{"id":9475,"date":"2024-04-04T18:07:05","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T16:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fix-blog.local\/blog\/terms-and-conditions-self-employed\/"},"modified":"2024-04-04T18:07:05","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T16:07:05","slug":"terms-and-conditions-self-employed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/terms-and-conditions-self-employed\/","title":{"rendered":"Terms and conditions as a freelancer:\u00a0how do you create them?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s the end of the month, and you need to pay rent and a stack of other bills. But your biggest client is refusing to pay because of a dispute, even though you did the work. The situation is getting critical… if only you had solid terms and conditions to fall back on! But how do you actually establish your terms and conditions anyway? We explain everything you need to know in this article<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are terms and conditions mandatory for the self-employed?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Belgium, self-employed individuals, or freelancers, are not<\/strong> required<\/strong> to have terms and conditions, even if it\u2019s strongly recommended. There are several advantages<\/strong> to drawing up general conditions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcda<\/strong>  Clarity and security<\/strong>: Terms and conditions clarify the rights and obligations of both the seller and the client<\/strong>. They form a legal basis<\/strong> for what\u2019s expected of both parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udee1\ufe0f Protection<\/strong>: Strong terms and conditions can protect you from unreasonable demands and limit your liability<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u23f3  Efficiency<\/strong>: By having standard conditions, you won\u2019t have to create individual agreements for each mission or client<\/strong>. You save time, and all your clients are treated the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcbc  Professionalism<\/strong>: With clear terms and conditions, you give yourself a more professional <\/strong>image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key criteria for your general conditions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of course, you can’t just write anything you like in your terms and conditions. You need to make sure that your client doesn\u2019t feel at a disadvantage<\/strong>. So make sure to communicate clearly and at the right times<\/strong>. Below, you\u2019ll find the main rules to respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcc4  Accessibility<\/strong>: Your client must be able to easily access<\/strong> your terms and conditions. Referring them to your website is not enough; you need to share them explicitly<\/strong>. If they\u2019re on the back of a page, make that clear on the front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd75\ufe0f Legibility<\/strong>: Your terms and conditions should be easy to read<\/strong>. Avoid hard-to-read fonts, small print, or low-contrast colours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f Understandability<\/strong>: Your terms and conditions should be written in clear and<\/strong> accessible language<\/strong>. Avoid technical terms, abbreviations, or expressions that your clients may not understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2705  Acceptance<\/strong>: For your terms and conditions to be applicable, your client must accept <\/strong>them. You can include a clause <\/strong>indicating that the recipient has read and accepted<\/strong> the conditions. Even better, you can ask them to sign<\/strong> them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2696\ufe0f  Fairness<\/strong>: Make sure to find a fair balance<\/strong> between the rights and obligations of both parties. Firstly, because the law requires it<\/strong>, but also because fairness improves business relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your terms and conditions don\u2019t meet these criteria, one or more clauses could be considered void. And speaking of clauses\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What clauses should you include in your terms and conditions?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no universal model <\/strong>to follow. Every self-employed individual or freelancer will have different terms and conditions depending on the work they do and their expectations<\/strong>. We\u2019ve listed the most common clauses below to give you a good basis for establishing your own general conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n