MKB Juristen drafts custom legal documents
It is best not to cobble together or copy important contracts, terms and conditions, and other legal documents yourself. We help entrepreneurs on a budget with customized legal solutions, clear costs upfront, and practical explanations.
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Having general terms and conditions for contractors drafted by a specialized SME lawyer typically costs between €500 and €1,500, depending on the complexity of your work and whether you serve both consumers and business clients. You receive a set tailored to contracting work: additional work, completion, warranty, payment in installments, right of retention, and liability, valid under Dutch law and compliant with consumer regulations. Below is what you get, what it costs, and how the process works — viewed from the perspective of the contractor who wants a hassle-free experience.
The short answer
- Costs: €500 – €1,500 with a specialized SME lawyer.
- Lead time: usually 1 to 2 weeks.
- What you get: a custom set tailored to your type of work and clients.
- When advisable: in the case of installment payments, guarantees, right of retention, or subcontracting.
- Important: having them drawn up is only half the battle — correctly handing them over determines whether they apply.
How much does it cost?
The price depends on how extensive your work is and whether the terms need to be suitable for multiple situations:
- Basic set for one type of work and one type of client: € 500 – € 800.
- Comprehensive set with installment payments, guarantees on workmanship and materials, retention, and subcontracting: €800 – €1,500.
- Two variants (consumer and business) or alignment with the UAV 2012: at the upper end of that range or slightly above.
- Standalone review of existing conditions: often €250 – €500.
Compare that to a single missed discussion on additional work or unrecoverable consequential damages: a good set quickly pays for itself.
The process step by step
- Intake: the legal expert maps out your work — what you build, for whom, how you invoice, and what guarantees you provide.
- Risk assessment: where does your vulnerability lie (delays, non-payment, material defects)?
- Concept: you receive a set that completes and supplements the statutory rules for contracts for work (Art. 7:750 et seq. Dutch Civil Code).
- Meeting: you go through the terms so that you understand them and can explain them to a client.
- Final: the final version plus brief instructions on application and submission.
Why not pick it up from the internet yourself?
Free templates are rarely tailored to contracts for work, are often outdated, and sometimes contradictory. For example: a roofer cobbled together an online template for “service providers.” It covered no additional work or right of retention, and excluded liability without limitation. When a customer took legal action following a leak, the exclusion was overturned (disagreeing as unreasonably burdensome to a consumer), and the roofer had no right of retention to enforce payment. A custom-drafted template would have prevented both problems.
A legal expert ensures that the clauses align with each other, with the law, and with your practice — and that they hold up when it matters.
Having someone draw the team is only half the battle
A perfect set of conditions is worthless if you don't use it properly. Therefore, ensure that you:
- refers to the terms and conditions in every quotation and order confirmation;
- provides sending it as an attachment to the quotation is safest (Art. 6:233/6:234 BW);
- the correct variant used for consumers versus business clients;
- have them updated periodically if legislation or your working methods change.
The lawyer drafting your terms and conditions usually includes brief instructions for use. Ask for these explicitly.
Honest recommendation
Do you exclusively handle small jobs for cash payment upon completion, without installments, without long-term warranties, and only for private individuals? Then a reliable basic set will suffice, and you do not necessarily need a lawyer — provided you consistently send one along. For that simple situation, having one drawn up is sometimes overkill.
Do you work with installment payments, provide guarantees on work and materials, want a right of retention that holds up, or do you work as a subcontractor or under the UAV 2012? Then have the terms and conditions drawn up. The same applies if you serve both consumers and businesses. The investment of €500 – €1,500 pales in comparison to what a single untenable liability clause can cost you.
Want to know more? View the general terms and conditions for contractors, read what general terms and conditions for contractors are , and delve into drafting general terms and conditions for contractors.
Frequently Asked Questions
With a specialized SME lawyer, the cost is typically €500 – €1,500. A basic set for a single type of work falls at the lower end of that range; a comprehensive set covering installment payments, guarantees, retention, and subcontracting is above it. A standalone review of existing terms and conditions is often €250 – €500.
Usually 1 to 2 weeks: intake, risk assessment, draft, discussion, and final version. For complex situations or two variants (consumer and business), it may take slightly longer.
A set tailored to your work: additional work, delivery, warranty, payment in installments, right of retention, and liability, valid under Dutch law and compliant with consumer regulations. Usually includes brief instructions on application and provision.
That is possible, but it is risky. Free templates are rarely tailored to contracts for work, are often outdated, and sometimes contradictory. For example, they lack additional work or a right of retention, or exclude liability in such a way that it does not hold up against consumers.
No. You must also use the terms and conditions correctly: refer to them in the quotation and order confirmation and provide them, preferably sending them as an attachment (Art. 6:233/6:234 BW). Otherwise, the client may annul the stipulations.
If you work with installment payments, guarantees on work and materials, a right of retention, subcontracting, or the UAV 2012, and certainly if you serve both consumers and businesses, that is where the risks lie where an untenable clause can cost you a project.
Yes, periodically. If legislation changes, you shift from consumer to business clients, or your working methods change, have the set updated. An outdated set can unintentionally work against you.
