The Contract Library

Topic notes

Tax ID. The cleaner gives the host a completed Form W-9 before the first payment. A sole proprietor may use an SSN or ITIN, or an EIN if they have one. The edition should say "Taxpayer ID" and never print a real number in the template. See the IRS W-9 and EIN pages.

Tax forms. Hosts who pay a contractor over the IRS reporting amount generally issue a Form 1099-NEC at year end. The reporting amount has changed in recent years, so the edition says "see the IRS instructions" and does not print a dollar figure.

Sales tax. The US has no national VAT or GST. Whether cleaning is taxable depends on the state (and sometimes city or county). Some states tax certain cleaning or janitorial services, many do not. The clause says "plus any sales tax the law requires" and the notes page points to the state revenue department.

Contractor status. Three things to name in the notes: 1. The IRS looks at behavioural control, financial control and the relationship of the parties. 2. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division uses an "economic reality" test under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The DOL's guidance on this has changed more than once. The edition links to the DOL page and says "check the page for the current status". 3. Several states use stricter tests (the "ABC test" in states such as California, Massachusetts and New Jersey). Reader tip: the label "independent contractor" in a contract does not decide the question by itself. That sentence is safe, widely stated, and useful.

Insurance. US terms: "commercial general liability" (CGL), "janitorial or cleaning bond" (a fidelity bond covering theft by the cleaner, bought by the cleaner or arranged by the host), "workers' compensation" (state-run rules, usually for employees), and "commercial auto" if the cleaner drives for the job. Edition note: the SBA's guide lists the common business covers.

Data protection. Cleaners see guest items, door codes, wifi details and sometimes guest names. The US edition uses a plain "keep it confidential, don't photograph guest belongings, don't share codes" clause. Some states (California is the best known) have consumer privacy laws that apply to businesses over certain size thresholds. The notes link the California AG's CCPA page as an example and say "other states have their own".

Consumer / unfair terms. This is a business-to-business service agreement, so the notes keep this short: general US consumer-protection law mostly deals with consumers. If the host is a private homeowner renting a spare room, the notes say "check your state's consumer rules".

Disputes. Small claims courts exist in every state; the dollar limit varies a lot, so the clause uses a blank. A friendly step first (talk, then written notice, then mediation) is common. Optional binding arbitration is left out of the base edition because it adds cost and complexity for small jobs.

Governing law. "State of ____" and county or parish for venue. Louisiana uses "parish". The edition has a footnote line: "Use the state where the property is."

Format. Letter size (8.5 x 11 in), MM/DD/YYYY, USD ($), US spelling throughout the edition.

Official sources behind this edition

Checked October 2026.

• IRS: Independent contractor (self-employed) or employee? (opens in a new tab)
• U.S. Department of Labor: Misclassification of Employees as Independent Contractors under the FLSA (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: About Form W-9 (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: Employer identification number (EIN) (opens in a new tab)
• SBA: Launch your business (includes business insurance and tax ID steps) (opens in a new tab)
• California Attorney General, CCPA (opens in a new tab)

Topic notes

Tax ID. A self-employed cleaner usually has a UTR from HMRC for Self Assessment. A cleaner whose turnover passes the VAT threshold must register for VAT and shows a VAT number. The GOV.UK page currently gives the threshold as £90,000 (checked October 2026). Many cleaners will not be VAT-registered, so the clause has a tick box.

VAT on services. If the cleaner is VAT-registered, VAT is added to invoices at the rate that applies. If the host is VAT-registered the host may be able to reclaim it, but that is for their accountant. The edition does not give rates; it points to GOV.UK.

Employment status. GOV.UK explains the three statuses: employee, worker and self-employed. The page says that status decides employment rights and tax. Be careful with wording: a contract label does not settle status. Acas gives employment-rights advice mainly to employees and workers, so it is not the right place for a self-employed cleaner's contract dispute. The edition does not list Acas as a dispute route. It mentions it only in the status note: "Acas is for employment-rights questions. A true self-employed contractor usually settles contract disputes another way."

IR35. IR35 (off-payroll working) is a tax rule aimed at contractors working through their own company, called a personal service company. HMRC's guidance is about clients, contractors and intermediaries. Most sole-trader cleaners are not in IR35. A cleaner who runs a limited company might be, and in some cases a small client is outside the rules. The edition puts a plain "Limited company cleaner?" box on the notes page pointing to the HMRC page, and does not say the rule applies or does not.

CIS. The Construction Industry Scheme is about construction work. The notes say "Cleaning is not normally part of CIS; see HMRC if the work includes building clean-up after construction". Keep it to one line.

Insurance. Employers' liability: the HSE page says businesses with staff will likely need liability cover for employers. Public liability is usually optional by law, but many hosts and platforms ask for it. Cleaner's insurance often bundles public liability, "care, custody and control" (cover for client's property in the cleaner's hands) and key cover. The clause uses blanks for limits. Typical wording hosts see: "£1,000,000 public liability". Leave the figure blank so the reader chooses.

Data protection. The host and the cleaner both handle guest information. UK GDPR applies to personal data. Examples: guest names on a booking sheet, door codes tied to a stay, photos of the room with personal items in them. The ICO's UK GDPR page is the official hub. A cleaner may or may not need to pay the ICO's data protection fee. The edition says "check the ICO website" and does not decide.

Consumer / unfair terms. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers contracts between a trader and a consumer. A contract between a self-employed cleaner and a business host is usually business-to-business, and the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 asks whether certain exclusion terms are reasonable. If the host is a private person letting a home and acting as a consumer, different rules may apply. The edition includes a plain-English "reasonable" liability cap rather than an aggressive one, and a note: "Terms that try to exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence do not work under UCTA s.2." (statement drawn from the official legislation page).

Late payment. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 gives a statutory interest right on late business-to-business payment. The edition mentions the Act by name in the notes and keeps the clause generic: "interest as the law allows".

Disputes. England and Wales: money claims go through the county court (online claim), and small claims track is for lower-value claims. Scotland: simple procedure in the sheriff court. Northern Ireland: small claims in the county court. GOV.UK has the money-claim guide. Mediation first is a good habit, not a requirement.

Governing law. Choose one: "the law of England and Wales", "the law of Scotland" or "the law of Northern Ireland". The edition has three tick boxes so one PDF covers all three.

Format. A4 paper, DD/MM/YYYY, £ (GBP), UK spelling.

Official sources behind this edition

Checked October 2026.

• GOV.UK: Employment status (opens in a new tab)
• GOV.UK (HMRC): Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) (opens in a new tab)
• GOV.UK: Register for VAT (opens in a new tab)
• HSE: Get insurance for your business (employers' liability) (opens in a new tab)
• ICO: UK GDPR guidance and resources (opens in a new tab)
• GOV.UK, Make a court claim for money (opens in a new tab)
• legislation.gov.uk, Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 (opens in a new tab)

Topic notes

Tax ID. Each cleaner uses their national tax number. If VAT-registered, they use a VAT identification number (the country prefix plus digits). The clause has blanks for both.

VAT on services. The EU sets the VAT framework, and member states set rates within EU limits (the Your Europe page says the standard rate cannot be below 15%). Each country has its own small-business exemption, and the thresholds differ. The edition does not print a rate. It points to the Commission's VAT pages and says "ask your national tax authority". Cross-border B2B services can bring the reverse-charge idea. Leave that to the VAT pages and the cleaner's accountant.

Contractor status. There is no single EU-wide test. Each member state uses its own. Typical ideas include control, integration into the host's business, who supplies tools, and whether the person can send a substitute. The edition says "the label in the contract does not decide it". Directive (EU) 2024/2831 on improving working conditions in platform work sets rules for people working through digital labour platforms, including a presumption of employment in some situations, and member states must bring it into national law by December 2026. It matters here because some cleaners find work through booking platforms. The notes should say "if you find work through an app or platform, read the Directive summary and your national rules".

Insurance. Civil liability insurance (often called "responsabilité civile" or "Haftpflicht" locally) is the closest equivalent to public liability. Some countries require certain business insurance, many do not. The clause uses plain blanks and asks the reader to check national rules. Employers' insurance and social contributions are national.

Data protection. GDPR applies. Guest data such as names, booking details, door codes and photos is personal data. The edition gives a short confidentiality and data clause. If the cleaner is mostly just a visitor to the property with no records of their own, the clause says so. The Commission's page for businesses and organisations is the official starting point.

Consumer / unfair terms. The Unfair Terms Directive (93/13/EEC) is about contracts between traders and consumers. A cleaner-to-host agreement is normally business-to-business, so it generally does not apply, but some member states extend similar fairness rules to small businesses or to individuals. The notes say "check your country". If the host is a private person acting as a consumer, other rules may apply.

Disputes. National courts first. For a cross-border money claim up to EUR 5,000, the European Small Claims Procedure exists (see European e-Justice). Note on the ODR platform: the EU's Online Dispute Resolution platform was discontinued on 20 July 2025 (Regulation (EU) 2024/3228). Older templates still say "you can use the EU ODR platform", so the edition must not include that wording. The Commission's relocation page lists national consumer dispute bodies instead, but those are mainly for consumer disputes.

Governing law and language. Choose a member state's law, and the courts of that state. For cross-border agreements, EU rules on applicable law exist (the Rome I Regulation). The edition keeps it simple by asking the parties to pick the country where the Property is. Language: the English edition is a reference text. If the parties use another language, add a clause saying which version prevails.

Format. A4, DD/MM/YYYY, EUR, UK-style spelling ("organise", "licence" as noun) since EU English documents commonly follow British forms. Use the euro sign before or after the amount as the local habit; the template uses EUR before the number to avoid confusion.

Official sources behind this edition

Checked October 2026.

• EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2024/2831 on improving working conditions in platform work (opens in a new tab)
• European Commission: Information for business and organisations (GDPR) (opens in a new tab)
• Your Europe: VAT rules and rates (opens in a new tab)
• European Commission, Taxation and Customs Union: VAT (opens in a new tab)
• European e-Justice: Small claims (European Small Claims Procedure) (opens in a new tab)
• European Commission, ODR platform discontinued notice (opens in a new tab)