AerusFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Aerus franchise requires a total initial investment of $16K – $418K, including a $3K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $16K – $418K
- 0th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 54th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 38th pct Home Services
- Units
- 166
- 64th pct Home Services
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Home Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchised units fell from 196 to 158 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $16K – $418K including a $3K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict F (Bottom Quintile) with a risk score of 83/100.
- Bankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- AERUS FRANCHISING, LLC
- Parent company
- Aerus LLC
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 14841 Dallas Parkway, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75254
- Auditor
- Brown, Edwards & Company, L.L.P.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $17.0M
- vs $15.3M prior year
Overview
About
Aerus franchisees operate air purification, water treatment, and environmental services businesses, typically selling and installing HVAC and water quality systems to residential and commercial customers. Day-to-day activities include customer acquisition, product demonstrations, installation/service calls, and maintaining recurring service contracts for equipment maintenance and replacement filters.
- CEO
- Joseph P. Urso
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2001
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 36
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 18 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Beyond Addendum Feenot refundable | $0 | $100 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $0 | $15K | |
| Furniture Fixtures and Equipment | $2K | $15K | |
| Vehicle | $0 | $8K | |
| Initial Inventory (supplies, consigned products, spare parts) | $5K | $90K | |
| Pre-Opening Training Expenses | $1K | $7K | |
| Supplies (stationery, business cards, etc.) (for 3 months) | $100 | $600 | |
| Permits & Licenses | $50 | $200 | |
| Insurance Deposits and Premiums (for first year) | $2K | $2K | |
| Architect Fees | $0 | $5K | |
| Other Professional Fees | $500 | $1K | |
| Site Lease (for 3 months) | $500 | $10K | |
| Utility Deposits | $350 | $450 | |
| Advertising and Promotion | $0 | $5K | |
| Signage | $1K | $5K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $3K | $50K | |
| Goodwill | $0 | $200K | |
| Total initial investment | $16K | $418K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $16K – $418K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $3K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $1K – $3K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 11.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $100 |
| Renewal fee | $100 |
| Total fee load | 11.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Home Services averages
How Aerus Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 166
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 34
- Turnover rate
- 20.5%
- Company-owned
- 8
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 95%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -17.3%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -19.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 5
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 38 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Hawaii
- Michigan
- South Dakota
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
A system losing more than 10% of its units year-over-year is a red flag. Check whether closures are concentrated in specific regions.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 6 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 6
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Aerus presents HIGH RISK due to a contracting franchise system (−17.3% YoY), undisclosed unit economics, false going concern status, active franchisor litigation, and an unusually restrictive 1-year term that provides minimal franchisee security.
Litigation (Item 3)
3 case reference(s): 2 pending, 2 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $350,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Bankruptcy Code; (b) obtained a discharge of its debts under the Bankruptcy Code; or (c) was a principal officer of a company or a general partner in a partnership that either filed as a debtor (or had filed against it) a petition to start an action under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or that obtained a
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Brown, Edwards & Company, L.L.P.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 83 / 100 rating
- 01MINORSystem declining sharply: 166 units down 17.3% YoY indicates contracting franchisee base and potential market saturation or performance issues
- 02MINORNo financial disclosure (Item 19): Franchisor refuses to disclose average unit revenue and net income, making ROI completely opaque and preventing informed investment decisions
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE: Red flag suggesting franchisor financial instability or accounting irregularities that undermine system viability
- 04HIGHActive litigation with franchisees: Pending 2025 arbitration by franchisor against former franchisee over post-term obligations suggests disputes over contract enforcement and exit terms
- 05MINORHistorical trademark/contract disputes: 2019 settled lawsuit involving breach of contract and trademark violation indicates systemic relationship conflicts with channel partners
- 06MINORExtremely short 1-year term: Unusual franchise term length provides minimal business stability, high renewal uncertainty, and extreme dependency on franchisor goodwill
- 07MEDHigh royalty burden at 8% with no performance data: Without disclosed earnings, franchisees cannot verify royalty sustainability relative to actual profitability
- 08MEDWide investment range ($16K–$417K) with no guidance: Massive variance suggests inconsistent unit economics, unclear startup costs, or undisclosed territory/support variables
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 1 year |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 1 year |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
3 case reference(s): 2 pending, 2 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 80 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- FOAS (Aerus Franchise Office Automation System)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: FOAS (Aerus Franchise Office Automation System)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
124 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Aerus · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Aerus franchise?
The total investment to open a Aerus franchise ranges from $16K – $418K, with an initial franchise fee of $3K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Aerus franchise owners earn?
Aerus does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Aerus's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Aerus (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Aerus franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Aerus has 166 total units in the United States, including 196 franchised units and 8 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Aerus a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Aerus as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 83 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.