Monster Tree ServiceFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A MONSTER TREE SERVICE franchise requires a total initial investment of $416K – $535K, including a $50K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.3M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 8.3% charge-off rate across 86 loans[1]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $416K – $535K
- 76th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- 37th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 176
- 66th pct Home Services
- SBA default
- 8.3%
- system-wide median varies by category
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 247 to 176 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
42% cash-on-cash return (based on EBITDA). Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $416K – $535K including a $50K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $1.3M/year (median $1.2M), with an estimated 42% cash-on-cash return (based on EBITDA).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 55/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 8.3% across 86 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- System contracting at -28.7% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Monster Franchising SPE LLC
- Parent company
- AB Assetco LLC
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 7120 Samuel Morse Drive, Suite 300, Columbia, Maryland 21046
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $219K
- vs $226K prior year
Overview
About
Monster Tree Service franchisees operate residential and commercial tree removal, trimming, and maintenance services. Day-to-day operations involve managing field crews, operating heavy equipment (cranes, chippers, bucket trucks), handling customer estimates and scheduling, managing insurance/liability for dangerous work, and maintaining safety compliance. Franchisees typically employ 5-15 crew members and generate revenue through service calls, seasonal work, and emergency storm cleanup.
- CEO
- Thomas Swift, Jr.
- Headquarters
- MD
- Founded
- 1996
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 30
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $206K | $224K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $160K | $261K |
| Total initial investment | $416K | $535K |
Source: MONSTER TREE SERVICE 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
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
$158K
12.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
23%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.4 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $416K – $535K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $206K – $224K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of Applicable Percentage or Minimum Royalty Fee. …
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 2.4 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 7.5% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.2M
- Avg ebitda
- $199K
- Reported as EBITDA in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 42.0%
- Based on EBITDA / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 53 units
- vs category median 25 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $391K→$3.7M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 9 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 349 Home Services brands
vs Home Services averages
How Monster Tree Service Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 176
- Opened
- 10
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 48
- Turnover rate
- 27.3%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -17.8%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -28.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 6
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 30 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.
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 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 86
- Loan volume
- $38.2M
- Median loan
- $429K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 8.3%
- 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)
- 91.7%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 33
- Defaults
- 4
Vintage analysis
Monster Tree Service charge-off rate by loan vintage
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Monster Tree Service'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
- 10-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Contracting franchise system with historical litigation concerns, aggressive royalty structure, and unverified financial claims presents meaningful risk despite serviceable unit economics.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 rating
- 01MEDSignificant unit decline of 17.8% YoY (176 units) indicates system contraction and potential franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02HIGHTwo arbitration cases involving predecessor entity with fraud allegations, even if settled without wrongdoing findings, suggest historical governance/trust issues
- 03MINORTiered royalty structure with 6.5% base rate on first $1M revenue is aggressive; at average revenue of $1.32M, franchisees pay ~$86K+ annually in royalties alone (6.5% of $1.32M)
- 04MINORNo Item 19 financial performance representation limits ability to validate the $199K average net income claim independently
- 05MINORInitial investment of $415K-$534K requires ~2.1-2.7 years to recoup at average net income levels, assuming no growth needed
- 06MINORTiered royalty structure incentivizes franchisor to cap franchisee growth (lower rates only kick in at $1M+ thresholds), creating misaligned interests
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 | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Single Family Dwelling Units (SFDUs) |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Maryland |
| Litigation count | 2 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 71 hrs
- POS system
- SingleOps
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: SingleOps
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
78 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
MONSTER TREE SERVICE · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a MONSTER TREE SERVICE franchise?
The total investment to open a MONSTER TREE SERVICE franchise ranges from $416K – $535K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do MONSTER TREE SERVICE franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the MONSTER TREE SERVICE FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.3M. The median is $1.2M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is MONSTER TREE SERVICE's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, MONSTER TREE SERVICE has a charge-off rate of 8.3% across 86 loans, meaning 8.3% 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 MONSTER TREE SERVICE franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, MONSTER TREE SERVICE has 176 total units in the United States, including 247 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 10 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is MONSTER TREE SERVICE a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates MONSTER TREE SERVICE as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 55 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.
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.