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 gyms and personal trainers drafted by a specialized SME lawyer typically costs between €350 and €950 for a custom set, depending on the complexity of your fitness business and the number of membership types. With this, you pay for terms that comply with the Dutch Law of Dam, a sustainable liability clause for injury, and a proper collection and freezing arrangement — precisely the components that are often invalid in a standard template found online. Below is the price breakdown, what you get, and how the process works.
The short answer
- Costs: €350 – €950 for a custom set from an SME lawyer.
- Template: €0 – €100, but risk of invalid clauses (Van Dam Act, liability).
- Lead time: usually 1 – 2 weeks.
- What you get: terms and conditions tailored to your subscriptions, house rules, and risks.
- When to have it done: for annual contracts, risk of injury, freezing, or corporate fitness.
Why have it drawn up instead of using a template?
A free template seems attractive, but gym terms and conditions are particularly prone to errors in the parts that cost money. A template rarely takes the Wet van Dam (monthly cancellation after the first term) into account, often excludes liability for injury too broadly — causing the clause to fail — and lacks a workable freezing and collection arrangement.
You only notice the consequences during a dispute: a member winning before the arbitration committee, a liability clause that does not hold up in the event of an injury, or a collection arrangement that you cannot enforce. Having general terms and conditions drafted for gyms and personal trainers means that someone familiar with Dutch law assesses the clauses for their validity.
How much does it cost?
- Free template: €0 – €100. Fast, but rarely aligned with the Van Dam Act and liability limits.
- Tailored set (SME lawyer): €350 – €950. Terms and conditions tailored to your subscription types, house rules, and risks.
- Complex fitness company: €950 – €1,750. Multiple locations, corporate fitness, group classes, personal training, and online subscriptions combined.
- Standalone review: €200 – €450. You already have terms and conditions and want to have them checked and corrected.
What you get for that amount
A good lawyer delivers more than a text file. Count on:
- An intake meeting to review your subscription types, notice periods, and risks.
- Conditions that correctly apply the Law of Dam (first term plus monthly cancellation).
- A sustainable liability clause, linked to a health declaration.
- A collection, price adjustment, and freeze scheme that you can use in practice.
- House rules or a reference thereto, with the authority to deny access.
- Explanation regarding submission: how to validate the terms and conditions upon registration.
The process step by step
- Intake: you discuss your fitness business, subscriptions, and bottlenecks (1 – 3 days).
- Concept: the lawyer draws up a custom set.
- Feedback round: you read along and provide additions; the text is revised.
- Delivery: final terms and conditions plus instructions on handover.
- Implementation: you link them to your registration form and online registration.
Total lead time is usually 1–2 weeks, depending on how fast the feedback round goes.
When is it and when isn't it?
Having a contract drafted is advisable for annual contracts with renewal clauses, real risk of injury (heavy equipment, personal training with intensive schedules), a freeze clause, price indexation, or corporate fitness contracts with employers. It is precisely these subjects that determine whether your clauses hold up.
If you have a small studio with only simple monthly subscriptions without an annual commitment and without an increased risk of injury, you can go far with a good model and common sense — a light review is often sufficient.
Brief practical example
A gym owner in Rotterdam has been using a template with an annual contract that renews tacitly for years. In a dispute with a departing member, he loses because the Van Dam Act mandates monthly cancellation. He subsequently has a custom set drawn up for €650. During the next cancellation discussion, he dutifully collects the one-month notice period — the dispute is averted. The investment pays for itself with the first conflict he avoids.
Honest recommendation
You don't always need a lawyer. If you run a small studio with simple monthly subscriptions without annual contracts or increased risk of injury, a solid template will suffice, possibly accompanied by a separate review costing a few hundred euros. However, do have the terms and conditions fully drafted as soon as you work with annual contracts, salary freezes, price indexation, personal training with a risk of injury, or corporate fitness—these are precisely the clauses that fail before the arbitration committee, and one invalid clause affects all your members. The costs (€350 – €950) almost always outweigh the cost of avoiding just one dispute.
Read more: what are general terms and conditions for gyms and personal trainers, drafting general terms and conditions for gyms and personal trainers , and the general terms and conditions for gyms and personal trainers.
Frequently Asked Questions
With an SME lawyer, the cost is typically €350 – €950 for a custom set. A complex fitness company with multiple locations or corporate fitness comes to €950 – €1,750. A standalone review of existing terms and conditions costs €200 – €450. A free template is also available, but with the risk of invalid clauses.
That is possible, but templates rarely take the Van Dam Act into account and often exclude liability for injury too broadly, causing the clause to fail. You only notice this during a dispute. For a small, simple studio, a template with a light review may suffice; however, this is not the case for annual contracts or the risk of injury.
Usually 1–2 weeks. The process is: intake (1–3 days), concept, feedback round, and delivery. The turnaround time depends mainly on how quickly you review and supplement the draft version.
Tailored terms and conditions that correctly incorporate the Wet van Dam, a sustainable liability clause with a health declaration, a collection, price change, and freezing policy, house rules, and an explanation regarding the provision of documents. Plus an intake session to review your subscriptions and risks.
For annual contracts with renewal rules, real risk of injury, a freeze clause, price indexation, or corporate fitness contracts. These are the topics that determine whether your clauses hold up. For a simple studio with monthly subscriptions without increased risk, a model with a separate review is often sufficient.
Yes. A standalone review costs €200 – €450. The lawyer assesses your existing terms and conditions for validity (termination, liability, collection) and corrects the clauses that do not hold up. That is cheaper than a completely new set and often sufficient if the basics are already sound.
Usually, yes. One lost dispute before the arbitration committee or one unenforceable debt collection case can easily cost more than the €350 – €950 for a custom set. Because one invalid clause affects all your members simultaneously, the investment almost always outweighs the avoided risk.
