The right to repair has stopped being a slogan from a sustainability conference. On 31 July 2026 the deadline passed by which EU member states were supposed to transpose Directive 2024/1799 into national law. For manufacturers that means new obligations. For independent service companies it means something considerably more interesting — the opening of a market that until now has been sealed off behind networks of authorised dealers.

It is worth playing this deliberately. Below you will find what actually changes in the daily work of a service business: the obligations, the risks and the concrete preparations.

What the right to repair actually changes

The directive rests on a few simple principles. First, the manufacturer of covered equipment is obliged to repair it at the consumer’s request — including after the guarantee has expired. It can refuse only when repair is genuinely impossible, and it is the manufacturer who has to prove that.

Second, repair must not become a pricing trap. The rules speak of a “reasonable price”, meaning one that does not discourage the consumer from choosing repair over buying a new appliance.

Third — and this is the key point for independent workshops — manufacturers may not obstruct repairs outside their own network. They must make spare parts available at reasonable prices, along with service information. Nor may they use technical or software barriers that block repair by a third party.

Fourth, if during the seller’s liability period the consumer chooses repair instead of replacement, that liability period is extended once by twelve months.

Which products are covered

The list is closed and includes, among others:

• washing machines, dishwashers, tumble dryers and vacuum cleaners,
• refrigeration equipment,
• electronic displays,
• mobile phones and tablets,
• servers,
• welding equipment,
• bicycles and electric scooters.

The list will be extended over time. So if you service equipment in a similar category, it is worth following the implementing acts as they appear.

Where national law stands

An honest word is needed here, because a lot of simplification is circulating online. Each member state implements the directive through its own legislation, and the pace differs from country to country. In Poland, for example, the transposition deadline of 31 July 2026 has passed but the national act is not yet in force.

The Polish bill prepared by the competition and consumer protection authority (identified as UC154 — an amendment to the consumer rights act) went to public consultation in May 2026 and is still working its way through the legislative process. In practice that means the directive alone does not yet impose obligations directly on Polish companies. Those obligations will come with the national act.

That is no reason to put the subject aside. The rules will come into force during this year or next, and the bill provides for real sanctions: up to PLN 20,000 for a breach, up to PLN 40,000 for a repeat offence, and up to 10% of annual turnover where the collective interests of consumers are infringed. If you operate in another member state, check the status of the local implementation — the substance of the directive is the same everywhere, the deadlines and penalties are not.

The European repair information form — the most operational change

This is the element that most directly touches the daily work of a service business. The form is voluntary in the sense that you do not have to issue it on your own initiative. If, however, a consumer asks for it, you issue it free of charge and on a durable medium, before the repair contract is concluded.

The form contains the full set of information about the quotation:

• the details of the party carrying out the repair,
• a description of the goods and of the fault found,
• the proposed method of repair,
• the price, or the way it will be calculated together with a maximum amount,
• the expected repair time,
• information about additional services and about the cost of the diagnosis itself.

The consequence is what matters most. The terms given in the form bind the service business for at least 30 days. They cannot be changed during that period, even if the quotation turns out to have been over-optimistic.

That changes how you work. A rough quote given over the phone and refined once the appliance is open stops being safe. As a result, sound diagnostics and a properly organised labour rate card become far more important.

What this really means for an independent service business

It is worth looking at this from both sides, because the balance is by no means uniformly difficult.

Three opportunities

Access to parts and documentation. This has been the main brake on independent workshops. A manufacturer can no longer block access or charge a price for parts that puts people off repairing.

Customers who previously bought new. Extending liability by a year after a repair changes the consumer’s calculation. Repair becomes a rational choice rather than a last resort.

Repair outside the authorised network without losing rights. A consumer does not lose protection by taking equipment to an independent workshop. That removes the argument that has been taking work away from you for years.

Three new obligations

The quotation has to be calculable. The form requires a price or a method of calculating it with an upper limit. Without a labour rate card and standard times, that is hard to do repeatably.

Timescales become part of the contract. You state the expected repair time and you are bound by it. That calls for real knowledge of how booked up your technicians are, not an optimistic assumption.

Documentation stops being optional. The description of the fault, the scope of the repair, the parts used and the date of completion all have to leave a trail. Especially since national e-invoicing rules are tightening the requirements around service completion dates on invoices in parallel.

How to prepare your service business in four steps

Step 1: sort out your price list. Write down your labour rate, the typical operations and the standard time for each. Without that, every quotation is a negotiation from scratch.

Step 2: standardise diagnostics. Create a diagnostic checklist for the equipment groups you service most often. That way the quotation rests on a procedure rather than on the technician’s intuition.

Step 3: build the equipment history. Serial number, previous repairs, parts replaced. With liability extended by a year, that history is your evidence, not merely a convenience.

Step 4: shorten the path from visit to document. The report, the photographs and the customer’s signature should be produced in the field. “The technician will tell us about it in the office on Friday” stops being good enough once quotes and deadlines are binding.

All four can be done in a spreadsheet. It is considerably easier, though, when the price list, the checklists and the equipment history sit in a single service management system and the technician has them to hand on a phone.

Summary

The right to repair shifts the market’s centre of gravity towards the service business. The manufacturer loses its monopoly on repairing its own equipment, and the consumer gains a reason to repair rather than buy. That translates directly into more work for companies that can quote and document their work properly.

There is one condition. You have to enter that market with your price list, your timescales and your documentation in order — because a binding quotation does not forgive mess. If you want to see how to arrange that in practice, book a demo and we will walk through it on your own jobs.

FAQ

Is the right to repair already in force?
It depends on the country. The deadline for transposing Directive 2024/1799 passed on 31 July 2026, but the national implementing act does not exist everywhere yet. In Poland, for example, the implementing bill (UC154) has not completed the legislative process, so obligations will bind companies only once the act enters into force.

Does a repair at an independent workshop remove the customer’s guarantee?
Under the directive, no. A manufacturer may not make a consumer’s rights conditional on using only its authorised network, nor use technical locks that obstruct repair by a third party.

Do I have to issue the European repair information form to every customer?
Not on your own initiative. The obligation arises when a consumer asks for the form. You then issue it free of charge, before the contract is concluded, and the terms it contains bind you for at least 30 days.

What are the penalties for breaching the right to repair rules?
They are set nationally. The Polish bill, for instance, provides for fines of up to PLN 20,000, rising to PLN 40,000 for a repeat breach, and up to 10% of annual turnover where the collective interests of consumers are infringed. The final wording will only be known once the act is passed.

Which equipment does the right to repair cover?
The list includes washing machines, dishwashers, tumble dryers, vacuum cleaners, refrigeration equipment, electronic displays, phones, servers, welding equipment and electric bicycles and scooters, among others. It may be extended by further implementing acts.