Most standard commercial general liability policies contain a “Damage to Your Work” exclusion. It is one of the least understood provisions in the form, and for kitchen exhaust cleaning contractors it decides the outcome of a large share of claims.
In policy terms, the exclusion applies to property damage to completed work when that damage arises out of the work and falls within the products-completed operations hazard. The policy generally defines “your work” as work or operations performed by the insured or on the insured’s behalf, along with materials, parts, or equipment furnished in connection with that work. The definition also reaches related warranties, representations, warnings, and instructions.
The Plain-Language Version
General liability insurance is not a warranty or a guarantee that work will be performed correctly.
When a cleaning was incomplete, performed incorrectly, or has to be done again, the policy generally will not pay the ordinary cost of correcting or redoing the service. That cost belongs to the contractor as a business expense, the same way a mechanic absorbs the labor on a repeat repair.
The exclusion exists because carriers price general liability to cover accidents that injure people or damage other property. Pricing it to guarantee the quality of every job performed would produce a very different, and far more expensive, product.
The Related “Damage to Property” Exclusion
A separate “Damage to Property” exclusion may apply while the cleaning is still underway.
Consider a crew that bends, cracks, or punctures an exhaust vent during active cleaning. The policy may not pay to repair or replace that vent, because it was the specific part of the property being worked on at the time the damage occurred.
The analysis shifts when the damage travels. If that same incident also harms other parts of the restaurant, such as the ceiling, the electrical system, or kitchen equipment, the resulting damage may be evaluated separately and may fall within coverage.
The dividing line is consistent across both exclusions: damage to the thing being worked on tends to be excluded, while damage that the work causes to other property tends to be evaluated on its own terms.
Incomplete Work and the Cost of Correction
The same principle governs claims about work that was never finished.
Suppose a restaurant discovers that a section of ductwork was missed during a cleaning. The restaurant asks the contractor to return, requests a refund of the service charge, or hires another company to complete the job and sends the bill.
Those expenses are typically treated as workmanship or contractual issues rather than covered property damage. General liability is not designed to pay because a customer did not receive the service that was promised. Handling that situation well is a customer service and contract matter, not an insurance matter.
Where the Analysis Changes Completely
The picture looks different when allegedly incomplete work causes a larger loss.
Suppose a fire starts several weeks after a cleaning, and the restaurant alleges that combustible grease was left inside the ductwork. Two very different dollar figures are in play:
- The cost of cleaning the system again. Likely excluded as damage to the contractor’s own work.
- Fire damage to the building, roof, kitchen equipment, inventory, and neighboring property. Potentially covered under the policy’s products-completed operations coverage, subject to the facts and the rest of the policy language.
The second figure is where the real exposure sits. A missed duct section might cost a few hundred dollars to clean properly. The fire that follows can run into seven figures once business interruption claims from the restaurant and adjacent tenants arrive.
What Carriers Examine After a Loss
The outcome of any claim depends on the facts of the loss and the complete policy language. Carriers generally evaluate:
- What work was actually performed, and what the service documentation shows
- What property was damaged, and its relationship to the work performed
- When the damage occurred, during operations or after completion
- Whether any endorsements restrict completed operations or kitchen exhaust cleaning specifically
- Whether the work was performed by employees or by subcontractors
That last point matters more than most contractors realize. The standard “Damage to Your Work” exclusion contains an exception for certain work performed by subcontractors on the insured’s behalf. An endorsement can narrow or remove that exception entirely, which quietly changes the value of a policy for any contractor who subcontracts labor.
Reading a Policy Before a Claim Arrives
Three questions are worth answering while the policy is quiet:
- Does the policy include products-completed operations coverage, and at what limit?
- Has any endorsement modified or deleted the subcontractor exception to the “your work” exclusion?
- Do any endorsements restrict kitchen exhaust cleaning, rooftop work, or hot work?
Working with a broker who specializes in kitchen exhaust cleaning insurance helps surface these restrictions in advance and keeps the policy structured around how the operation actually runs. Discovering an endorsement during a claim is the most expensive way to read a policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was a hood cleaning insurance claim denied for redoing the work?
The “Damage to Your Work” exclusion generally removes the cost of correcting or repeating the contractor’s own work. The policy is built for accidents that damage other property or injure people.
Does general liability cover a duct damaged during cleaning?
The damaged duct itself is often excluded as the particular part of the property being worked on. Damage that incident causes to the ceiling, wiring, or equipment nearby may be evaluated separately.
Does the exclusion apply to fire damage after a cleaning?
Re-cleaning the system is typically excluded. Resulting fire damage to the building, equipment, inventory, and neighboring property may fall under products-completed operations coverage, depending on the facts and the policy form.
What is the subcontractor exception to the “your work” exclusion?
Standard policy language carves out an exception for damage arising from work performed by a subcontractor on the insured’s behalf. Endorsements can modify or eliminate that exception, which is worth confirming for any contractor who uses subs.