New to the Netherlands? Words with a have a short explanation. Tap or click them.
Sooner or later, every home needs someone with a toolbox. A shelf to hang, a leaking pipe, a room to paint. In a new country, that's harder than it sounds: you don't know who to call, what a fair price is, or which companies to trust. This guide explains how it works in the Netherlands: which professional you need, what it costs in 2026, how to check a company before you hire it, what your rights are, and how to spot the fake emergency services that target people in a hurry.
The idea in simple words
Hiring a handyman is a bit like ordering food in a new restaurant. Before you order, you look at the menu and the prices. You check the reviews. And at the end, you get a receipt.
Do the same with a handyman. Get the price in writing before the work starts. Check that the company really exists. And pay against an invoice, preferably by bank transfer.
Two rules are extra important. Anything to do with a gas boiler, a gas water heater or a gas fire must be done by a certified company. That's the law. And be careful with emergency services you find through online ads. Some are not what they seem.
The most important facts
- Price: a self-employed handyman charges €47 an hour on average in 2026, according to a survey by the bank Knab. Plumbers and electricians often charge more, plus a call-out fee.
- 9% VAT instead of 21%: for painting, plastering, wallpapering and insulating a home that's more than 2 years old. Most other work, like plumbing and electrics, has 21% VAT.
- Gas appliances: since 1 April 2023, only companies with a Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas you can't see or smell. A CO-vrij (CO-free) certificate shows a company is trained and checked to work on gas appliances safely. may work on a gas boiler, gas water heater or gas fire. Check the company in the official register.
- 14 days to change your mind: if you agree on a job at your home, by phone or online, you can usually cancel within 14 days. That doesn't count for an urgent repair you called the company for yourself.
- Extra costs: a company may only charge for extra work if it warned you about the higher price in time.
Words you need to know first
- Handyman (klusjesman or klusser): someone who does many kinds of small jobs in and around the house.
- Quote (offerte): a written offer that says what the work is and what it costs, before you say yes.
- Invoice (factuur): the bill you get after the work, with the company's details and the VAT.
- Value added tax: a tax on most things you buy. In Dutch: btw. The normal rate is 21%. Some things have a lower rate of 9%. (btw): a tax on most things you buy. It's 21% for most work, and 9% for some work on homes.
- The Kamer van Koophandel (Chamber of Commerce). Every Dutch business must be registered with it and gets a KVK number.: the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. Every Dutch business must be registered there and has a KVK number.
- Extra work (meerwerk): work that wasn't in the quote, which the company wants to charge extra for.
Before you hire anyone: are you allowed?
- Do you rent? Small repairs inside the home are yours, but most bigger repairs are your landlord's job and your landlord pays. Don't hire someone for a broken boiler or a leaking roof before you've asked your landlord. And you need written permission for most changes to the home. Our guide Who fixes what in a rental home explains exactly which jobs are yours.
- Do you own an apartment? Then you're a member of the owners' association, the Vereniging van Eigenaars: the association of all owners in an apartment building. It looks after the parts everyone shares, and its rules say what owners may change.. The parts of the building that everyone shares belong to the VvE. Check its rules before you change anything that affects the outside of the building or shared parts.
- Building something outside? Some work needs a permit from the municipality, like a A box-shaped window built into a sloping roof, to make more room in the attic. In Dutch: dakkapel. or an extension. The free permit check (vergunningcheck) on the government's Omgevingsloket website tells you if you need one.
Which professional do you need?
| The job | Who to call |
|---|---|
| Hanging shelves, lamps or curtains, building furniture, small repairs | Handyman (klusjesman) |
| Painting walls, ceilings, window frames | Painter (schilder) |
| Smooth walls and ceilings, filling cracks | Plasterer (stukadoor) |
| Leaks, taps, toilets, water pipes | Plumber (loodgieter) |
| A blocked drain that you can't clear yourself | Drain cleaner (ontstoppingsbedrijf) |
| New sockets, a new group in the fuse box, electrical faults | Electrician (elektricien or installateur) |
| Gas boiler, gas water heater, gas fire: fitting, servicing, repairs | A CO-certified installation company (cv-monteur or installateur). Required by law. |
| Locked out, broken lock | Locksmith (slotenmaker) |
| Roof leaks, gutters | Roofer (dakdekker) |
Gas appliances: only certified companies, by law
Since 1 April 2023, only companies with a CO certificate may fit, service or repair a gas boiler (cv-ketel), gas water heater (geiser) or gas fire. The Dutch government says doing this work yourself is against the law, and that hiring a company without the certificate is against the law too. You can check any company for free in the official register (register gasverbrandingsinstallaties). Certified companies may also use the "CO-vrij" logo. The government advises having your gas appliance checked at least once every 2 years.
What it costs in 2026
Prices differ a lot by city, by type of job and by how fast you need someone. These are rough guides, not fixed prices:
- Handyman: a self-employed handyman charges €47 an hour on average in 2026. Starters ask about €45 and experienced handymen about €48. These figures come from Knab's 2026 survey of more than 20,000 self-employed people.
- Plumbers and electricians: usually more. Dutch price comparison websites mostly show about €45 to €85 an hour in 2026, and a call-out fee (voorrijkosten) of often €20 to €40 on top. These sites don't all agree, so ask for the price up front.
- Evenings, weekends and emergencies: often much more expensive than a normal weekday.
- Materials usually come on top of the hourly price.
Always ask: "Is this price with or without VAT?" Some companies give prices without VAT, so 21% comes on top. A very small business may not charge any VAT at all. That's allowed if it uses the Kleineondernemersregeling: a Dutch VAT scheme for very small businesses. If a business bills €20,000 a year or less, it can choose not to charge VAT. (KOR) for businesses that bill €20,000 a year or less.
The best way to know what's fair: ask 2 or 3 companies for a quote for the same job, and compare.
9% or 21% VAT: what you pay for which job
For some work on homes, the Dutch tax office (the Belastingdienst) allows a lower VAT rate of 9%. The home must be more than 2 years old. On a €1,000 job, that's €90 in VAT instead of €210.
| The job | Work | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Painting | 9% | 9% for the paint and materials the painter uses |
| Plastering | 9% | 9% for the materials the plasterer uses |
| Wallpapering | 9% | 9% for the glue, but 21% for the wallpaper itself |
| Insulating floors, walls and roofs to save energy | 9% | 21% for the insulation material |
| Cleaning in a home | 9%, also in homes less than 2 years old | – |
| Almost everything else: plumbing, electrics, new windows or doors, tiling, floors, plasterboard walls | 21% | 21% |
If a job has both kinds of work, the company must split the 9% part and the 21% part in its quote and invoice. Check that it does. And note: paint you buy yourself in a DIY shop always has 21% VAT.
Where to find a good handyman
- Ask people around you: neighbours, colleagues and other expats. A company that did good work for someone you know is often the safest choice.
- Online platforms, such as Werkspot or Zoofy. On Werkspot, you describe your job, several professionals react, and you choose one, partly based on reviews from other customers. Read the reviews, and check the company yourself too (see below).
- Your landlord or VvE often has fixed companies for the building. Ask them first if the job has to do with the building.
6 checks before you hire anyone
- Check the KVK register. Search the company's name or KVK number for free on kvk.nl. Does it exist? Are the name and address the same as on the website and the quote?
- Read reviews on more than one website. Look at the recent ones, and at how the company reacts to complaints.
- Get a written quote. An email is fine. See the next section for what should be in it.
- For gas work: check the CO register. No certificate means no job, by law.
- Ask about insurance. If the company damages something in your home, its business insurance (aansprakelijkheidsverzekering) should pay. Ask if it has one.
- Don't pay a lot up front. For a small job, there's no reason to pay before the work is done. For a bigger job, agree on payments in parts, linked to the work that's finished.
The quote: what it should say
A good quote (offerte) shows:
- the company's name, address and KVK number;
- exactly what work will be done, and what is not included;
- the price, with the VAT shown separately (9% and 21% split if needed);
- whether it's a fixed price or an estimate;
- when the work starts and how long it takes;
- how and when you pay.
Dutch law protects you against surprises on the bill:
- Estimates: if the company gave you an estimate (richtprijs), the final price may be at most 10% higher. More than that is only allowed if the company warned you as early as possible, so you could choose to do less.
- Extra work: if you ask for something extra, the company may only charge more if it told you in time that this would cost more. The exception is when you should have understood that yourself.
- No price agreed at all? Then you owe a reasonable price. That's why a written quote matters so much.
Your right to cancel within 14 days
If you agree on a job at your home, by phone or online, Dutch law usually gives you 14 days to cancel without giving a reason. The 14 days start on the day you agreed. This is called the In Dutch: bedenktijd. A period in which you can cancel a deal without giving a reason. For most services agreed outside a shop or office, it's 14 days.. If you want the work to start sooner, you must ask for that clearly, in writing. An email is fine.
There's one big exception: urgent repairs you asked for. If you call a plumber yourself to come and fix a leak, you can't cancel the repair afterwards. But extra work or extra products you didn't ask for still have the 14 days.
Emergencies and fake emergency services
Water everywhere, locked out at night, no power: these are the moments when people make expensive mistakes. The Dutch consumer authority (the ACM) has taken action against companies with websites that looked like local, certified locksmiths, but sent random companies with unclear prices. In 2026, the government said it knows about similar problems with fake emergency plumbers, electricians and locksmiths, and that some work as criminal networks. They often charge very high prices, push you to pay on the spot, and are hard to find afterwards.
How to protect yourself:
- Do you rent? Call your landlord's emergency number first. Many problems are the landlord's to fix and pay for anyway.
- Stop the damage yourself if you can. For a water leak, close the main water tap (hoofdkraan). It's usually near your water meter. Find it now, before you need it.
- Do you smell gas? Go outside and call the free national gas and power emergency number: 0800-9009, 24 hours a day.
- Be careful with the top results and ads in search engines. Look for a company with a real local address, a KVK number and reviews.
- Ask the price before they come: the call-out fee, the hourly rate and any night or weekend extra.
- Be very careful if someone pushes you to pay a large amount on the spot, in cash or on a payment terminal. A trustworthy company gives you an invoice.
Did it go wrong? Report it to ACM ConsuWijzer and the Fraudehelpdesk. If you were threatened or think you were cheated, also report it to the police.
Paying and after the job
- Ask for an invoice with the company's name, KVK number, VAT number, the date, the work done and the VAT. You need it for your guarantee, and for your insurance if something goes wrong later.
- Pay by bank transfer where you can. Then you have proof.
- Check the work before you pay the last part. Look at it together with the professional.
- Problems later? Report them in writing as soon as you see them, and give the company a reasonable time to fix them. That's what the law expects you to do first.
"Cheaper in cash, no invoice?"
Sometimes a handyman offers a lower price if you pay in cash without an invoice. It may sound like a good deal, but you get no proof of what you agreed or paid. That makes it very hard to get a bad job fixed, or to get money from an insurer after damage.
If you can't agree
- Write to the company and explain what's wrong and what you want. Give it a deadline, for example 14 days.
- Is the company a member of a trade association? Many trade associations work with De Geschillencommissie, a dispute committee for consumers. It's quicker and cheaper than a court, you don't need a lawyer, and both sides must follow its decision. You pay a small fee to start.
- Get free advice from the Het Juridisch Loket: a free Dutch legal help desk, paid for by the government. You can call, chat or visit..
- Go to the The kantonrechter: the local court for everyday cases such as rent, work and small debts. You don't need a lawyer there. (kantonrechter) as a last step.
Your handyman checklist
- Renting? Check first if the job is yours or your landlord's.
- Ask 2 or 3 companies for a written quote, and compare.
- Check each company's KVK registration and reviews.
- For gas work, check the CO register. No certificate, no job.
- Check the VAT on the quote: 9% for painting, plastering and wallpapering a home older than 2 years.
- Agree on a fixed price, or an estimate, before work starts.
- Find your main water tap now, and save 0800-9009 in your phone.
- Pay against an invoice, by bank transfer, after you've checked the work.
Official sources and useful links
- Belastingdienst: VAT on work on homes (Dutch)
- Rijksoverheid: only certified companies may work on gas appliances (Dutch)
- Ondernemersplein: the CO certificate and the register (Dutch)
- KVK: search the business register
- ACM: action against misleading locksmith websites (Dutch)
- Rechtspraak: solving a dispute through a dispute committee (Dutch)
- Juridisch Loket: free legal advice
This is general information based on the rules in October 2026. Prices are averages and guides, not fixed rates. For your own situation, ask the company for a written quote, and the Juridisch Loket for advice if something goes wrong.
