Dryer Vent Squad Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Dryer Vent Squad is a home services franchise focused on dryer vent cleaning, inspection, and repair to prevent fire hazards. Franchisees run route-based operations, scheduling jobs and managing service delivery within a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Dryer Vent Squad franchise requires a total initial investment of $52K – $68K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $154K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $52K – $68K
- 9th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $154K
- 2nd pct Home Services
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 34th pct Home Services
- Units
- 36
- 38th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
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 $52K – $68K including a $35K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $154K/year.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 59/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 48.4% CAGR over 3 years with 36 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Dryer Vent Squad Franchising, LLC
- Predecessor
- DVS Franchising Corporation
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Leo Goldberger
- Incorporated in
- TN
- HQ
- 1823 Charlotte Avenue, #102, Nashville, Tennessee 37203
- Auditor
- Omar Alnuaimi, CPA
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $858K
- vs $0 prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Leo Goldberger
- Headquarters
- TN
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 15
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 73% below the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35K | $35K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $5K | $10K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $12K | $23K |
| Total initial investment | $52K | $68K |
Source: Dryer Vent Squad 2024 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
- $52K – $68K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $5K – $10K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $115 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $2K – $2K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 88% below the home services norm.
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$18K
12.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
27%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.7 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
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. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Dryer Vent Squad unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
27%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Dryer Vent Squad units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$154K
on $768K purchase
Total debt
$615K
SBA $0.4M + senior + seller note
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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $154K
- Per unit, per year
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Sample size
- 21 franchisees
- vs category median 32
- Reporting year
- 2022
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- Disclosed in the 2024 filing, covering 2022
- Transparency
- 3 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
Compared against 321 Home Services brands
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 $154K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 2.6x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 9.0% (near the Home Services average).
Disclosure
Transparency score 3/10 — moderate disclosure depth. Average and range data are available but detailed cohort breakdowns may be limited.
Operator retention
System expanding at 48.4% CAGR over 3 years across 36 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 Dryer Vent Squad Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 36
- Opened
- 25
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 8.6%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +64.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +48.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 25
- Closed (3yr)
- 3
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 3
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 15 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
15
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Significant litigation history, regulatory violations, missing financial disclosures, and going concern issues create substantial risk despite modest growth metrics.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Omar Alnuaimi, CPA
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 59 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHExtensive litigation history including multiple franchisee fraud/misrepresentation lawsuits against predecessor entities (Patch Boys, Frost Shades, Clozetivity) and ongoing disputes with former partner Thomas Scott
- 02MEDAdministrative consent orders and state agency investigations in Maryland, Minnesota, and New York for registration violations and disclosure omissions indicate compliance issues
- 03MINORFranchisor does not have 'Going Concern' status — suggests financial instability or accounting/operational red flags
- 04MEDHigh royalty structure (greater of 7% or $600-$1,700/month minimum) combined with undisclosed profitability makes ROI analysis impossible
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 300,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | 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 | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Davidson County, Tennessee |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | TN |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 9 hrs
- Training location
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Vonigo
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Vonigo
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
27 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Dryer Vent Squad · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Dryer Vent Squad franchise?
The total investment to open a Dryer Vent Squad franchise ranges from $52K – $68K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Dryer Vent Squad franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Dryer Vent Squad FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $154K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Dryer Vent Squad 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 Dryer Vent Squad FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Dryer Vent Squad's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Dryer Vent Squad (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 Dryer Vent Squad franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Dryer Vent Squad has 36 total units in the United States, including 35 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 25 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Dryer Vent Squad a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Dryer Vent Squad as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 59 out of 100 (higher is better), 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.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Dryer Vent Squad, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.