What a loss adjuster looks for after a fire

An independent professional appointed by the insurer to assess a claim on their behalf - investigating the loss, establishing the facts, and determining what the policy should pay, especially for larger claims like a fire. A loss adjuster is an independent professional appointed by the insurer to assess a claim on the insurer's behalf - especially for larger or more complex claims like a fire. Their job is to investigate the loss, establish the facts (how the fire started and spread, the extent of the damage), and determine what the policy should pay. So they're the insurer's investigator and assessor for the claim - the person who examines what happened and whether, and how much, the policy should pay. For a commercial kitchen fire, the extraction is a key focus of their work, because grease in the extraction is a leading cause of fire spread and a common area of neglect (and often a policy condition). So when a loss adjuster handles a kitchen fire claim, they'll examine your extraction and its records as part of assessing whether the claim stands and what it pays. So they're the insurer's independent assessor for the claim. So an independent assessor acting for the insurer. This is general information, not insurance advice.

The state of the system (clean or grease-laden, and whether grease spread the fire), your cleaning records and certificates, whether you met the policy's cleaning conditions, and whether the fire risk was managed or neglected. Regarding the extraction, a loss adjuster typically looks for: the state of the system - was the ductwork clean, or grease-laden and neglected, and did grease help the fire spread? (a grease-laden system that spread the fire points to neglect); the cleaning records and evidence - can you produce certificates, reports and before-and-after photographs showing the extraction was cleaned to the TR19 Grease standard at the right frequency? (they'll ask to see them); policy compliance - many fire policies require the extraction cleaned to standard at a set frequency as a condition of cover, so they check you complied; and risk management overall - whether you managed the fire risk (a regime, records) or neglected it. So they examine both the physical state of the extraction and the documentary evidence of its cleaning, to assess whether it was maintained and the policy met. So the system's state, the records, and policy compliance. So the extraction's condition and your cleaning evidence. This is general information, not insurance advice.

Because the records are the evidence that the extraction was cleaned to standard at the right frequency - proving the fire risk was controlled and the policy conditions met; without them, you can't demonstrate your cleaning, weakening the claim. Loss adjusters ask for cleaning records because the records are the evidence that you cleaned the extraction to standard, at the right frequency - which is what proves the fire risk was controlled and any policy cleaning conditions were met. The certificates, reports and before-and-after photographs from each clean (kept as a dated series) demonstrate that the extraction was properly maintained. So when the adjuster is assessing whether the fire risk was managed and the policy complied with, the records are the proof they need to see. Without them, you can't demonstrate your cleaning - so even if you did clean the extraction, you can't prove it, which weakens your position (the adjuster may treat it as unproven or assume neglect). So the records are your defence: they turn 'we cleaned it' into demonstrated fact. This is why keeping and being able to produce the records matters so much (as covered in the duct-cleaning-evidence-loss-adjusters-ask-to-see page). So because the records prove your cleaning and compliance. So they're the proof the cleaning was done. This is general information, not insurance advice.

A maintained, evidenced extraction (clean, with records, policy met) supports the claim; a neglected, undocumented one (grease-laden, no records, conditions unmet) can lead to the claim being questioned, reduced or refused. What the loss adjuster finds about your extraction directly affects the claim outcome. They use their findings to help determine whether the claim is paid in full, reduced, or disputed. A maintained, evidenced extraction - a clean system, proper records, and policy conditions met - supports the claim: the adjuster sees the fire risk was controlled and the terms met, so there are no grounds to dispute the claim on the extraction. A neglected, undocumented extraction - a grease-laden system that spread the fire, no records, and unmet conditions - can undermine the claim: it suggests the fire risk wasn't controlled and the terms weren't met, which can lead the adjuster and insurer to question, reduce, or refuse the claim. So the same fire can produce a very different outcome depending on what the adjuster finds - which is why keeping the extraction maintained and evidenced matters at claim time. So it can make or break the claim. So it can support or jeopardise your claim. This is general information, not insurance advice.

Before you ever need one: keep the extraction cleaned to standard at the right frequency, keep the records (certificates, reports, photographs) organised and ready to produce, and meet your policy's cleaning conditions - so you can immediately show a controlled, evidenced risk. You prepare for a loss adjuster before you ever need one, by keeping your extraction cleaned and your records in order. Keep the extraction cleaned to the TR19 Grease standard at the right frequency (so its physical state shows a controlled risk). Keep the records - certificates, reports and before-and-after photographs from every clean - organised and ready to produce (so when the adjuster asks, you can immediately show the evidence rather than scrambling). And meet your policy's cleaning conditions (so compliance is demonstrable). Then, when the loss adjuster examines your extraction and asks for records, you can show a maintained system and complete evidence - demonstrating the fire risk was controlled and the policy met, so the claim isn't held up or disputed on those grounds. The key is that this readiness must be in place before a fire - you can't create a cleaning history afterwards. So keep the cleaning up and the records ready now. So maintain and evidence the extraction in advance. So keep it clean and the records ready before you need them. This is general information, not insurance advice.

Not if your extraction is maintained and evidenced - then the adjuster finds a controlled, documented risk and the claim proceeds; the worry comes from a neglected, undocumented system, which preparation avoids. Dealing with a loss adjuster needn't be something to worry about - provided your extraction is maintained and evidenced. If you've kept the extraction cleaned to standard at the right frequency and kept the records (certificates, reports, photographs) ready, then when the adjuster examines your extraction and asks for records, they find a controlled, documented fire risk and met policy conditions - so the claim proceeds on its merits, with the extraction supporting rather than undermining it. The worry comes from the opposite: a neglected, grease-laden, undocumented extraction, where the adjuster finds evidence of neglect and unmet conditions, jeopardising the claim. And that worry is avoidable by preparation (keeping the cleaning up and the records ready). So the loss adjuster is not something to fear if you've done the right things - they're simply assessing the claim, and a well-maintained, evidenced extraction gives them what supports it. So prepare, and the adjuster is straightforward. So no, if you're prepared with a clean, evidenced system. So not if you're maintained and evidenced. This is general information, not insurance advice.