When a restaurant, café or takeaway rents its premises, the question of who looks after the kitchen extract comes up sooner or later. Is it the tenant’s job, because they cook? Or the landlord’s, because the ductwork is part of the building? The honest answer is that it depends on the lease and on the building. This guide sets out the usual arrangements and the questions worth asking. It’s general information, not legal advice. For your own lease, speak to a solicitor or surveyor.
Start with the lease
Commercial leases normally say who repairs, maintains and cleans what. Look for clauses covering:
- repairs and maintenance of the premises and their services
- plant and equipment, including ventilation and extraction
- compliance with laws and insurers’ requirements
- service charges for shared parts of the building
In many leases, the tenant is responsible for the kitchen equipment and extract system that serves only their unit. Landlords often keep responsibility for structure and shared services. But wording varies a lot, so read yours closely.
Shared risers and multi-let buildings
Things get more complicated when an extract duct runs through other parts of the building, or when several kitchens share a riser. A common arrangement is that each tenant looks after their own canopy and branch duct, and the landlord or managing agent looks after the shared riser, roof fan and discharge, recovering the cost through the service charge. Other leases put the whole run on the tenant.
What matters is that every section has a named owner. If no one is responsible for the shared riser, it may never be cleaned. Grease in a shared riser is a fire risk to everyone in the building.
Need it done? Duct Doctor cleans and tests kitchen extract and ventilation systems across London and the South East, with a certificate and photo report after every clean. Get a fixed quote.
Fire safety duties don’t disappear
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, there can be more than one responsible person in a building. Each has to manage the fire risks within their control and cooperate with the others. BESA notes that landlords, owners, facilities managers and managing agents can all carry duties for fire safety systems (BESA). See the responsible person under the Fire Safety Order.
Insurance on both sides
Both landlord and tenant may have insurance policies that mention extract cleaning. Many policies require proof of regular cleaning, often to TR19® (BESA). If there’s a fire and nobody can produce certificates, either party’s claim could be at risk. Check both policies and make sure the cleaning meets the stricter of the two.
Keep records, and share them
- Keep every TR19 certificate and photo report.
- Send a copy to the landlord or managing agent if the lease asks for it, or if they’re responsible for any part of the system.
- Make sure the report records which sections were cleaned, and any that weren’t reachable.
- Keep fire damper test records for dampers in the ductwork.
- At the start and end of a lease, keep a record of the system’s condition. A survey with photos is useful evidence.
Duct Doctor can clean the tenant’s system, the landlord’s shared riser, or both in one visit, with a TR19® certificate and photo report for each, so both parties have the evidence they need.
Quick answers
Who pays for extract cleaning in a rented restaurant?
Usually whoever the lease makes responsible. Often that’s the tenant for their own system, but check the wording.
Can the landlord ask to see our certificates?
Many leases allow it. Even if yours doesn’t, sharing them helps if there’s ever a dispute or claim.
What if nobody cleans the shared riser?
Raise it with the landlord or managing agent in writing. An uncleaned riser is a fire risk to every occupier.
Is this legal advice?
No. It’s general guidance. For your own lease, speak to a solicitor or surveyor.
Related services
More advice
- The Responsible Person Under the Fire Safety Order
- Kitchen Extract Insurance: What Insurers Want to See
- TR19 Certificates: What They Should Show
- Is TR19 a Legal Requirement? What the Law Says
- All advice
This guide is general information. It isn’t legal or insurance advice: check your own policy wording and lease, and speak to a qualified adviser about your fire risk assessment.