How to Get a TR19 Certificate: A Business Owner's Guide
For any UK business owner running a commercial kitchen, the question of how to get a TR19 certificate is a matter of legal compliance, fire safety, and insurance protection. A TR19 certificate isn't a piece of paper to be filed away—it's documented proof that your kitchen extraction system has been professionally cleaned to the BESA standard and is safe to operate. However, the process involves more than just booking a cleaner and receiving a document. Here is exactly what you need to do, from the initial survey to the final certification.
Start with a Pre-Clean Survey and Baseline Readings
Your journey to obtaining a TR19 certificate begins with a specialist cleaning contractor conducting a comprehensive site survey. This is not a walk-through; it is a formal, documented assessment of your entire kitchen extraction system, from the canopy and filters through the ductwork to the fan and any discharge points.
During this survey, the technician should open access panels and use a borescope camera to inspect the internal condition of the ducts. They must take initial grease depth measurements at strategic points along the system. These "pre-clean" readings are crucial as they establish the baseline level of contamination (measured in microns) that needs to be removed. This initial data informs the cleaning plan and provides a reference point for the post-clean verification. Do not accept a quotation that omits this detailed survey stage, as it is the foundation of everything that follows.
The Physical Cleaning Process and Grease Depth Verification
The core of obtaining a TR19 certificate is, of course, the physical cleaning. This involves a deep clean of the canopy filters, the internal ductwork, reached through the access panels along the duct run, and the fan unit. The level of grime and carbon build-up can be significant, and the process must bring the system back to a hygienic state.
Following the cleaning, the contractor must conduct a "post-clean" verification. This is the critical stage where the contractor re-measures the grease depth at the same inspection points surveyed earlier. They should also take a new set of photographs to provide visual evidence of the improvement. The comparison between pre and post-clean readings demonstrates the effectiveness of the clean and forms the basis for your compliance certificate. While there is no single magic number that defines a pass, the post-clean readings must demonstrate a substantial reduction in contamination to a level considered hygienic and commercially clean, which is what the report will document as a satisfactory outcome.
What Your TR19 Certificate and Report Must Contain
Here is where the real value lies. When the cleaning is complete, you should receive a comprehensive compliance report and a certificate. A document simply stating "clean" is not sufficient for insurance purposes. Your TR19 certificate must contain specific, verifiable data to be worth anything to your insurer.
The certificate must clearly identify the cleaning contractor performing the work, the date of the clean, and the premises address. However, the crucial elements are the findings. The report must include a detailed schedule of the ductwork, listing each individual section cleaned. It must state the pre-clean grease depth readings and the post-clean readings for each of those sections. Your report should also reference the standard used—in this case, BESA TR19.
Before accepting the certificate, check for these key elements:
- Visual evidence: The report should include photographic proof of the condition before and after the clean.
- Detailed readings: Are the microns filled in for each section? A blank space indicates a lack of verification.
- Technician details: Ensure the report is signed off by a competent surveyor.
- Recommendations: The report should note any defects found during the cleaning, such as damaged fire dampers, or areas of the duct that were inaccessible and may require future access panels to be installed.
A certificate that lacks these specifics gives your insurer no confidence that the system has actually been cleaned to a verifiable standard.
Insurance Implications and the Final Checklist
Insurance is one of the primary reasons to seek a TR19 certificate. Your insurer’s policy conditions will almost certainly require you to maintain kitchen extract systems in a clean and safe condition. The certificate is your proof of compliance.
When it comes to insurance implications, follow these guidelines:
- Check policy wording: Use the certificate as your evidence that you have met the conditions of your policy regarding kitchen hygiene.
- Know which obligation you are meeting: a cleaning requirement in your policy is a condition, not a disclosure matter. The duty of fair presentation under the Insurance Act 2015 applies when you place or renew the policy and concerns how you present the risk to the insurer; it is not a running obligation to report the state of your ductwork. The certificate is evidence that you have met the condition.
- Don't accept a "pass" without proof: Before accepting a certificate, verify that the report contains all the required data points mentioned above. Ask yourself: "If my insurer asked to see this, would they be satisfied that the work was genuinely completed?".
Do not accept any verbal assurances that the work meets the standard without seeing the documentary evidence. A reputable contractor will be happy to walk you through the findings.
Get in Touch with BlueTick Extraction Hygiene
Obtaining a TR19 certificate requires diligence from a business owner, but it is a straightforward process when you partner with the right experts. If you have extraction systems to clean and require a compliant, verifiable certificate, BlueTick Extraction Hygiene is here to help. We are based in Peterborough and serve the East Midlands and beyond. Our principal surveyor holds the BESA Academy Grease Hygiene Technician (GHT3) and Grease Hygiene Operative (GHO3) qualifications, alongside the CII Level 3 Certificate in Insurance. The work is carried out to the standard, and the paperwork is written with your insurer in mind. We provide full duct cleaning, canopy cleaning, and filter cleaning services, all documented with comprehensive compliance certificates. Contact us today to book your free site survey and learn how we can take care of your TR19 compliance.