Aire Serv Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Aire Serv is a home-services franchise providing residential and commercial HVAC installation, repair, and indoor-air-quality services. Franchisees run an operation dispatching technicians and managing customers in a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A AIRE SERV franchise requires a total initial investment of $114K – $272K, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.6M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 30.0% charge-off rate across 111 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $114K – $272K
- 41st pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $1.6M
- 18th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 8th pct Home Services
- Units
- 229
- 77th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- 30.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $114K – $272K including a $45K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $1.6M/year (median $945K).
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 40/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 30.0% across 111 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- FLAG15 units terminated last reporting year (6.6% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Aire Serv SPV LLC
- Parent company
- Neighborly Assetco LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Nest Holdings LP (controlled by investment funds affiliated with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P.)
- Predecessor
- Aire Serv LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Michael Anthony Davis
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 1010 North University Parks Drive, Waco, Texas 76707
- Auditor
- Ernst & Young LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $480.8M
- vs $461.7M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Michael Anthony Davis
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 1992
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 15% below the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $45K | $45K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $45K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $54K | $182K |
| Total initial investment | $114K | $272K |
Source: AIRE SERV 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $114K – $272K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $45K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $45K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Tiered by sales volume · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $189 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $25K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 24% above the home services norm.
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for AIRE SERV until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$223K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one AIRE SERV unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.6M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $945K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- historical Gross Sales (average, median, high/low by percentile group)
- Sample size
- 172 outlets
- vs category median 32 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $315→$22.3M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $161K→$4.1M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 319 Home Services brands
Revenue is 8.1x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $1.6M/year in gross sales. Median is $945K — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 8.1x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.0% — below the Home Services average of 8.9%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 16.2% CAGR over 3 years across 229 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Home Services averages
How Aire Serv Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 229
- Opened
- 45
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 24
- Terminated
- 15
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 5
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 10.5%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 1%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +16.2%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +16.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 45
- Closed (3yr)
- 4
- Terminated (3yr)
- 15
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 5
- Transfers (3yr)
- 9
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
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.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 111
- Loan volume
- $24.6M
- Median loan
- $203K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 30.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 70.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 80.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 19
- Defaults
- 9
- Typical loan rate
- 8.9%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 20.0%
- brand above franchise avg ↑
- Jobs supported
- 434
- 2.2 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 72%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 83% went to startups / new businesses, 17% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contract, franchised businesses charge off at 20.0% vs 14.5% for independents — franchising is associated with 38% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
Aire Serv charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Aire Serv franchisees
Showing 3 of 19 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Aire Serv's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 12-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
A 30.0% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 3 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 30.0% — 87% above the 16.0% national norm, i.e. higher lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
AIRE SERV presents meaningful investment risk due to system contraction, undisclosed net income, multiple litigation events, and unclear profitability at stated average revenues.
Litigation (Item 3)
During FY2025, Franchisor initiated 1 suit to enforce dispute resolution procedures (Waldstein HVAC) and has 1 pending suit to enforce a covenant not-to-compete (GMAN Air). No suits were filed against the Franchisor. A 2017 Consent Order involving affiliate Window Genie's predecessor (not this Franchisor) resulted in a $5,000 penalty for failing to file advertising with the CA Commissioner.
Largest disclosed settlement: $5,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Ernst & Young LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 40 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORUnit count declining 4.8% YoY (197 units) suggests system contraction and potential market saturation or franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02HIGHSix litigation events (2 administrative orders + 4 franchisor lawsuits) indicate enforcement issues, non-compete disputes, and collection problems
- 03MINOR10-year term is lengthy; declining unit trend suggests franchisees may struggle to reach profitability within contract window
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 100,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 180 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 10 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | McLennan County, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
During FY2025, Franchisor initiated 1 suit to enforce dispute resolution procedures (Waldstein HVAC) and has 1 pending suit to enforce a covenant not-to-compete (GMAN Air). No suits were filed against the Franchisor. A 2017 Consent Order involving affiliate Window Genie's predecessor (not this Franchisor) resulted in a $5,000 penalty for failing to file advertising with the CA Commissioner.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 133 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 8 hrs
- Training location
- Phase I: webinar/virtual (2.5 days). Phase II: Franchisor's offices in Waco, Texas or other designated locations (5 days), covering Business Training and Systems Training (Home Comfort Design Sales Professional and Service Professional tracks).
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisor provides site selection guidelines; approves/disapproves selected location within 10 business days.
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- ServiceTitan
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: ServiceTitan
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
174 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
AIRE SERV · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a AIRE SERV franchise?
The total investment to open a AIRE SERV franchise ranges from $114K – $272K, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do AIRE SERV franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the AIRE SERV FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.6M. The median is $945K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the AIRE SERV FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the AIRE SERV FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is AIRE SERV's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, AIRE SERV has a charge-off rate of 30.0% across 111 loans, meaning 30.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many AIRE SERV franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, AIRE SERV has 229 total units in the United States, including 229 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 45 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is AIRE SERV a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates AIRE SERV as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 40 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.
For franchisors
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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.