“If you pay me directly, I can knock a bit off the price.” Sounds tempting. The job itself does not suddenly change. Until the pipe starts leaking again two weeks later. That invoice you thought you did not need suddenly becomes rather useful.
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What do consumers think about guarantees and undeclared work?
Do you have to let the original tradesperson repair the problem first?
Undeclared work: what do you need to know?
A job without an invoice may seem cheaper. But the biggest risk is not the small amount you save. It is what happens when the work later turns out not to have been done properly.
You do not automatically lose all your rights just because an agreement was not neatly recorded on an invoice. You may expect a business to carry out the work you agreed on properly. The Dutch Consumers' Association explains your rights when a service has been carried out poorly.
If the work has not been done properly, repair is usually the first step. The original tradesperson will normally first be given the opportunity to inspect the defect and repair it within a reasonable period.
But without a clear job description, invoice and proof of payment, it can be much harder to establish afterwards what exactly was agreed.
Was it supposed to be a permanent repair or only a temporary fix? Were materials included? Who carried out the work? How much did you pay? And what guarantee was agreed?
If everything goes well, those are rather boring questions.
If something goes wrong, they suddenly become exactly the questions that matter.
What do consumers think about guarantees and undeclared work?
Zoofy commissioned research among 500 people in the Netherlands. It found that 74% of respondents believed they would have no right to a guarantee if a job was carried out off the books.
People aged 18 to 24 and those aged 65 and over were particularly likely to believe that they would no longer have any right to a guarantee. Respondents in the age groups in between were more likely to think that they would still have rights.
The research is older and therefore does not tell us how people in the Netherlands think about this today. But it does show why there is so much confusion around the subject.
Because the reality is more nuanced than: no invoice, no rights.
According to the Dutch Consumers' Association, you have the right to expect a service to be carried out properly. Any additional guarantee offered by a company comes on top of those rights.
The biggest problem with undeclared work is therefore often not that all your rights suddenly disappear.
The problem is that proving exactly what was agreed can become much more difficult.
What exactly is undeclared work?
Paying in cash does not automatically mean a job is undeclared.
A tradesperson can accept cash, record the payment properly in their accounts and declare the income as required.
Undeclared work occurs when income from work is deliberately concealed. The Dutch Tax and Customs Administration explicitly describes concealed income from work as undeclared work.
As a customer, you may notice warning signs when someone says things like:
“I can do it cheaper without an invoice.”
“If you pay cash, this part does not need to go on the invoice.”
“We'll just do this part outside the books.”
“Transfer the money directly to me and I'll reduce the price.”
It can sound as if you are simply skipping some paperwork.
But that paperwork also happens to be an important part of the evidence showing what work you paid for.
Is undeclared work illegal?
Yes. Earning income and deliberately concealing it from the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration is not permitted. The Dutch Tax and Customs Administration treats concealed income from work as a form of tax fraud.
That does not mean every job paid for in cash is undeclared work. It is not the €50 note itself that matters. What matters is whether the income is properly recorded and declared.
A tradesperson saying, “You can pay in cash and you'll still receive an invoice” is therefore very different from someone saying, “It's cheaper without an invoice.”
For you as a customer, that distinction becomes particularly important if something later turns out to be wrong with the work.
How can you recognise undeclared work?
You cannot tell from a single payment request how a tradesperson handles their tax return. There are, however, warning signs that should make you ask a few more questions.
Be cautious if a tradesperson:
offers a lower price if you do not want an invoice;
says that part of the job can be left off the invoice;
does not want to record the price or agreed work clearly;
does not want to provide company details;
invoices one part officially and wants another part paid separately;
wants additional work to be paid for directly;
was booked through a platform but then asks you to settle the job outside that platform.
The Dutch police advise consumers hiring a tradesperson to agree a price in advance, check the company's Chamber of Commerce registration, ask for an invoice and avoid simply paying immediately.
If you want to check who you are dealing with before the job starts, you can also read what to look out for when booking a reliable tradesperson and avoiding scams.
Fairly normal precautions, really.
Until someone offers to skip all of them in exchange for a discount.
Do you still have a guarantee if you pay a tradesperson off the books?
This is where things often become confusing, because people use the word “guarantee” to mean several different things.
You have the right to properly completed work
If you instruct a business to carry out a job, you may expect the agreed work to be carried out properly.
The Dutch Consumers' Association explains that a service provider must perform the work as agreed. This means you still have rights if the work can be shown not to have been carried out properly, even if there is no separate commercial guarantee.
If the work was not carried out as agreed and the tradesperson is responsible, free repair is generally the first solution.
No invoice therefore does not automatically mean no rights.
But without clear agreements, enforcing those rights can become considerably harder.
The original tradesperson normally gets the first chance to repair the problem
A guarantee does not automatically mean that you immediately get your money back or can simply hire another tradesperson.
If a job has not been carried out properly, you should normally first tell the original tradesperson what is wrong and give them the opportunity to inspect the defect and repair it within a reasonable period.
It works both ways. As a customer, you have the right to work that has been carried out as agreed. But the tradesperson also gets a genuine opportunity to correct a mistake in their own work.
For contracts for work, this is also laid down in Dutch law. Under Article 7:759 of the Dutch Civil Code, a contractor who is liable for defects must in principle first be given the opportunity to remedy those defects within a reasonable period.
ACM ConsuWijzer also advises consumers to first ask the business to repair poorly completed work free of charge and, where necessary, to give the business a reasonable written deadline for doing so.
For example, suppose a plumber replaces a coupling and three weeks later the same connection starts leaking again. First report the problem to the plumber who carried out the work. Give them the opportunity to find out why it is leaking and repair their work.
That does not mean you have to keep allowing the same tradesperson back under all circumstances. If they cannot or will not repair the defect, fail to respond within a reasonable period, the repair attempt fails, or it would not reasonably be appropriate to give them another opportunity, a different next step may be necessary.
That could, depending on the circumstances, mean having another tradesperson carry out the repair, ending all or part of the agreement or claiming compensation.
Without clear agreements, proving your case becomes harder
Suppose you paid a plumber €400.
Three weeks later, the same pipe starts leaking again.
The plumber says they only carried out a temporary repair. You say you paid €400 for a permanent solution.
Who is right?
With a booking confirmation, invoice, messages and proof of payment, it is much easier to show what was agreed.
Without those documents, you may have to rely on WhatsApp messages, photographs, witnesses or other evidence.
That can still be evidence.
You would just rather not have that argument in the first place.
An additional guarantee is something different
A company, trade association or platform may offer an additional guarantee on top of your legal rights. That guarantee can have its own conditions.
An additional guarantee does not replace your legal rights. But its conditions may specify, for example, how the job and payment must be recorded and what procedure you must follow if a problem occurs.
That is another reason to check in advance what guarantee applies and not to move the job outside the agreed administrative process.
What if an off-the-books job goes wrong?
The tap starts leaking again.
The plaster comes loose.
Tiles start falling away from the wall.
Or the circuit breaker keeps tripping ever since the electrician was there.
At that point, the fact that the job was €100 cheaper last month is not particularly useful.
You want one thing: for the problem to be fixed.
If the work was not carried out as agreed and the tradesperson is responsible, first ask them to repair it free of charge. Report the defect as soon as possible and normally give the original tradesperson a reasonable opportunity to put the problem right.
If you discover a problem after a job, do the following:
take photos and videos of the defect;
keep WhatsApp messages and emails;
keep quotations and price agreements;
keep proof of a bank transfer or payment request;
record when the problem first appeared;
report the issue to the original tradesperson in writing;
clearly describe what you believe was not carried out properly;
normally give the tradesperson the opportunity to inspect the defect and repair it within a reasonable period;
do not immediately hire another tradesperson without good reason if you later want to recover those costs from the first one.
If the tradesperson does not respond, refuses to repair the work or fails to resolve the defect within a reasonable period, you can consider what further steps are available.
What if the poor workmanship causes further damage?
This may be the most important reason not to look only at the price of the original job.
The repair itself may cost relatively little.
But a badly fitted coupling can also leave your wooden floor under water.
You then have two different problems.
The coupling needs to be repaired. That concerns the original work.
The damaged floor is consequential damage. At that point, liability becomes important.
The Dutch Consumers' Association explains that compensation may be possible in some circumstances when you suffer damage because a service provider did not carry out the work properly.
Whether someone is actually liable depends on the cause, the agreement and the circumstances.
The fact that the tradesperson normally gets the first opportunity to repair a defect does not automatically mean that consequential damage is your responsibility. Liability for that damage is a separate question.
And the same question comes back again:
Can you show who carried out the job and what they did?
A clear job description, invoice, communication trail and payment record make that much easier.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of undeclared work?
The apparent advantage is easy to explain.
The price may be lower.
That is usually exactly why the offer sounds attractive.
But there can be significant disadvantages:
you may not receive an invoice;
the agreed work may not be recorded clearly;
it may be harder to prove how much you paid;
there may be disagreement about what was actually agreed;
additional guarantee schemes may not apply;
it may be harder to establish liability if damage occurs;
you may have less certainty about who actually carried out the work;
the income may deliberately be kept outside the tax system.
The interesting thing about undeclared work is that the advantage usually comes first.
The disadvantages tend to appear later.
Usually at exactly the moment when you wish everything had been properly recorded.
How can you avoid problems with undeclared work?
A good job is not only about having someone turn up at the agreed time with a toolbox.
Make sure it is also clear:
who is carrying out the work;
what work has been agreed;
how much the job will cost;
whether materials are included;
how and when you will pay;
what guarantee applies;
who you can contact if the work is not carried out properly.
The Dutch police advise consumers to agree the price beforehand, check company details and request an invoice. The Dutch Consumers' Association also stresses how important it is to be able to show what was agreed and what went wrong if you later have a complaint.
It sounds like administration.
Until something goes wrong.
Then it suddenly feels a lot more like security.
How does Zoofy prevent undeclared work?
When a job is booked through Zoofy, the booking and payment remain within the same process. Tradespeople working through Zoofy are registered as businesses and the job is recorded through the platform.
Payment for a Zoofy job is made through Zoofy. Paying the tradesperson directly, for example in cash, through a separate payment request or by making a separate bank transfer, is not permitted under the Zoofy customer terms.
This does not mean Zoofy can automatically describe every direct payment as undeclared work. We cannot determine how someone ultimately reports that income for tax purposes. But the process does prevent a job booked through Zoofy from being settled outside the agreed system.
This keeps the booking, payment and communication connected to the same job. If a problem arises afterwards, it is clear which tradesperson carried out the work and what was recorded at the time of booking.
If there is a complaint, the original tradesperson will normally first have the opportunity to inspect their work and repair it where necessary. If that does not resolve the issue, the next appropriate step can be considered.
For eligible jobs, the Zoofy Guarantee Package may provide additional protection. The conditions of the Guarantee Package apply.
If a tradesperson tries to settle a Zoofy booking outside the platform, they are acting contrary to the applicable terms and Zoofy may take action.
If a Zoofy tradesperson asks you to pay them directly, do not agree to it. Contact Zoofy instead.
Want to know more about quality and complaints? Read how Zoofy handles reviews, complaints and reliability.
Frequently asked questions about undeclared work and guarantees
Is paying a tradesperson in cash the same as undeclared work?
No. Paying in cash is not in itself undeclared work. What matters is whether the income is deliberately kept out of the accounts and tax return. Even when paying in cash, make sure the agreement and payment are properly documented.
Is undeclared work illegal?
Yes. Deliberately concealing taxable income is not permitted. The Dutch Tax and Customs Administration explicitly describes concealed income from work as undeclared work.
Do I lose my guarantee if I pay off the books?
It is not quite that simple. Your right to properly completed work and any additional commercial guarantee are two different things. You may expect a business to carry out the agreed work properly. However, without a clear job description, payment record and administration, proving what was agreed can become much harder.
Do I still have rights without an invoice?
An invoice is not the only possible evidence of an agreement. Messages, photographs, quotations and payment records may also be relevant. But the clearer your agreements are, the easier your position will be if a dispute arises.
How long is the guarantee on work carried out by a tradesperson?
There is no single fixed guarantee period that applies to every type of job. According to the Dutch Consumers' Association, a service provider may offer an additional guarantee, but this is separate from your legal right to expect the agreed work to be carried out properly.
Do I have to give the original tradesperson the opportunity to repair their mistake?
Normally, yes. If the tradesperson is responsible for a defect, you should in principle first give them the opportunity to repair it within a reasonable period.
You therefore cannot always immediately hire someone else and assume that the original tradesperson will have to pay that bill.
There are exceptions, for example where repair by the original tradesperson is no longer possible or where it would not reasonably be appropriate to give them another repair attempt.
What should I do if a job has not been carried out properly?
Report the problem to the original tradesperson as soon as possible, document the defect and keep your agreements. Ask for free repair and normally give the tradesperson a reasonable period to resolve the problem.
What if the tradesperson does not repair the problem?
If the tradesperson does not respond, refuses to repair the work, cannot repair the defect or does not resolve it within a reasonable period, further steps may be possible. Depending on the circumstances, that could include hiring another tradesperson, ending all or part of the agreement or claiming compensation.
Am I insured if undeclared work causes damage?
There is no general answer. It depends on the cause of the damage, liability and the insurance policies of the parties involved. If damage occurs, contact your own insurer and keep as much evidence of the work as possible.
An invoice becomes particularly useful on the day something goes wrong
If a job is carried out properly, you will probably never look at the invoice again.
Good.
That is about the best possible outcome.
But if the pipe starts leaking again, the plaster comes loose or damage occurs, you do not want to start by figuring out who you actually paid and what you agreed at the time.
You want it to be clear who carried out the work. What the job was. What you paid. And how the problem will be resolved.
And if something does go wrong? The first step is usually simple: report it to the tradesperson who carried out the work and give them the opportunity to put it right.
If you book a job through Zoofy, keep the payment within Zoofy too.
Then at least that part is properly recorded.
My name is Wilm, a construction and home improvement expert at Zoofy, with many years of experience in the construction and renovation sector. Over the years, I have supervised countless projects, ranging from small maintenance jobs to full-scale renovations. This hands-on experience has taught me how essential transparency in pricing and quality is for every project.
At Zoofy, I share my knowledge about construction costs, pricing, and smartly comparing jobs. Whether it’s the cost of a painter, a plumber’s hourly rate, or the price of a complete bathroom renovation, I help you understand what a fair price is and what to look out for.
My goal is to make home improvement projects more transparent, so everyone knows where their money goes. By combining up-to-date pricing information with real-world experience, I make it easier to find the right professional—without any surprises afterward.