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D70/100FDD 2025

Critter Control — Litigation & Risk

Home Services - Pest Control · FDD Items 3, 4 & 5

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Moderate — Review

3 cases disclosed in FDD Items 3 and 4.

Source: FDD Items 3–5

FDD Items 3 & 4

Litigation Metrics

Cases disclosed
3
Total from FDD Items 3 and 4
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
—
Franchisor or officer bankruptcy
Overall risk score
70 / 100
FranchiseVerdict composite
Rating
CAUTION
STRONG / MODERATE / CAUTION / AVOID

7(a) FOIA data · FY2020–present

SBA Loan Performance

Aggregated from public SBA 7(a) loan disclosures. Default rate is the share of loans that were charged off or settled for less than the full balance.

Total 7(a) loans
13
Government-backed loans issued
Default rate
8.3%
vs <3% typical · system-wide
5-yr default rate
—
Defaults
1 loans
Loans charged off or defaulted
Total loan volume
$5.8M
Avg loan size
$443K
Participating lenders
7

FDD Items 5, 6 & 17 — what you give up

Contract Risk Indicators

Mandatory arbitration
Required
Disputes resolved outside court — limits your legal options
Jury trial waiver
Waived
You give up the right to a jury trial
Non-compete
2 yrs
Post-termination restriction on similar businesses
Franchisor can compete
Yes
Franchisor can open competing locations in or near your territory
Right of first refusal
Yes
Franchisor can match any purchase offer when you try to sell
Governing law
Georgia
State whose law governs disputes — relevant if you're not based there

What drove the 70/100 rating

Risk Score Breakdown

  1. 01MINORSystem declining 6.6% YoY with only 124 units—indicates contracting franchise network and potential market saturation or performance issues
  2. 02MINORNo Item 19 financial performance disclosure—cannot verify average revenues or net income, making ROI projections impossible to validate
  3. 03HIGHMultiple litigation/settlements including trade secret misappropriation, state regulatory violations, and parent company SEC accounting order—suggests governance and compliance weaknesses
  4. 04MINORHigh initial investment ($93,850-$250,275) paired with 9% royalty and declining unit count creates elevated risk of negative ROI
  5. 05HIGHGoing Concern = False status not explicitly confirmed—ambiguous disclosure raises questions about franchisor financial stability

Severity inferred from FDD text — not a regulatory or legal classification

Litigation data from FDD Items 3, 4, and 5. SBA data from public 7(a) FOIA records (FY2020–present). Not legal advice — consult a franchise attorney before signing any franchise agreement.