What a fair contract looks like

Checklists of fair, market-standard terms for the four most common contract types. Hold them next to whatever lands on your desk.

Fair, market-standard terms — general guidance, not legal advice.

Residential lease

What a tenant-fair lease looks like. If the contract in front of you diverges from several of these, negotiate before signing.

Security deposit: ✓ 1–2 months' rent, returned within 30 days of move-out, deductions only for documented damage with itemized receipts.
Rent during a fixed term: ✓ Fixed. Adjustments only at renewal, tied to an official inflation index.
Repairs: ✓ Landlord covers wear-and-tear, installations, and appliances; tenant covers minor upkeep and damage they cause. Move-in inventory with photos, signed by both.
Landlord visits: ✓ 24–48 hours' written notice, reasonable hours, tenant present — emergencies excepted.
Early termination: ✓ Symmetric: same notice period (≈60 days) for both sides; compensation capped at one month's rent.
Late fees: ✓ A grace period of ~5 working days and a monthly cap. Uncapped daily penalties are a red flag.
Disputes: ✓ Ordinary courts of the property's location. No arbitration chosen by one side.

What an employee-fair contract looks like in an EU context. Local labor law often guarantees several of these even when the contract says otherwise.

Overtime: ✓ A defined number of included hours (e.g. up to 10/month) — beyond that, paid or compensated with time off.
Intellectual property: ✓ Assignment limited to work within your duties or using company resources. Personal off-hours projects explicitly stay yours.
Non-compete: ✓ Only if genuinely needed: max 6–12 months, narrow competitor definition, limited geography, and paid (in Germany: ≥50% of last salary — it's the law).
Notice periods: ✓ Symmetric for employer and employee.
Probation: ✓ 3–6 months with the statutory notice period, not less.
Training costs: ✓ Sliding-scale repayment that shrinks monthly, a cost threshold, and job-required trainings excluded.
Bonus & benefits: ✓ The formula written into the contract itself — not in policies the employer can rewrite at will.

What a contractor-fair services agreement looks like. Payment structure is where most freelance contracts go wrong.

Payment structure: ✓ Milestones (e.g. 30/30/30/10) — never most of the fee gated behind a subjective final acceptance.
Payment terms: ✓ 30 days (EU Late Payment Directive default), statutory interest on late payment, right to pause work on serious arrears.
Revisions: ✓ A defined number of rounds included (typically 2); further rounds at your day rate.
Acceptance: ✓ Deemed accepted if no specific written objections within ~10 business days.
Intellectual property: ✓ Transfers on payment in full. Rejected drafts stay yours; portfolio rights retained.
Liability: ✓ Mutually capped at the fees paid under the agreement; consequential damages excluded.
Cancellation: ✓ Payment for all work performed plus a kill fee (20–25% of the remainder) on termination for convenience.
Exclusivity: ✓ None by default — or narrow, time-limited, and separately paid.

What a consumer-fair subscription looks like — gyms, streaming, software, anything that renews.

Renewal: ✓ Month-to-month after the initial term, cancellable anytime with ~30 days' notice. Auto-renewal into another full year is the classic trap.
Cancellation channel: ✓ As easy as signing up — online or by email, with written confirmation. Registered-letter-only requirements are friction by design.
Price changes: ✓ Personal notice (email), plus the right to cancel penalty-free if you don't accept the increase.
Total price: ✓ The advertised price is the real price. Enrollment and vague recurring 'fees' belong in the headline number.
Freezes: ✓ Free with a medical certificate; frozen time extends the term instead of consuming it.
Failed payments: ✓ One admin fee per billing cycle at most, with an email warning before retries.
Liability: ✓ The provider stays responsible for negligence — their equipment, their staff, their premises. Blanket waivers rarely hold up, but shouldn't be there at all.