that they often do not, is what lets an incoming occupier fill the gap rather than be caught out by it.
What should be included
Handover documents should tell the new occupier several things about the ductwork. First, that it exists and where it runs - the fact of the ductwork and its extent through the building, so the new occupier knows the system they are taking on and where it goes. This sounds basic, but a hidden system running through voids and ceilings can genuinely be unknown to someone who has not been told about it. Second, its condition and cleaning history - whether the ductwork has been maintained, when it was last cleaned, and what state it is in - so the new occupier knows whether they are inheriting a well-maintained system or a neglected one.
Third, the cleaning records and certificates - the documentation showing when the ductwork was last cleaned to the proper standard, which the new occupier needs both to know the state of the system and for their own compliance and insurance going forward. And fourth, any design or maintenance documents for the system - the specification, drawings, and maintenance information that help the new occupier understand and look after the ductwork. Together, these tell the incoming occupier what the ductwork is, what condition it is in, when it was last cleaned, and how to maintain it - the information needed to take responsibility for it properly. A handover that includes all this hands over the ductwork properly; one that omits it leaves the new occupier without the picture.
Why the gap matters
The gap matters because, without the ductwork information, the new occupier inherits a fire-critical system blind - and that has real consequences. Kitchen extract ductwork carries a fire risk from grease build-up, and its condition and cleaning history bear directly on that risk. A new occupier who does not know when the ductwork was last cleaned cannot know whether it is safe or heavily grease-laden and overdue; one who does not have the cleaning records cannot demonstrate compliance or satisfy an insurer. So inheriting the ductwork without this information means inheriting an unknown fire risk and a compliance gap, which is a genuinely poor position to be handed.
There is also the risk of the ductwork being neglected simply because the new occupier does not know about it. A system that is not mentioned in the handover can be forgotten by the incoming occupier, who does not realise it is there or needs maintaining - so a hidden, undocumented ductwork can go uncleaned indefinitely, its grease and fire risk building, precisely because the handover never flagged it. This is the worst outcome of the gap: not just missing information, but a fire-critical system falling entirely off the radar of the person now responsible for it. So the omission of the ductwork from handover documents can lead to real harm - an unknown risk, a compliance gap, or outright neglect of a system that matters for fire safety.
Filling the gap
Because handover documents often omit the ductwork, an incoming occupier is wise to check for the information rather than assume it is there - and to fill the gap if it is not. This means, when taking on premises, specifically asking about the extraction ductwork: does it exist and where does it run, what is its condition and cleaning history, are there cleaning records and certificates, and are there design or maintenance documents? Actively seeking this information, rather than relying on the handover to volunteer it, is how a new occupier avoids being left blind to the system they are inheriting.
Where the information is missing - where the previous occupier or the handover cannot provide the ductwork's history or records - the new occupier is wise to establish the position themselves, which often means having the ductwork inspected and, if its state or history is unknown, cleaned to a known standard to establish a baseline. This effectively fills the gap: it establishes the condition of the ductwork, brings it to a known state, and generates the records the handover should have provided, so the new occupier has the information and starts from a documented position. So the response to the common omission of ductwork from handover documents is twofold: check for the information when taking on premises, and where it is missing, establish it yourself. Doing so ensures that a fire-critical system is not inherited blind - which is exactly the risk the gap creates, and exactly what filling it avoids.
The takeaway
When premises change hands, the handover documents should tell the new occupier about the extraction ductwork - its existence and where it runs, its condition and cleaning history, the cleaning records and certificates, and any design or maintenance documents. But the ductwork is often left out, so the new occupier inherits a fire-critical system blind, not knowing its state, when it was last cleaned, or what they are responsible for.
This gap has real consequences: an unknown fire risk from grease build-up, a compliance gap without the records, and the danger of the ductwork being neglected because the new occupier does not even know it needs maintaining. So an incoming occupier should check for the ductwork information rather than assume it is there, and where it is missing, establish the position themselves - often by having the ductwork inspected and cleaned to a known standard, generating the records the handover should have provided. Do not inherit the ductwork blind: check for the information, and fill the gap if it is not there, so a fire-critical system does not fall off the radar of the person now responsible for it.
Questions
That the ductwork exists and where it runs; its condition and cleaning history; the cleaning records and certificates showing when it was last cleaned to standard; and any design or maintenance documents. Together these tell the new occupier what the ductwork is, its state, when it was last cleaned, and how to maintain it.
Because it runs hidden through the building and is easy to overlook - the handover paperwork addresses the obvious things like lease terms and visible fixtures while saying little about a system that is out of sight. So the ductwork frequently falls into a gap in the handover, its existence and condition not properly documented.
Because the new occupier is taking on responsibility for a fire-critical system without the information they need. They inherit an unknown fire risk from grease build-up, a compliance gap without the cleaning records, and the danger of the ductwork being neglected because they do not even know it is there and needs maintaining.
A fire-critical system falling entirely off the radar of the person now responsible for it - a hidden, undocumented ductwork going uncleaned indefinitely, its grease and fire risk building, precisely because the handover never flagged its existence or the need to maintain it. Not just missing information, but outright neglect.
Check for the ductwork information rather than assume it is there - actively ask about the ductwork's existence, condition, cleaning history, records and documents when taking on premises. Relying on the handover to volunteer it risks being left blind to the system, so seeking the information out is the safer approach.
Establish the position yourself - often by having the ductwork inspected and, if its state or history is unknown, cleaned to a known standard to set a baseline. This establishes the ductwork's condition, brings it to a known state, and generates the records the handover should have provided, so you start from a documented position rather than blind.
Taking on premises with no ductwork history? We inspect and clean the system to a known standard, establishing its condition and generating the records the handover should have provided.
