The photo report is the deliverable. The cleaning is what makes it possible, but the report is what you actually file, forward and rely on. Here is what a complete one contains and how to tell whether yours is doing its job.
Per-Unit Before and After Photographs
Every unit, both states, with the unit number legible on or attached to each image. Not a representative sample. Not “photos of problem units.” Every one. If a resident later disputes whether their unit was serviced, or a regional manager asks whether the budget delivered, or an adjuster asks what condition the vents were in six months before a fire, the answer is in this section or it does not exist.
Exterior Termination Photographs
Every wall cap, roof cap and termination photographed before and after clearing. Terminations are what fire marshals see from the ground, so their documented condition is your first line of evidence at inspection. This section should also capture damaged, corroded or missing damper components.
Deficiency Log
The most operationally useful section, and the one cheap vendors omit. It should list, with photographs and unit locations:
- Crushed or kinked duct sections
- Disconnected duct runs venting into wall cavities or ceilings
- Foil or vinyl flex duct in concealed spaces (a code violation in most jurisdictions)
- Excessive-length or excessively coiled transition ducts at the dryer
- Failed or missing backdraft dampers
- Screened termination caps (they trap lint and should not be used on dryer exhaust)
- Bird nesting or rodent activity
This becomes your maintenance punch list. Items here are the difference between cleaning a vent and fixing the reason it blocked.
Airflow Verification Summary
Confirmation that airflow was restored, unit by unit or by exception. Units that remain restricted after cleaning indicate a physical duct problem, not a lint problem — and those should cross-reference to the deficiency log.
Access Exceptions
Units that could not be entered, the dates of each attempt, and their disposition. A vendor billing you for units they never entered is a problem you can only detect if this section exists.
Completion Certificate
A dated certificate stating the property, scope, unit count completed and a reference to NFPA 211’s annual inspection requirement. This is the single page that goes to the fire marshal, the insurance carrier or the acquisition data room.
Delivery and Format
Delivered within 48 hours of completion, organised per building, in a format you can forward without editing. If you have to chase the report, or reformat it before anyone else can read it, it is not doing its job.