RooterMan Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $45K – $82K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 11 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
RooterMan is a home-services franchise providing plumbing and drain-cleaning repair for homes and businesses. Franchisees run a dispatch-and-technician operation handling service calls, repairs, and scheduling in a protected territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A RooterMan franchise requires a total initial investment of $45K – $82K, including a $5K franchise fee. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored3 of 3 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $45K – $82K
- 4th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- Not extracted
- Units
- 535
- 87th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services median · 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 $45K – $82K including a $5K franchise fee.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 44/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative: net -118 franchised outlets in the latest year (4 opened, 28 closed) (Item 20).
- LEGAL15 litigation matters disclosed in Item 3, higher than typical. Review the summary for patterns (franchisor-initiated vs. franchisee-initiated).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- RooterMan, LLC
- Parent company
- PSB Group, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2025 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- AE Capital, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2025 FDD
- Predecessor
- A Corp.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Paul Flick
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 126 Garrett Street, Suite J, Charlottesville, VA 22902
- Auditor
- Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates, PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $25.4M
- vs $23.6M prior year
Affiliated brands
- House Doctors
- Maid Right
- Rubbish Works
- The Grout Medic
- Kitchen Wise
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Same owner · FDD Item 1, page 8
9 other brands on this site name AE Capital, LLC as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
- 360 PaintingD
- HOUSE DOCTORSB
- Kitchen WiseD
- Maid RightC
- PROLIFT GARAGE DOORSF
- RENEW CREWF
- RUBBISH WORKSD
- The Grout MedicB
- WINDOW GANGB
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2025 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Paul Flick
- Headquarters
- VA
- Founded
- 1982
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 33
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 62% below the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown12 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Feenot refundable | $5K | $5K | |
| Vehicle | $2K | $5K | |
| Real Estate and/or Leasehold Improvements | $0 | $3K | |
| Equipment & Supplies | $5K | $7K | |
| Insurance | $2K | $5K | |
| Signage | $3K | $4K | |
| Technology Fee | $3K | $3K | |
| Grand Opening | $3K | $5K | |
| Training Expenses | $2K | $4K | |
| Licenses/Bonds | $100 | $2K | |
| Professional Fees | $2K | $3K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $20K | $38K | |
| Total initial investment | $45K | $82K |
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
- $45K – $82K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $38K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $5K – $5K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- $3 per 1,000 of population in the Territory
- Ad fund
- $1 per 1,000 of population in the Territory
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | $3 per 1,000 of population in the Territory |
| Technology fee | $3K |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
RooterMan makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one RooterMan 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 annual revenue, royalty rate, ad fund rate, 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.
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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator retention
System contracting at -22.4% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Multi-unit rate
Only 1% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
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 medians
How RooterMan Compares
Category median of published Home Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 535
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 28
- Terminated
- 4
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 16
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 18.5%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -22.4%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -22.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 4
- Not renewed
- 16
- Transfer rate
- 0.7%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 81.4%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 3.7%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 1.5%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 13 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
13 current owners across 13 states.
- FL 1
- GA 1
- IL 1
- LA 1
- MN 1
- MO 1
- MS 1
- NC 1
- NJ 1
- NV 1
- NY 1
- PA 1
- +1 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20; 1 entries carry no state. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
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
- 11
- Loan volume
- $5.1M
- Median loan
- $89K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Limited · 11 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 11 loans, rate hidden until 10 have resolved and loans reach 2% of franchised units
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Limited · 11 loans
- 5-yr charge-off
- Limited · 11 loans
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 6
- Defaults
- 2
- Typical loan rate
- N/A
- Franchised industry avg
- 20.0%
- n=454 loans
- Jobs supported
- 6
- 3.4 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 50%
- top lender's share
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.
Top lenders financing RooterMan franchisees
Showing 3 of 6 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.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for RooterMan from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 66.8%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 80%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $59K
- Lender concentration
- 50.0%
- Job velocity
- 3.4 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 13.6%
- NAICS 238220
- Jobs supported
- 6
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 50% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Bank | 1 | $155K | 100.0% |
| 2 | Banner Bank | 1 | $23K | 100.0% |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| RIRhode Island | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| WAWashington | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
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
Multiple stacked concerns: financial distress with deeply negative net worth of -$5,873,114 and a net loss of -$687,795, plus 17 litigation matters and no Item 19 disclosure. System of 604 units is contracting -22.4%. Distress flagged early-stage which tempers it, but negative equity of this magnitude alongside heavy litigation and a shrinking base is material.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
Two pending litigation matters involving Window Gang, LLC and 360 Painting, LLC. Both cases involve franchise-related disputes including allegations of fraud, territory disputes, trade secret misappropriation, and breach of franchise agreements.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates, PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Item 8 states the franchisor's own total revenue as $1,279,368 (FY ending 2024-12-31); the statements above are the parent's.
ⓘ 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: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 44 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNegative net worth -$5,873,114, net loss -$687,795
- 02HIGH17 litigation matters (trademark/covenant disputes, counterclaims)
- 03MINORNo Item 19 disclosure
- 04MINOR-22.4% net growth
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2025 · 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 | 2 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 125,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 20 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Virginia |
| Litigation count | 15 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Two pending litigation matters involving Window Gang, LLC and 360 Painting, LLC. Both cases involve franchise-related disputes including allegations of fraud, territory disputes, trade secret misappropriation, and breach of franchise agreements.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 62 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 28 hrs
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee, with franchisor approval required for non-home office locations
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Quickbooks Online and proprietary management software
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Quickbooks Online and proprietary management software
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
14 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a RooterMan franchise?
The total investment to open a RooterMan franchise ranges from $45K – $82K, with an initial franchise fee of $5K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do RooterMan franchise owners earn?
RooterMan makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns RooterMan?
RooterMan is franchised by RooterMan, LLC. Its parent company is PSB Group, LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is AE Capital, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the RooterMan 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 RooterMan FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is RooterMan's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for RooterMan (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 RooterMan franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, RooterMan has 535 total units in the United States, including 535 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is RooterMan a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates RooterMan as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 44 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.