The Cleaning AuthorityFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Cleaning Authority franchise requires a total initial investment of $82K – $173K, including a $20K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.5M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 8.6% charge-off rate across 70 loans[1]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $82K – $173K
- 23rd pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.5M
- 44th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 10th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Units
- 224
- 72nd pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA default
- 8.6%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Cleaning & Maintenance 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
Each dollar invested generates 11.4x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Franchising since 1996. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Bottom line
- Total investment $82K – $173K including a $20K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.5M/year.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 13/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 8.6% across 70 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- The Cleaning Authority Franchising SPE LLC
- Parent company
- AB Assetco LLC
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 7120 Samuel Morse Drive, Suite 300, Columbia, MD 21046
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $190.8M
- vs $219.1M prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate residential and commercial cleaning services, managing crews of 2-4 employees who perform weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly deep cleaning in customer homes. Day-to-day responsibilities include customer acquisition/retention, scheduling crews, quality assurance, payroll, and invoicing—typically working 40-50 hours weekly as owner-operators.
- CEO
- Leanne Stapf
- Headquarters
- MD
- Founded
- 1996
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 40
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $20K | $20K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $27K | $30K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $35K | $123K |
| Total initial investment | $82K | $173K |
Source: The Cleaning Authority 2024 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
$175K
12.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
112%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
11 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $82K – $173K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $27K – $30K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $15K – $20K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 40.3%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $33 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 40.3% of rev |
At 40.3% total fee load, roughly $586K per year goes to the franchisor before you pay a single operating expense.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.5M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 200 units
- vs category median 31 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $154K→$4.7M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 5 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 204 Cleaning & Maintenance brands
Revenue is 11.4x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
vs Cleaning & Maintenance averages
How The Cleaning Authority Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 224
- Opened
- 13
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 10
- Turnover rate
- 4.5%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +1.4%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +5.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 13
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 39 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
- 70
- Loan volume
- $19.1M
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 8.6%
- 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)
- 85.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 28
- Defaults
- 6
Vintage analysis
The Cleaning Authority 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 The Cleaning Authority'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
- 13-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
Stagnant unit growth, undisclosed profitability data, and active franchisee litigation create meaningful investment uncertainty despite low initial franchise fee and protected territory.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 13 / 100 rating
- 01MINORMinimal system growth (1.4% YoY) with only 224 units suggests market saturation or stagnation
- 02MEDNo average net income disclosed in FDD Item 19 prevents verification of profitability claims against $82k-$172k investment
- 03HIGHActive litigation by franchisee association (TCAF) regarding marketing funds indicates systemic franchisor-franchisee disputes
- 04MINORTiered royalty structure (6%-4%) requires $600k+ revenue to improve margins, creating cash flow pressure in early years
- 05HIGHGoing Concern issue (False) is unclear but warrants clarification on franchisor financial stability
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 | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Zip Code |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| 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
- 37 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 45 hrs
- POS system
- TCA IQ
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: TCA IQ
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
222 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
The Cleaning Authority · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Cleaning Authority franchise?
The total investment to open a The Cleaning Authority franchise ranges from $82K – $173K, with an initial franchise fee of $20K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do The Cleaning Authority franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the The Cleaning Authority FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.5M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is The Cleaning Authority's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, The Cleaning Authority has a charge-off rate of 8.6% across 70 loans, meaning 8.6% 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 The Cleaning Authority franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Cleaning Authority has 224 total units in the United States, including 209 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 13 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is The Cleaning Authority a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Cleaning Authority as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 13 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.
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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.