You avoid supporting social dumping by making sure of three things: that tax is paid on the work, that you pay electronically and get an invoice, and that the person cleaning is employed on proper terms rather than squeezed on price as a bogus self-employed contractor. Social dumping sounds like something that happens on building sites — but cleaning is one of the industries where it is most widespread.
As a private customer, you cannot police an entire industry. But you can make sure your own cleaning is done properly. Here is what to look for.
What is social dumping?
Social dumping covers work performed at pay and conditions well below the norm on the Danish labour market — often by foreign workers who do not know their rights. It can mean underpayment, unpaid taxes, no insurance, or outright undeclared work.
Cleaning is particularly exposed because the work happens scattered across private homes and businesses, far from the authorities' view — and because customers rarely ask about the conditions as long as the price is low.
5 things to check before you hire cleaning help
You do not need to be a lawyer to choose responsibly. Five simple questions reveal most of it:
- 1. Do you get an invoice, and do you pay digitally? Cash payment without a receipt is the classic sign of undeclared work — and you also lose the Danish servicefradrag tax deduction.
- 2. Are tax and VAT being paid on the work? With a registered company this happens automatically; with 'someone who comes by to help out a bit', it usually does not.
- 3. What is the person doing the cleaning actually paid — and is there a collective agreement? An hourly rate of DKK 150 cannot possibly cover collectively agreed wages, pension, holiday pay and VAT.
- 4. Is there insurance if something goes wrong? Both damage to your belongings and workplace injuries — without employment and insurance, the liability lands on you.
- 5. Can you document the arrangement? A profile, a confirmation and a payment history protect both you and the person doing the cleaning.
"It's just a bit of help" — does that hold up?
Many people think of undeclared or informal cleaning as a trifle — a bit of help between friends. But in the bigger picture, all those small arrangements are exactly the market where social dumping thrives: without a contract, without insurance and without rights, the person doing the cleaning is entirely dependent on the customer's goodwill.
And if things go wrong — a workplace injury, an accusation of theft, water damage — both parties are left with nothing to fall back on. That is a bad deal for everyone, no matter how cheap the hour looked.
What responsible cleaning looks like
At Hilfr, all five points are covered by design: you pay digitally and receive an invoice, tax and VAT are reported automatically, all cleaners are employed under the 3F collective agreement with a guaranteed minimum wage and pension, everyone is covered by insurance with IF, and the whole process is documented on your profile.
In other words, you do not have to do anything extra to choose responsibly — just book. That is the whole idea.
Still have questions? Find answers on our FAQ page — or see whether Hilfr covers your area.
