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What are general terms and conditions for finishing work? They are the standard provisions that a finishing company—plasterers, floor layers, wall finishers—sends along with every job to establish the rights and obligations regarding completion, drying times, warranty, additional work, liability, and payment. They form the legal foundation of your quotation: everything you do not want to renegotiate for each job is included once. For the finishing sector, they are indispensable because the work depends heavily on factors beyond your full control, such as the substrate, climate, and drying.
The short answer
- What: standard provisions that apply per assignment, separate from the quotation.
- For what: delivery, drying times and climate, warranty, additional work, liability, payment.
- Legal status: valid if the customer could have known them before or at the time of concluding the agreement (duty to inform, Art. 6:233-234 BW).
- Why in the finishing phase: drying and the substrate determine the final result and are partly beyond your control — disclaimers prevent liability for what is not your fault.
- Risk without: then only the law applies, usually to the detriment of the contractor.
What exactly are the general terms and conditions for finishing work?
General terms and conditions are stipulations drawn up to be used in a series of agreements, without being negotiated separately for each assignment (Art. 6:231 BW). For a finishing company, this means: you write a single set of provisions that applies to every plastering, flooring, or wall assignment. The price, location, and scope are stated in the quotation; the rules surrounding this are set out in the terms and conditions.
The distinction is important. The core of the agreement—what you do and for what price—belongs in the order confirmation. The terms and conditions regulate what happens if things go wrong: late payment, a complaint about a tear, extra work outside the quotation, or damage during the work.
The legal status: when do they apply?
Conditions bind the customer only if two requirements are met:
- Declared applicable. You clearly refer to this in the quotation or order confirmation, for example: “our general terms and conditions apply to this order”.
- Provided. The client must reasonably have been able to know them before the agreement was concluded (Art. 6:233 sub b BW). Sent as an attachment, or, for digital orders, a clickable link.
If you fail to do this, the customer can invalidate a clause, and you will fall back on statutory rules. Moreover, for consumers, the black and grey lists (Articles 6:236-237 of the Dutch Civil Code) apply: certain clauses are by definition unreasonably burdensome or are likely to be so. A warranty exclusion that goes too far will then fail.
Why the finishing sector really needs these conditions
Finishing work is unique because the end result depends on circumstances that you do not fully control:
- Drying times. Plaster, poured floors, and self-leveling compound need time. If work is done or painted over too soon, cracks or damp spots will appear — often not your fault.
- Climate and ventilation. Temperature, humidity, and drafts on the construction site determine drying. Without ventilation or heating, this goes wrong. A climate disclaimer stipulates that the client is responsible for ensuring workable conditions.
- Substrate. You build upon the work of others. If the subfloor is not level or the masonry is damp, this affects your layer.
- Shrinkage and cracking. Fine hairline cracks in plasterwork are partly normal from a building physics perspective and not a defect.
Without disclaimers regarding drying, climate, and substrate, you will be held liable for results that were actually caused by the client or previous parties.
Which topics belong in it?
- Delivery. When is the work considered delivered, how is it inspected, and within what timeframe must visible defects be reported.
- Drying times and climate. Expected drying times, the requirement for ventilation and minimum temperature, and exclusion of consequences in the event of deviating circumstances.
- Warranty. What is and is not covered under warranty; excluded are shrinkage cracks within the standard, defects due to misuse or moisture exposure.
- Additional work. Extra work outside the quotation will be charged separately upon notification.
- Liability. Limitation to the invoice amount or the insured sum; exclusion of consequential damages.
- Payment. Installments, down payment, default and collection costs.
A brief practical example
A plasterer completes a living room. The customer paints two days later, while the plasterwork is not yet fully dry. Damp patches appear, and the customer claims repairs. With a condition regarding drying times and the advice “do not paint before full hardening,” the plasterer is in a strong position: the damage stems from the customer painting over the plaster too soon, not from a defect in the plasterwork.
Honest recommendation
If you work on small, one-off jobs for private clients and already have a set of terms and conditions that you send along correctly, you do not need a lawyer for day-to-day operations — sending them along and demonstrably providing them is the most important thing. A lawyer only becomes relevant when you work with larger clients, contractors, or subcontractors, or if your terms and conditions have not yet been tailored to drying, climate, and completion. It is precisely those finishing-specific disclaimers that make the difference between a strong and a weak position in the event of a complaint. Always have a set you downloaded from the internet checked against the black and grey lists before using it with consumers.
Read more: drafting general terms and conditions for finishing and having general terms and conditions for finishing drafted. Need a set immediately? View the general terms and conditions for finishing.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the standard terms and conditions that a finishing company sends along with every job, separate from the quotation. They cover delivery, drying times and climate, warranty, additional work, liability, and payment. This way, you do not have to renegotiate these ground rules for every job.
Provided you declare them applicable in the quotation and the customer could have known them before or at the time of concluding the agreement (Art. 6:233-234 BW). In practice: send them along as an attachment or clickable link. If this is not done, the customer may annul the stipulations.
The final result of plastering and flooring depends on drying, ventilation, and temperature — factors that are partly the responsibility of the client or the construction site. With disclaimers, you stipulate that the client is responsible for workable conditions and that you are not liable for damage caused by repainting too early or insufficient ventilation.
Fine hairline cracks in plasterwork are partly normal from a building physics perspective and do not qualify as a defect under standard norms. A good warranty clause excludes these shrinkage and settlement cracks, provided they fall within the norm. Structural or serious cracks, however, can constitute a defect.
Yes. For consumers, the black and grey lists apply (Articles 6:236-237 of the Dutch Civil Code): certain clauses are by definition or presumed to be unreasonably burdensome. An overly broad exclusion of liability or warranty may therefore fail. Have consumer terms and conditions checked against this.
In that case, only the law applies, usually to the contractor's disadvantage. You have no documented drying time or climate disclaimer, no limitation of liability, and no clear payment and additional work arrangements. In the event of a complaint, you are in a weaker legal position.
You may charge for extra work outside the quotation, but preferably notify the customer in advance and stipulate this in the terms and conditions. In the case of consumers, you are required to warn them of any cost increase (Article 7:755 of the Dutch Civil Code). A clause regarding additional work prevents disputes regarding the final invoice.
