What Does a TR19 Compliance Certificate Include?

Most operators have a folder of extraction cleaning certificates and have never examined one closely. That is entirely reasonable — until the day an insurer, a loss adjuster or an environmental health officer asks what is behind them.

At that point the difference between a real compliance record and a decorated receipt becomes very expensive.

This guide sets out exactly what a proper TR19 record should contain, and how to audit the ones you already hold.

Certificate versus report: the distinction that matters

A certificate is the summary page. It states that a clean was carried out, by whom, on what date, to what standard.

A Post Clean Verification Report (PCVR) is the evidence behind it: the measurements, the photographs, the areas covered, and the areas that were not.

The certificate is the cover of the book. The PCVR is the book. A certificate issued without a report behind it is not compliance evidence, because there is nothing in it that anyone can verify or test.

If your contractor supplies only a certificate, ask for the report. If there is no report, you have found your problem.

The elements a complete TR19 record should contain

1. Site and system identification

The trading name, full site address, and a clear identification of which system was cleaned. Sites with more than one kitchen, or a separate bar or pizza extract, need each system recorded separately.

2. Date of works and the standard applied

The date the work was carried out, and explicit reference to TR19 / TR19 Grease as the standard worked to. A vague "cleaned to industry standard" is not good enough.

3. The contractor and the technician

Company name, contact details, accreditations, and — importantly — the named technician who did the work. Adjusters ask who performed the clean.

4. A description or schematic of the system

What the system comprises: canopy, plenum, filters, duct run and its approximate length, fan, discharge point. Without this, nobody can tell whether the clean covered the whole system or a fraction of it.

5. Pre-clean grease depth measurements

Recorded in microns, taken at defined test points across the system, each point identified by location. This is the baseline that establishes the condition you started from.

6. Post-clean grease depth measurements

The same test points, measured again after the work. These figures are the actual proof of cleanliness. If there are no post-clean measurements, nothing has been verified.

7. Photographic evidence, before and after

Images from each key area — canopy, plenum, filters, duct sections, fan — showing identifiable reference points so the "before" and "after" can be matched to the same location. Undated, unlabelled photographs of anonymous shiny metal prove nothing.

8. A record of access points

Which access panels were used, and where. If new panels were fitted, that should be recorded too.

9. Areas that could NOT be accessed

This is the single most important section, and the one most often missing. Any part of the system that could not be reached must be explicitly identified, with the reason, and a recommendation for remedying it. A report that silently omits inaccessible ductwork implies a whole-system clean that did not happen.

10. The compliance statement

A clear statement of whether the system, post-clean, meets the TR19 requirement — and where it does not, exactly which parts fall short.

11. Recommended next clean date

Based on your actual usage category, not a generic twelve months.

12. Any defects or observations

Damaged filters, corroded ductwork, a failing fan, missing fire dampers, poor drainage. These matter for your fire risk assessment, and flagging them demonstrates diligence.

How to audit the certificates you already have

Take your most recent one and work down this list:

Check — If the answer is no
--- — ---
Are there grease measurements in microns? — You have no verification of cleanliness
Are there post-clean as well as pre-clean figures? — The clean was never proven effective
Are there before/after photographs with locations? — Nothing can be matched to a specific area
Is the ductwork specifically covered? — You may have paid for a canopy-and-filter clean
Are inaccessible areas listed? — You cannot tell what was missed
Is a named technician recorded? — Competence cannot be evidenced
Is the next-clean date based on your usage? — Your interval may not satisfy your policy

If several answers are "no", the certificate will not do the job you are keeping it for.

Why the measurements carry so much weight

Grease depth in microns is the only objective, testable number in the whole process. Everything else — "cleaned", "satisfactory", "good condition" — is opinion.

Measurements do three things:

They prove the clean worked, by showing the drop from pre- to post-clean.
They justify your frequency, because the rate at which deposit rebuilds between visits tells you whether your interval is right.
They give you a defence, because an adjuster can see recorded data taken at a specific time by a named person, rather than an assurance.

Over several visits, your measurements also become a trend. A system whose pre-clean figures are climbing visit on visit is telling you that the interval needs shortening — long before it becomes a fire.

Keep them properly

Retain records for at least three years; longer if your policy specifies.
Store a copy off site or in the cloud. Certificates kept in a drawer in the kitchen tend not to survive the fire they were meant to evidence.
Give a copy to your broker at each renewal, so compliance is on record before anything goes wrong.
Keep the reports, not just the certificates.

What we provide

Every BlueTick job produces a full Post Clean Verification Report containing all twelve elements above: pre- and post-clean grease measurements by location, before-and-after photographs, an explicit record of any area we could not access and why, and a compliance statement written to be read by an insurer.

Our founder is CII-qualified, and the reports are deliberately built to satisfy the person who will one day assess your claim.

Want a second opinion on your existing certificates? Send them over or book a free site survey — we will tell you plainly whether they would hold up.