Terms and Conditions
These terms and conditions are the agreement that governs commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning work performed by Barrie Hood Cleaning, and they apply to every quote issued and every job booked unless a signed contract says otherwise in writing. They are set out in plain language on purpose. An operator should be able to read them once, know what is being bought, what has to be ready on site, when payment falls due, and exactly what the certificate at the end does and does not prove.
What is the scope of service?
Barrie Hood Cleaning provides commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning and related services to commercial kitchens only, and the scope of any given visit is whatever the written quote for that visit says it is.
Depending on the quote, a visit may cover the canopy, the baffle filters, the plenum behind them, accessible duct runs, the rooftop fan and housing, or grease containment at the fan. Where a quote covers only part of the system, it says so, and the certificate is written to match. Nothing is implied into the scope by assumption: if a service is not listed on the quote, it has not been priced and it will not be performed without your approval.
Residential range hoods are outside the scope of this service entirely, because they fall outside NFPA 96. Repairs are also out of scope. Barrie Hood Cleaning cleans exhaust systems and reports defects it finds, such as a seized fan bearing, missing access panels, damaged ductwork, or a filter bank that no longer seals. Making those repairs is separate work by a qualified trade, and reporting a defect is not a warranty that the equipment is otherwise sound.
One awkward point is stated here rather than buried: cleaning one tenant's hood in a multi-tenant building does not clear a shared riser. Where several units exhaust into a common duct, each unit needs its own cleaning and the shared portion needs to be addressed as its own scope of work, usually through the property manager. Buying a single-unit clean does not make the shared duct compliant, and the certificate will not say that it does.
How do quotes work, and what is included?
Every quote is written, issued within 24 hours of the enquiry or the walk-through, and states its own validity period on the document.
A quote is normally held open for a reasonable window of about 30 days from issue, and the period printed on the individual quote is the one that governs. Beyond that window the same figure can usually be reissued, but the scope is confirmed first, because a kitchen that has run three extra months since it was priced is genuinely a different job.
A quote includes the cleaning scope described above, the before-and-after photo report covering each cleaned surface, the signed health and safety certificate referencing NFPA 96, and proof of WSIB coverage and liability insurance supplied before work begins. Barrie Hood Cleaning quotes on a per-visit basis: single-hood kitchens start from $385 and multi-hood kitchens from $725, with club, campus, base, and multi-tenant kitchens quoted after a free walk-through. Larger sites are walked before they are priced for the simple reason that guessing at a long or shared duct run produces a number nobody should rely on.
The invoice matches the quote. Where conditions on site turn out to be materially different from what was described, for example a hood that is twice the quoted length or a system that has gone years rather than months between cleanings, the difference is raised with you during the visit and any extra work needs your approval before it proceeds. Nothing gets added to an invoice after the fact.
What access does the site have to provide?
The operator is responsible for providing safe and workable access to every part of the system being cleaned, and a booking assumes that access exists.
In practical terms, that means the following are in place at the agreed start time: entry to the building, keys or a person to let the crew in, alarm codes or somebody able to disarm the system, safe and lawful roof access where rooftop work is quoted, a cook line that is off, cooled, and clear of food and small equipment, working power and hot water, and drainage the crew is permitted to use. Where roof access is controlled by a landlord or shared with other tenants, arranging permission before the visit is the operator's side of the bargain, and it is the single most common cause of a delayed job.
The crew will not work in conditions that are unsafe. That includes a roof that cannot be reached or worked safely in the weather on the day, a hatch or ladder that is not sound, live electrical hazards, and equipment that cannot be isolated. Judgement on site rests with the crew, and no operator instruction overrides it.
Where any part of the system cannot be safely or fully accessed, it is documented as not accessible on the certificate and in the photo report, and it is not recorded as cleaned. This is deliberate and it is the honest outcome. A certificate that quietly implies a sealed duct run was cleaned is worth nothing to an inspector and worse than nothing to an insurer. You are told what could not be reached during the visit, together with what it would take to reach it next time, such as fitting access panels or a fan hinge kit. What the standard actually requires is set out on the NFPA 96 guide.
Cancellation, rescheduling, and payment
Bookings can be moved with reasonable notice at no charge, and invoices are issued after the work is complete on the terms printed on the quote.
Give as much notice as you can when a date has to move, ideally two full business days, and the visit is rebooked into the next workable slot. Kitchens run on surprises and late changes get treated as normal rather than penalised. The exception is a wasted attendance: where a crew arrives at the agreed time and cannot start because the site is locked, still occupied, or unsafe, the visit may be charged. Route-day work outside Barrie is grouped by geography, so a cancellation on a county run can push the rebooking out further than a cancellation in the city.
Payment terms are stated on the quote and repeated on the invoice. Institutional accounts, including school boards, municipalities, and property-managed portfolios, are set up on their own purchase order and payment cycle before the first visit, so the paperwork is agreed before anyone is on site. Late payment may attract interest at the rate stated on the invoice. Where an account remains unpaid, further bookings can be held until it is settled.
If something about the work is not right, raise it promptly and while the evidence is fresh. The photo report exists precisely so a disagreement can be settled by looking at the pictures rather than by trading recollections, and a genuine miss gets put right.
Liability, insurance, and what the certificate means
Barrie Hood Cleaning carries WSIB coverage and liability insurance, supplies proof of both before work begins, and issues a certificate that records the condition of the system at the time of the cleaning.
Property managers, school boards, and municipalities can be named as additional insured on request, and the request should be made at quote stage so the documents are correct before the schedule is set. Current coverage details are supplied with the paperwork for your job rather than published on this page, because the certificate in your hands is the one that means anything.
Barrie Hood Cleaning is responsible for damage it causes through its own negligence in performing the work. It is not responsible for pre-existing conditions, for the consequences of defects it reported that were not repaired, for equipment failing due to age or wear, or for losses arising from an operator's own fire-code obligations going unmet. Where the system, the building, or the weather prevents part of the work being completed, the remedy is the documented record of what was and was not done.
The limits of the certificate deserve stating clearly. It is a record of the condition of the exhaust system at the time of that cleaning, listing what was cleaned and what was not accessible. It is not a permanent compliance guarantee, it is not an inspection of the fire suppression system, and it is not a substitute for the operator's day-to-day duties, which include keeping filters in place, keeping the suppression system serviced, and cleaning again on the correct interval for the cooking volume. NFPA 96 sets those intervals by volume, from monthly for solid fuel through to annual for low-volume kitchens, and the interval for your kitchen is confirmed at the visit. Background reading sits in the hood cleaning guides.
These terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada that apply in it, and the courts of Ontario have jurisdiction over any dispute arising from them. If any provision is found unenforceable, the rest continues to apply. Terms may be updated, and the version published here at the time your quote is issued is the version that applies to that work. How your information is handled is covered separately in the privacy policy, and questions about any of this can go to the contact page or 705-413-1011.
Terms of service: frequently asked questions
The clauses operators ask about most often, answered directly.
How long does a written quote stay valid?
Each written quote states its own validity period on the document, and that stated period is the one that governs. A quote is normally held open for a reasonable window of about 30 days from issue. After that it can usually be reissued at the same figure, but the scope is confirmed again first, because a kitchen that has gone three months longer between cleanings is a different job from the one that was priced.
What happens if part of the system cannot be reached?
Anything that cannot be safely or fully accessed is documented as not accessible on the certificate and in the photo report, and it is never recorded as cleaned. Common causes are a duct run built with no access panels, a roof that cannot be worked safely in the conditions on the day, and a fan that is seized or unsafe to lift. The operator is told during the visit, not after it, and the fix is quoted separately.
Can a booked cleaning be rescheduled?
Yes. Give as much notice as you can, ideally two full business days, and the visit is moved to the next workable slot at no charge. Kitchens run on surprises, so late changes are treated as normal rather than punished. What does get charged for is a wasted attendance: a crew that arrives at the agreed time and cannot start because the site is locked, occupied, or unsafe.
When is payment due after a hood cleaning?
The invoice is issued after the work is complete and matches the written quote, apart from any additional work you approved during the visit. Payment terms are stated on the quote and the invoice, and institutional accounts such as school boards, municipalities, and property managers are set up on their own purchase order and payment cycle before the first visit.
Does the certificate mean the kitchen is permanently compliant?
No. The certificate records the condition of the exhaust system at the time of that cleaning, and it lists anything that was not accessible. Grease accumulates from the next service onward, so compliance is a matter of cleaning on the correct NFPA 96 interval for the cooking volume. Day-to-day fire-code duties, including filters in place and a serviced suppression system, remain the operator's responsibility.