Contractor agreement

1. Independent contractor status

You are an independent contractor. Nothing in this Agreement, your use of Habanto, or any payment received through Habanto creates: an employer-employee relationship between you and Habanto; a partnership, joint venture, or franchise; or an agency relationship except as expressly stated in Section 4 (where Habanto acts as a disclosed agent for collection of payment on your behalf).

You are solely responsible for: your own UAE labour-law obligations toward your employees (including end-of-service, leave, work permits, medical insurance, workmen’s compensation); your own tax position (income tax in countries where applicable, VAT in the UAE if your turnover crosses the registration thresholds); and your own pension or social-security contributions where applicable.

You will not represent yourself as an employee, agent, or representative of Habanto to any third party.

2. Eligibility

To be listed on Habanto you must: (a) be a UAE-licensed business, or a sole trader holding a valid UAE commercial or professional licence appropriate to your trade; (b) hold a valid DED trade licence (or equivalent free-zone licence) with activity codes that cover every trade category you list on Habanto; (c) provide a copy of the trade licence at onboarding, and re-upload on renewal; (d) hold a valid Emirates ID for the licence-holder (or for an authorised signatory of the licensed entity), noting that we store the last 4 digits in plaintext and the full number encrypted, and we do not retain the ID image; (e) hold any trade-specific permits required for your category, for example, Dubai Municipality Pest Control Permit for pest control, Dubai Civil Defence Contractor Card for fire or alarm work, refrigerant-handling certification for AC work, or pool-operator card for pool or spa cleaning; (f) carry public liability insurance at or above the minimum amount stated in Section 6; (g) have a UAE bank account capable of receiving Stripe Connect payouts in AED; and (h) provide accurate and complete information in your application, and update it within 7 days of any material change.

We may suspend your listing immediately if any of these become untrue or unverifiable.

3. Document accuracy and ongoing compliance

You warrant on application and re-confirm with each Job that: (a) every document and statement you have given Habanto is true, accurate, complete, and current; (b) every licence, permit, and insurance policy referenced in this Agreement is valid for the period in which you are performing Jobs; (c) you will re-upload renewals before the existing document expires, or stop accepting Jobs in the affected trade category until the renewal is uploaded; (d) you will tell us within 7 days if any licence, permit, or insurance is suspended, cancelled, or non-renewed, or if any disciplinary or regulatory action is taken against you; and (e) each individual worker you send to a Job holds the personal cards or permits required for that work (for example, DHA Occupational Health Card or refrigerant-handling certification), noting that Habanto does not verify your individual workers’ cards.

You consent to Habanto re-verifying any document at any time.

4. Commission, fees, and payouts

4.1 Commission rate

Habanto deducts a commission (excluding VAT) on the gross job value for each completed Job booked through Habanto, at the rate as published in the applicable fee schedule, plus the applicable Stripe processing fee. You receive the remainder.

4.2 Payment flow

Tenants and landlords pay through Stripe. Funds move from the payer to your Stripe Connect Express account, with Habanto’s commission and Stripe’s processing fee deducted automatically. Payouts to your linked bank account follow Stripe’s standard payout schedule for UAE Connect Express accounts.

4.3 VAT

Where Habanto is VAT-registered, Habanto will issue you a tax invoice for the commission charged. You are responsible for issuing your own tax invoice to the tenant or landlord for the gross job value if you are VAT-registered.

4.4 Habanto acts as a disclosed agent for collection

For each Job, Habanto acts as your disclosed agent for the limited purpose of collecting payment from the tenant or landlord and remitting it (net of commission and fees) to you via Stripe. Habanto does not at any point take ownership of the funds; funds are held by Stripe.

4.5 Refunds and chargebacks

If a Job is refunded, whether at your election, by mutual agreement, by Habanto ops decision, or by Stripe in a chargeback, the refund is debited against your Stripe balance. If your Stripe balance is insufficient, you remain liable to Habanto for the deficit and Habanto may recover this from future payouts or invoice you directly. Habanto’s commission on a fully refunded Job will be returned to you. Stripe’s processing fee is non-refundable (Stripe rule).

4.6 Rate changes

We may change the commission rate by giving at least 60 days’ notice by email or in-app message. If you do not agree, you can stop accepting Jobs and terminate this Agreement before the change takes effect.

5. Quality standards and conduct

You agree that for every Job you accept: (a) you will respond to the customer (tenant or landlord) within the SLA stated for the Job category, typically 24 hours for non-emergency requests, 4 hours for urgent, and 1 hour for emergency, and Habanto publishes these timings in the contractor portal and may adjust them on notice; (b) you will arrive at the scheduled time, or give reasonable notice of delay; (c) you will perform work to a competent professional standard appropriate to your trade; (d) you will follow building access rules (NOC, building permission, civil defence rules) at the property; (e) you will treat tenants, landlords, and other Habanto users with respect, with no harassment, discrimination, intimidation, or rude conduct, and discrimination on the basis of race, gender, nationality, religion, marital status, or disability is grounds for immediate removal; (f) you will not solicit business off-platform from a tenant or landlord first connected to you through Habanto (see Section 10.4); (g) you will offer a 30-day workmanship warranty for the work you perform, unless a longer warranty is required by law or a shorter scope is agreed in writing before the Job starts, and the warranty does not cover damage caused by misuse, normal wear, or third-party tampering; (h) you will document completion of each Job with at least one post-work photo and a brief completion note; and (i) you will not bring unverified or unauthorised personnel to the Job site.

We may suspend your listing without notice if we receive credible reports of breach, pending investigation.

6. Insurance requirements

You must carry, at your own cost, the following minimum public liability cover for the entire period in which you accept Jobs through Habanto: for plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and fire or alarm work, AED 1,000,000 per occurrence; for painting, carpentry, handyman, and glass or aluminium work, AED 500,000 per occurrence; and for cleaning, pest control, gardening, and laundry, AED 250,000 per occurrence.

You must also carry workmen’s compensation insurance for every worker you send to a Job, in accordance with UAE Labour Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 or its successor), including domestic workers, where applicable.

You must name Habanto as an additional insured on the public-liability policy where the insurer permits, and provide a Certificate of Insurance ("COI") on request.

If insurance lapses, you must stop accepting Jobs in the affected trade until it is reinstated.

7. Indemnification

You will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Habanto, its directors, officers, employees, and agents from and against any claim, loss, damage, fine, expense, or liability (including reasonable legal fees) arising from: (a) work you (or any worker you send) perform or fail to perform at a Job site; (b) injury to person or damage to property arising from your or your workers’ acts or omissions; (c) your breach of any UAE law, regulation, permit condition, or this Agreement; (d) any misrepresentation of your licence, permits, insurance, or worker credentials; (e) any third-party claim that the work product infringes their rights; and (f) your tax liabilities (Habanto is not responsible for your income tax, VAT, or payroll taxes).

Your indemnity is not capped except where UAE law requires.

8. Background check, ID verification, and data consent

You consent to Habanto: (a) verifying your trade licence with the issuing authority, where Habanto has a lawful way to do so; (b) verifying your Emirates ID through any authorised verification service; (c) storing the last 4 digits of your Emirates ID in plaintext and the full number encrypted; (d) sharing your business name, primary trade category, and profile photo with tenants, landlords, and the public marketing site; and (e) performing background checks via Stripe Connect KYC (including sanctions screening against UN, OFAC, and UAE Central Bank lists).

You also consent to Habanto’s Privacy Policy as it applies to data about you (the principal contractor) in your capacity as a Habanto user.

You are responsible for collecting the appropriate consents from your individual workers for the data you share with Habanto about them.

9. Ratings and reviews

Habanto does not currently operate a ratings or reviews system. No rating or review of you is collected, published, or aggregated by Habanto. If Habanto introduces one, the terms governing it will be added to this Agreement and you will be notified in accordance with Section 13.

10. Suspension, removal, and termination

10.1 Grounds for suspension or removal

Habanto may suspend or terminate your listing, with or without prior notice, if: (a) any of the eligibility requirements in Section 2 becomes untrue or unverifiable; (b) you materially breach this Agreement or the Terms; (c) you are the subject of credible complaints from tenants, landlords, or other contractors, pending investigation; (d) you solicit off-platform business in breach of Section 10.4; (e) you are involved in any incident causing serious injury or significant property damage, pending investigation; (f) you become subject to a regulatory enforcement action, a tax-authority freeze, or bankruptcy; or (g) Habanto is required to suspend you by UAE law or by an order of a competent authority.

10.2 What happens on suspension

Pending Jobs may be re-assigned by Habanto to another contractor (with payments adjusted accordingly). Payouts already earned for completed work are not affected, except where Habanto is required to withhold them by law or to satisfy outstanding refund or chargeback obligations.

10.3 Termination by either party

Either party may terminate this Agreement by giving 30 days’ notice in writing. We may terminate immediately for material breach.

10.4 Anti-circumvention

For 12 months after a Job you complete through Habanto, if the same tenant or landlord engages you for further work that was solicited or facilitated by your Habanto relationship, you must process that work through Habanto. If you bypass the platform, Habanto may recover lost commission plus a reasonable administrative fee.

10.5 Survival

Sections 1 (independent contractor status), 4.5 (refunds), 7 (indemnification), 8 (data consent), 10.4 (anti-circumvention), 11 (dispute resolution), and 12 (governing law) survive termination.

11. Dispute resolution

If a dispute arises: first, talk to Habanto, email info@habanto.com, and we try to resolve within 10 business days; if unresolved, the dispute will be heard by the competent courts of Dubai, applying UAE federal law and the law of the Emirate of Dubai.

This clause does not prevent either party from seeking urgent injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction.

12. Governing law

This Agreement is governed by the federal law of the United Arab Emirates and, where not inconsistent, the law of the Emirate of Dubai.

13. Miscellaneous

Entire agreement with the Terms and Privacy Policy. No waiver by Habanto’s inaction. Severability: if any clause is unenforceable, the rest stands. Assignment: you cannot assign your rights without our written consent; we can assign to a successor in the business. Notices: to your registered email; to info@habanto.com for Habanto. Language: English.

Acceptance evidence

By clicking "I agree" at the end of the contractor application flow, you confirm: you have read and agreed to this Agreement, the Terms of Service, and the Privacy Policy; you have the authority to bind your business; and you consent to electronic execution of this Agreement under Federal Decree-Law No. 46 of 2021 on Electronic Transactions and Trust Services.

Habanto stores the date, time, IP address, and a content-hash of the version of this Agreement you accepted as evidence of execution.