Setting up a chair rental collaboration — contract, agreements and documentation

That "when" is what it comes down to. Because the interests genuinely differ. The host has built a name, a client base, a reputation — and wants to protect it. The professional seeks freedom, security and a fair business model — and doesn't want to be locked into agreements that only protect the other party. That tension is not a problem. It comes with a business relationship between two entrepreneurs. But it does require you to set up the collaboration deliberately — not based on a standard contract, but based on a good conversation.

This page explains how to do that: what type of agreement you need, which topics to discuss together, how to maintain balance, and why since 2025 this is also a legal necessity. Whether you're starting a new collaboration or want to adjust an existing one. The legal context described here — including employment classification rules — applies to the Netherlands.

Are you a salon owner or practice holder? Then this article is for you too — further on you'll read how to make agreements that protect your business without burdening the collaboration.

New to chair rental? Start with what chair rental is and how it works.

The agreement: what it is and what it isn't

The term "chair rental" suggests you're renting something — a chair, a space. But legally it's more complex. In most chair rental relationships, you're not renting commercial premises within the meaning of art. 7:290 BW. What you get is the use of a workspace: a treatment station, equipment, facilities, materials — movable property owned by the host. Most chair rental contracts are therefore deliberately structured as a usage agreement (not a rental agreement).

This distinction is not academic. A rental agreement for commercial premises provides tenant protection: minimum terms of 5+5 years and limited termination options. A usage agreement does not have that protection. The agreement you sign determines your rights — and a usage agreement is more flexible, for both parties. That makes it all the more important to record the agreements carefully, because the law protects you less automatically.

In some collaborations, the professional also serves the host's clients — in addition to their own. This situation is regulated separately in the agreement, including who uses the payment system in that case and how the revenue is divided. The professional retains the right to decline such requests — that is a fundamental difference from employment.

Some salons do work with a rental construction, for example when the professional rents a separate room with its own entrance. In that case, there may indeed be a rental of commercial premises, with the associated protection. But that is the exception, not the rule.

Legal

Always have the agreement reviewed by a lawyer — not to breed distrust, but to understand what you're signing. Standard contracts from the internet are a starting point, not the finish line.

What agreements do you record?

If the agreements aren't precise enough, you only notice when it matters. The professional who discovers after three months that client numbers are disappointing, while the fixed daily rate doesn't adjust. The host whose chair renter leaves and takes half the client base. A daily rate that's unilaterally increased mid-contract, by email, without a conversation. These situations don't arise from bad intentions — they arise because the agreements weren't precise enough upfront.

The topics below are designed to prevent that. They're not clauses to copy, but discussion points to go through together. The importance varies per topic — sometimes the host wants more protection, sometimes the professional. That's normal. The art is finding an agreement for each topic that works for both.

Already have an agreement and want to reassess it? The topics below also serve as a benchmark for existing arrangements. Discuss them with your host or professional — not as a complaint, but as maintenance.

1

Fee and business model

Fixed per day, commission on revenue, or a combination — the business model determines how the collaboration works out financially. The host wants certainty: a fixed contribution to the costs of the workspace, regardless of how the professional's day goes. The professional wants it to be worthwhile: not deducting too much on days when revenue is low. Which model fits depends on the situation. Record it precisely: on what amount, gross or net, with or without third-party products. That difference amounts to hundreds of euros per month. More about the three business models and what they cost can be found in what chair rental is and how it works. How the calculation from gross to net works can be found in calculating net income. How those arrangements are settled each month is explained in the chair rental settlement.

2

Facilities and materials

What does the host provide, what does the professional bring themselves? If materials are included in the fee, record that. If the professional wants to use their own materials or products: discuss that upfront. The host wants quality control within the salon, the professional wants professional freedom. Both are justified — the agreement must cover both interests.

3

Clients

The most sensitive topic in any chair rental relationship. The host has spent years building a client base and wants to protect it. The professional brings their own clients and wants to keep them. Record whose client it is and what happens at the end of the collaboration. A non-compete clause is not unreasonable — but it must be proportionate. More on that in the next section.

4

Host's products

If the professional sells the host's products — third-party products — record who receives the revenue, how the settlement works and who pays the VAT. How third-party products work in the settlement can be found in calculating net income. The VAT side can be found in VAT and chair rental.

5

Working hours and availability

The professional determines their own working hours, but agreements on availability and absence are common. Watch the boundary: the host may not impose fixed working hours — that points towards employment.

6

Leave, illness and replacement

What happens financially when the professional doesn't work? Does the fee continue, can the professional make up the days later, is a replacement arranged? And who decides whether a replacement meets the quality standards? These are agreements you make upfront, not fight about afterwards. Both parties have an interest here: the host wants continuity at the workspace, the professional doesn't want to pay for days that aren't used.

7

Notice period and termination

What's reasonable when it no longer works? Common: 1-3 months. Also discuss early termination and what happens financially. A unilateral termination option for only the host, without a comparable right for the professional, is not balanced.

8

Insurance

Liability insurance is the professional's responsibility. Record that it exists — that protects both parties.

The contract differs by profession

A chair rental contract for a hairdresser looks different from one for a nail technician or a tattoo artist. The difference is not just in the rates — it is in the material agreements, the commission structure and the VAT treatment.

For a nail technician: who supplies the products? If you bring your own gel polish, acrylic powder and decorations, that belongs in the contract — including how material costs are settled when the host provides equipment that you use.

For a tattoo artist: how does commission on jewellery for piercings work? Is it studio stock or the artist's? And what is the agreement on aftercare products? The distinction between own products and third-party products should be explicit in the agreement.

For a massage therapist in a spa: is the commission calculated on "gross revenue including VAT" or on "net revenue excluding VAT"? Those few words in the contract make the difference: on €5,000 monthly revenue at 40% commission that is €2,000 (gross basis) or €1,653 (net basis). That is €350 per month — and it is in one sentence of the contract.

Evaluate after the first period

With a new collaboration, it's hard to estimate how much you'll actually keep as a professional. The agreements on paper are an expectation — reality can turn out differently. Client numbers may disappoint, revenue may be seasonal, and the balance between a fixed rate and commission may work out differently than expected.

Therefore, agree on an evaluation moment after the first contract period — typically three to six months. Only then do you have real numbers.

Average gross daily revenue	€350
Net revenue (excl. VAT)	€289
Daily rent	€60
Commission (25% of €289)	€72
Total daily deduction	€132

46%

deduction ratio

Whether that's healthy depends on your business model and what's included. But without that calculation, it's a gut feeling instead of a substantiated conversation.

Had the contract said "25% of gross", the commission would have been €88 and the deduction ratio 51% — a five percentage point difference on the same revenue, purely due to the definition.

It helps if at that point you have concrete insight into your net result per working day, per location. More about the deduction ratio and what common proportions look like can be found in calculating net income.

The balance: protecting without constraining

A contract should not be one-sided — not towards the host, not towards the professional. But in practice, it's often the hosts who draft the contract. That makes sense: they offer the workspace, they have more to lose if things go wrong, and they take the initiative. The risk is that the contract therefore tips towards protecting one side. Not out of bad intentions, but out of caution.

The problem: the more control the host locks in contractually, the more the relationship begins to resemble an authority relationship. And that is exactly what the contract is trying to prevent.

Non-compete clause

A host who has spent years building a client base wants to prevent a professional from taking those clients after leaving. That's understandable. But a clause of 12 months with a penalty of thousands of euros per client is a barrier for many professionals to even start. A nail technician who brings her own client base to a salon and leaves after a year discovers she cannot serve those clients for twelve months — not even from home. That goes beyond protection.

More reasonable: a shorter term, a narrower scope — only clients who came through the salon, not clients the professional brought in themselves — and a proportionate consequence.

And that brings you to a practical point many agreements miss: if you don't record who brought in a client, you have no basis to apply the clause when the professional leaves. For new clients, record whether they came through the salon or through the professional themselves — via the booking system, a simple agreement, or another method acceptable to both parties. That's not bureaucracy, that's clarity upfront instead of a dispute afterwards.

Product choice

Agreements on hygiene, safety and quality standards are necessary and not a sign of authority. But if the host determines which products the professional must use, which treatments are offered and how they are performed, then the balance tips. A hairdresser who has worked with a particular colour brand for years and is required to switch to the salon's house brand — without any input — loses a piece of professional autonomy. The professional is the specialist — they decide how the work is done. The host can set quality standards, but may not take the professional's seat.

Unilateral changes

An agreement in which the host can unilaterally change the rate is vulnerable — for the relationship and for legal sustainability. Increasing the daily rate by €15 mid-contract, announced by email without a conversation — that undermines the trust and equality of the relationship. Rate changes should happen through mutual consultation, with a reasonable notice period. The same applies to other material changes in the collaboration.

A court or the Dutch Tax Authority does not assess individual clauses in isolation — they look at the agreement as a whole and at all circumstances in context. Five individually reasonable provisions can together paint a picture of an authority relationship that neither party intended. The financial consequences — back-payments of payroll tax and social contributions — primarily affect the host. But the professional is also affected: reclassification of business income as salary can cost deductions such as the self-employment deduction. Both parties have an interest in a clean relationship.

Bogus self-employment: the context

Bogus self-employment (Dutch: schijnzelfstandigheid) means that someone formally works as a self-employed professional, but in practice functions as an employee. The contract on paper is not decisive — what matters is how the collaboration works in practice.

As of 1 January 2025, the enforcement moratorium has been lifted. The Dutch Tax Authority can since then impose back-payments of payroll tax and social contributions — retroactively to 1 January 2025. In 2025 and 2026, a partial soft landing applies: the Dutch Tax Authority in principle starts with a business visit, does not impose default penalties, but from 2026 can impose negligence penalties in cases of intent or gross negligence. Until 2030, a phase-in model applies: the Dutch Tax Authority in principle does not go further back than 1 January 2025.

Chair rental in itself is not a problem. But the Dutch Tax Authority doesn't look at the label on the agreement — they look at the practice.

Towards employment

Host determines working hours and rates

Professional has no own client base

Works exclusively for one host

Host gives instructions on how the work is performed

Towards self-employment

Own working hours

Own rates

Own clients

Own payment system

Freedom to work elsewhere

Own bookkeeping

This is not a checklist where you need to tick enough boxes — the Dutch Tax Authority weighs all circumstances in context. One indicator does not automatically carry more weight than another.

The contract documents the agreements. Daily practice proves them. If the contract says the professional is free to choose their working hours, but the host in practice imposes a fixed schedule, then practice carries more weight. A balanced contract that is adhered to in practice is the strongest position — for both parties.

Legislation and enforcement regarding employment relationships are evolving. This overview is based on Dutch law and is not legal advice. If you operate in a different country, the rules may differ significantly. Consult a local tax advisor or employment lawyer.

Document the collaboration

A contract is the beginning. Daily practice documents the self-employment.

What the Dutch Tax Authority looks for during an audit is not just the agreement, but evidence that the agreements are adhered to in practice. That means: an own payment system through which the professional processes their own payments, an own bookkeeping system to track what comes in, a periodic settlement based on actual figures instead of a fixed "salary", and professional communication — not a payslip, but a settlement specification or invoice.

This is not just for the Dutch Tax Authority. It's also healthy for the collaboration. When both parties have clear insight into the figures — the same figures — then the monthly settlement is not a discussion but a formality. More about what you need to arrange administratively as a chair renter can be found in bookkeeping as a chair renter.

For the host

The more professionally your chair renters handle their side of the administration, the stronger your position in the event of an audit. Encourage that, instead of taking it over yourself.

For the professional

Your own bookkeeping is your declaration of independence. Not because someone demands it, but because it's part of your entrepreneurship.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a contract for chair rental?

Yes — for both parties. It doesn't just record financial agreements, it also documents that the collaboration is a business relationship and not disguised employment. Since January 2025, the Dutch Tax Authority has been more actively enforcing rules on bogus self-employment (Dutch: schijnzelfstandigheid). A proper agreement is indispensable in practice.

Is chair rental a rental agreement?

In most cases, no. The standard chair rental agreement is a usage agreement (not a rental agreement) for the use of a workspace and movable property — not a rental agreement for commercial premises. This distinction is legally relevant: a rental agreement provides tenant protection (art. 7:290 BW), a usage agreement does not. If in doubt: have a lawyer review it.

Can the Dutch Tax Authority classify my chair rental agreement as employment?

Yes, if the actual collaboration resembles an employer-employee relationship more than a commission. The contract on paper is not decisive — what matters is how the collaboration works in practice. A balanced contract that is adhered to in practice is the strongest position.

Is a non-compete clause allowed?

Yes, but it must be proportionate. A clause that prohibits the professional from serving their own clients — whom the professional brought in themselves — after leaving, is difficult to uphold. A clause that protects against actively soliciting the host's client base is more reasonable. Duration, scope and consequences must be proportionate to the interest being protected. Therefore, record from the start who brought in each new client.

Who draws up the contract?

In practice, the host usually takes the initiative. That makes sense, but the contract belongs to both parties. The professional should read it, understand it and negotiate. Standard contracts from the internet are a starting point — always have a lawyer review it before you sign.