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Home repair rates & payment: solid value for money

 
MrFix stands for fair prices. We explain here how we can help you get solid value for your money. See Help for questions about other topics.
 

Reasonable home repair rates

 
MrFix has negotiated rates for home repair & improvement on behalf of Clients with the respective experts that:

  • Apply to inspections for quote jobs and to execution of smaller jobs that do not require a quote
  • Range from €45 to €95 per man hour based on complexity and scarcity of skills:
  • Are fair in 2 respects:
    • They enable the expert to earn a fair living. You may well find lower home repair rates elsewhere, but they provoke behaviour that our Clients do not accept: invoicing more hours than they worked, charging surcharges for travel expenses, etc., or cutting corners in terms of quality.
    • They are as clear (see below) and ‘all-in’ as possible: including VAT and call-out charges. Only any material costs (of course) and parking costs are extra: we can often avoid the latter by having the expert use a Client’s parking space or come by bicycle (like several of our experts in Amsterdam do). The minimum is 1 hour per man and above that we round off to the nearest half hour
    • There is a 50% surcharge for jobs that must start in the evening (from 6pm), on weekends, on public holidays or urgently (within 24 hours). These surcharges do not accumulate (so there is never a 100% or 150% surcharge) and if the job can also be done during the daytime, there is no surcharge if the expert chooses to do it in the evening or during the weekend
    • So there are no other surcharges like competing services and handymen levy for ‘service’, call-out costs, risk or profit

 

What hours count as working time?

 
No: Travel time to or from the job, Breaks (eating, smoking, calling)
 
Yes: Preparation time (advising, choosing, ordering, buying / renting or picking up materials, tools and equipment, covering floors or furniture), Inspection visits, Execution and Aftercare (tidying up, cleaning up, disposing of waste, returning tools/equipment)
 

Quote versus Estimate

 
Want to know in advance what the job will cost (approximately)? Click “First a quote” in the lower right corner of the request form. Then we will email a binding quote with a fixed price on behalf of the expert, if the job takes more than a day’s work / ~€500 and you have provided sufficient information. In most cases this requires a paid inspection visit by the expert: see below. For jobs of less than a day’s work / ~€500 we ask the expert for an estimate of the hours: together with the fixed hourly rate that gives you a good idea of the cost. See here for more info.
 

Inspection visit

 
Our Clients and experts prefer not to spend time on inspection visits. That is why MrFix makes it easy for you to ask each other questions in advance (preferably via WhatsApp) and share photos and the like. Sometimes the Client asks for advice or the expert has to do precise measurements so they require an inspection visit. Then we invoice that just like job execution: usually the minimum of 1 hour of labour per man is sufficient. For jobs of more than ~€500 / one day’s work, the expert offers that hour of inspection as a discount if you accept the quote/estimate (it will be deducted from the final invoice). We mail you the expert’s quote within 72 hours from the inspection visit, unless there is a delay in obtaining input from the expert’s suppliers.
 

Invoicing and Payment

 
After the job, MrFix mails a clear invoice on behalf of the expert with a link to pay via iDeal or credit card (up to €1,000, within 24 hours as it takes 7+ business days to process), but you can also transfer it to our bank account (within 7 days, see IBAN at the bottom of the web page). If you wish, we can also debit your account automatically after invoicing you. Quote-based jobs often require an advance and we invoice other jobs immediately after each working day. Tip: never pay a handyman cash!
 

Cancelling a job

 
Both Client and expert can cancel a job free of charge, but if the Client confirms a proposed appointment and then cancels or reschedules less than 24 hours before the scheduled start, he owes the expert the rate for 1 of his hours. The expert can often not fill the gap in his diary productively at such short notice. The same applies when the expert arrives during the confirmed 1-hour time slot but the Client is unable or unwilling to let him in.
 
If the expert wants to shift an appointment he must also ask the Client at least 24 hours in advance. This is usually OK, but if the Client says no, the expert must keep the appointment. If the expert does not keep the appointment then MrFix warns the expert (2 warnings mean that MrFix will stop working with the expert). More importantly, MrFix does its very best to find another expert ASAP!
 

Low VAT rate on paintwork and more!

 
Did you know that the Dutch tax authority helps keep the following types of jobs affordable by applying the reduced VAT rate of 9% (instead of 21%)?

Please note: this only applies to homes older than 2 years and applies to both labour and materials (except wallpaper).
 

Solid value for money: tips!

 
How can you make sure your job is done well for a reasonable price?

  • Request your job as soon as possible. MrFix can usually arrange an expert within 24 hours, among other things because the 50% rush surcharge incentivises the expert to change his schedule and prioritise your job. Even without a rush surcharge it is wise to request your job as far ahead of the execution as possible: then you will reach more and better experts. For example, our best painters are typically fully booked about 12 months in advance.
  • Prepare well:
    • If possible, consider in advance what material you need and whether you want the expert to deliver it. The quality of paint in particular varies so much that the same painter gives a 3-year guarantee on his paintwork if the Client provides paint that he has left or buys it at any DIY store but the painter offers 10 years if he supplies professional paint. If the expert supplies the material it is more efficient if he picks it up on his way to the job instead of driving back and forth to the supplier after his arrival (and the expert makes MrFix invoice that driving time).
    • If possible, think in advance, which type of expert you need. A qualified electrician can of course hang your lamp, but if the wiring is present then most all-round handymen can do that job too: their home repair rate is considerably lower.
    • Describe clearly on the request form a) what the problem is and b) what the expert should do (including what you may want to do yourself). If possible, add a photo (or floor plan, or survey) and under “DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF JOB” indicate specific brand & model, colour, number and measurements. And enter your contact details correctly. Appointments often go wrong due to weird errors: sometimes the house (or floor) number is missing, the street name is misspelled or the Client uses WhatsApp with a different phone number than the one provided.
    • Choose if you want a quote (fixed price) or estimate (price indication). Because the difference between these 2 options is not clear to most Clients or they don’t care about it, there is only one button “First a quote” on the request form. And because most jobs cost less than ~€500 / a day’s work we assume in principle that an estimate is sufficient. We then mail and explain that a quote usually requires a visit to the hospital that costs time and money: a few Clients prefer this because the expert can also advise them. See also above.
  • During the job: Insist that the expert shares the ‘Before’ photo in your WhatsApp group at the start of the job and an ‘After’ photo upon completion. This helps in 2 ways:
    • It establishes the situation immediately before and immediately after the job in the event that the expert did not do the job exactly according to your instructions or he caused any damage, for example.
    • It establishes the working time at the workplace. See also ‘What hours count as working time?’ above.
  • After the job: check immediately if everything is in order. MrFix does its utmost to select experts for you who always do everything perfectly, but unfortunately they are people and do not always meet the expectations of the Clients (people too). Getting angry will not help, but agreeing a fair solution does.
    • If you find that the expert has not done the job exactly according to your instructions, briefly repeat those instructions and summarise the shortcomings and then share them in the WhatsApp group. If you add “@MrFix”we read that and ensure that the expert puts things right as soon as possible. It helps if you indicate right away which dates and times he is welcome. It does not help to say that you never want to see an expert again, because every expert offers a minimum of 3 months warranty. This normally means that he does not charge the labour of the follow-up visit (just any material and parking costs).
    • The same applies when the expert causes damage to your belongings. Share a short, factual description of the damage with a few photos in the WhatsApp group and indicate how and when you want the expert to rectify it. The expert has liability insurance and is often able to fix the damage himself, so do not call on a third party too quickly.
Request your pro here