MrFix has negotiated fair rates for building 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 €105 per man hour based on complexity and scarcity of skills:
  • Professional cleaner €45
  • Painter (low VAT rate, see below) or All-round handyman (incl. building contractor) €55
  • Gardener €55
  • Plasterer or wallpaperer €70 (both low VAT rate, see below)
  • Tiler or mason €65
  • Carpenter €70
  • Locksmith or Glazier €75
  • Electrician or Computer expert €85
  • Plumber or White goods expert €95 (note: a central heating fitter, roofer or damp proofing specialist are €105)
  • A/C specialist €115
  • Furniture upholsterer €115

MrFix stands for fair, reasonable prices for building repair. We mean fair in 2 respects:

• They enable the expert to earn a fair living. You may well find lower building 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 or parking costs may apply: 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). And a small fee applies if the Client chooses to submit the job by phone or buy a guarantee (minimum 3 months: €9.95 incl. VAT in both cases. The minimum chargeble time 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

Corporate Clients can normally offset the Value Added Tax (VAT) on MrFix’s invoices against the VAT they charge on their own invoices, so they effectively do not pay VAT. This goes for Dutch companies but not for VvEs (Verenigingen van Eigenaren, associations of apartment owners), which cannot offset VAT.

• 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 (including building & dismantling scaffolds) and Aftercare (tidying up, cleaning up, disposing of waste, returning tools/equipment)

Clients ask us every day for quotes while they mean estimates and vice versa. There is a big difference: a good expert always estimates how much time the job will take. So if the hourly rate is clear he also has an estimate of the labour cost. He can (but rarely does) share this estimate with the Client: “The job will cost me ~X hours so it will cost you ~€Y in labour”. If the Client prefers, the expert can also quote a fixed price: “I ask €Z for the job, no matter how many hours it costs me”. Z may be lower than Y if the expert can work entire man days on the job, but also higher (because the expert runs the risk of the job taking longer than he estimated). So what is wiser to request: an estimate or a quote? That depends:

• A quote (or a proper estimate of material cost) usually requires an inspection visit, which costs you time and often money too (the first hour of inspection is deducted from the final invoice, though). If you would like the expert to advise you and/or measure, it is usually better to ask for an inspection & quote
• A quote is ideal if the job is big and well defined, such as “Repaint 350m2 of smooth walls with roller – 1 coat, RAL 9010”. And if the job is this clear you can even avoid the inspection
• An estimate is better if the job is relatively small and hard to define / estimate, such as “Stop bad smell in bathroom”
• An estimate is simpler & quicker. That is why the MrFix app offers you the choice between “An expert ASAP (free estimate)” or “An expert (inspection & quote)”
• If you know and trust the expert (or building repair service MrFix) then an estimate of man hours should suffice. Please note that MrFix always gets you a estimate and the minimum possible estimate is 1-2 man hours. MrFix advises Clients to follow a simple rule of thumb: ask a quote only for jobs of more than a day’s work / ~€1,000, which are usually worth an inspection visit

MrFix helps Clients and experts agreeing the price for building repair & maintenance jobs without misunderstandings or unnecessary delays. In practice that means the expert estimates the labour cost for jobs of less than a day’s work / ~€1,000 based on the info the Client shares. For bigger jobs a quote is usually better, although most experts need to inspect a job before they can quote a fixed price. Inspections and quotes can cause major problems. MrFix tries to help Client and expert to avoid these so the process is smooth & fair.
 

5-star building repair inspections

 
Inspecting a building repair job seems simple, but it is not. Clients often choose MrFix after a contractor came to inspect but left an unprofessional impression. If a contractor does not even do the inspection properly he gives the Client little confidence in his execution of the job. An expert needs to get 5 aspects right for a professional inspection:

• Scheduling. The expert should first check by when the Client needs the job to be completed. If he cannot meet that deadline then should not waste time inspecting. And he should make sure there is enough daylight & favourable weather: you cannot inspect a roof when it’s slippery & dark
• Preparation. The expert should check the job request, ask any missing info and check any external sources to make sure he can assess the job properly
• Tools. The expert should bring/wear what is relevant to the inspection: safety shoes, helmet, (head)light, ladder, measuring tape, (paint) colour chart, CO/other gas detector, pressure gauge, moisture meter, voltage detector, outlet tester, thermometer. (IR) camera…
• Advice. A paid inspection visit entitles the Client not only to a binding quote but also to professional advice. The expert should make sure he can provide it
• Communication. The expert should ask the Client questions before the inspection, let the Client know if he’s delayed, use professional clothes & toolkits, ask before entering rooms / stepping on clean floors, listen carefully so the scope of the job is clear and finally: submit his quote to the Client within 48h

That will result in a 5-star building repair inspection.

For jobs over a day’s work / ~€1,000 MrFix advises Clients to request a quote, although most experts need to inspect a job before they can quote a fixed price. Quotes can cause major problems. MrFix tries to help Clients and expert to avoid these so the process is smooth & fair. We have heard crazy stories over the years: from experts who quote €20,000 amounts without even specifying labour separately from materials to experts who quote three times as much for the exact same job. But let’s focus on what the expert needs to get right for a professional quote. We see 5 aspects:

1. Speed. We aim to mail the expert’s quote to the Client within 48h from inspection. In practice we even mail most quotes within 24h, but sometimes the expert needs to wait for input from a supplier of material like window frames
2. Completeness. The quote amounts and descriptions must cover the full scope of the job. The only item that is normally excluded is any parking cost
3. Clarity. Professionals provide crystal clear quote input without unnecessary jargon. MrFix translates between Dutch and English, if required
4. Specification. We advise experts to balance detail & overview sensibly. In practice that means breaking each job down in components, listing them in a logical order and specifying the labour & materials cost of each component separately. As an overall rule of thumb we specify each individual item over €100 separately
5. Competitiveness. We sometimes see quotes that simply look too expensive. When we check we can discover mistakes in calculation and scope, but sometimes the expert simply fails to offer a discount. For example, our regular rate of €50/h for paintwork is meant for jobs that only take a few hours (and for inspections). Of course painters would rather spend their working week doing one 40-hour job rather than many 1-hour jobs: they could do far fewer than 40 such jobs due to travel time & scheduling issues. Clients therefore expect, and smart experts offer, a discount on these regular rates when quoting labour cost. MrFix recommends a 10-20% discount

These elements together should constitute a 5-star quote.

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%)?

• Paintwork (see also the rules, unfortunately in Dutch only)
• Plasterwork (see also the rules)
• Paperhanging (see also the rules)
• House insulation work (see also the rules)
• Cleaning (see also the rules)

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

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 visit. You can find your current & past invoices in the MrFix app. Tip: never pay a handyman cash!

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 visit. You can find your current & past invoices in the MrFix app. Tip: never pay a handyman cash!

Both Client and expert can cancel or reschedule an appointment free of charge via the app. If the Client confirms an 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 then the expert must keep the appointment. If the expert does not keep the appointment then MrFix gives the expert a formal warning (2 warnings mean that MrFix will stop working with the expert). More importantly: MrFix does its very best to find another expert ASAP!

MrFix has a few tips to help Clients make sure the job is done well at a reasonable cost:

• 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 (the expert charges 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 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 indicate brand; model, colour, number and measurements as requested. And enter your contact details correctly. Appointments often go wrong due to weird errors: sometimes the house (or floor) number is missing or the street name is misspelled.
  • Choose if you want just an estimate (price indication) or a binding quote (fixed price): just click button “Expert ASAP” or else “First a quote” on the request form. See also “What’s wiser: a quote or an estimate?”
• During the job: Ask the expert to share a ‘Before’ photo via Chat at the start of the job and an ‘After’ photo upon completion. This 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.
• 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 in such cases, 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 via Chat. MrFix reads that and ensures that the expert puts things right as soon as possible. It helps if you indicate right away which dates and times the expert is welcome back. It does not help to say that you never want to see an expert again, especially if you have ordered the expert’s warranty (minimum 3 months). 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 via Chat and indicate how and when you want the expert to rectify it. The expert should have liability insurance and is often able to fix the damage himself, so do not call on a third party too soon.

The minimum chargeable time is one hour per man per job. Above one hour we round to the nearest half hour.

Our rates are as clear and ‘all-in’ as possible: including VAT, call-out charges and usage of tools (unless expressly agreed otherwise in advance). Only any material costs or parking costs may apply: 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). And a small fee applies if the Client chooses to submit the job by phone or buy a guarantee (minimum 3 months): €9.95 incl. VAT in both cases. There are no other surcharges like competing services and handymen levy for ‘service’, travel time or cost (call-out or drive-up fees), tool usage, risk or profit.