The Cleaning Authority Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
The Cleaning Authority is a residential cleaning franchise providing recurring, detailed house cleaning with trained teams. Franchisees run a route-based operation managing crews, scheduling, and customer retention as owner-operators.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Cleaning Authority franchise requires a total initial investment of $77K – $147K, including a $15K – $20K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 8.6% charge-off rate across 70 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $77K – $147K
- 21st pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 9th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Units
- 244
- 75th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA charge-off
- 8.6%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Cleaning & Maintenance 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 $77K – $147K including a $15K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 also discloses "Average Price Per Clean" ($178.56/$168.50/$171.21 by tercile), which is a per-job metric, not whole-unit revenue, and is excluded from avg_gross_sales.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 95/100 (higher is better). 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, 2010–2025).
- DATAItem 19 reports cohort rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- The Cleaning Authority Franchising SPE LLC
- Parent company
- AB Assetco LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Authority Brands, Inc.
- Predecessor
- The Cleaning Authority, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Jason Caiafa
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 7120 Samuel Morse Drive, Suite 300, Columbia, MD 21046
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $227.8M
- vs $226.4M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jason Caiafa
- Headquarters
- Maryland
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 40
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 64% below the typical cleaning & maintenance franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $15K | $15K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $27K | $30K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $35K | $102K |
| Total initial investment | $77K | $147K |
Source: The Cleaning Authority 2026 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
- $77K – $147K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $27K – $30K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $15K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- tiered · 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 | $40 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $3K – $3K |
| Total fee load | 40.3% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
The Cleaning Authority did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one The Cleaning Authority unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
64%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 also discloses "Average Price Per Clean" ($178.56/$168.50/$171.21 by tercile), which is a per-job metric, not whole-unit revenue, and is excluded from avg_gross_sales.
- Item 19 type
- cohort
- Sample size
- 212 territories
- vs category median 32 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $106K→$5.0M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 5 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 192 Cleaning & Maintenance brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 40.3% — above the Cleaning & Maintenance average of 9.7%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports cohort rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System expanding at 8.9% CAGR over 3 years across 244 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 Cleaning & Maintenance averages
How The Cleaning Authority Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 244
- Opened
- 13
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 10
- Terminated
- 4
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 2.1%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +8.9%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +8.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 13
- Closed (3yr)
- 3
- Terminated (3yr)
- 2
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 7
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
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)
- 91.4%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 28
- Defaults
- 6
- Typical loan rate
- 7.2%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 15.4%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 1,599
- 8.4 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 11%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 60% went to startups / new businesses, 40% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in janitorial services, franchised businesses charge off at 15.4% vs 22.8% for independents — franchising is associated with 32% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
The Cleaning Authority charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing The Cleaning Authority franchisees
Showing 3 of 28 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.
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.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 8.6% — 46% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Litigation (Item 3)
TCAF (independent franchisee association) sued the franchisor in Maryland state court alleging inadequate disclosure and marketing-fund misuse; claims were dismissed for lack of standing and the case was settled/dismissed with prejudice in Jan 2026 with no payment by franchisor. Separately, the franchisor sued a former franchisee (Cavallaro) for breach of franchise agreement/non-compete; franchisor won partial summary judgment and the parties settled with franchisee paying damages/fees.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ 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: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 95 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORPending franchisee-association suit (marketing fund/vendor pricing) among 3 matters
- 02MINORVery strong financials: net worth $697.2M, net income $8.18M
- 03HIGHLow litigation count relative to 224-unit system
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 40.3% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory sizeℹ | 30,000-60,000 Designated Households (Enterprise Market) or 15,000-29,999 Designated Households (Hometown Market) |
| 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 | 40 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Columbia, Maryland |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Maryland |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
TCAF (independent franchisee association) sued the franchisor in Maryland state court alleging inadequate disclosure and marketing-fund misuse; claims were dismissed for lack of standing and the case was settled/dismissed with prejudice in Jan 2026 with no payment by franchisor. Separately, the franchisor sued a former franchisee (Cavallaro) for breach of franchise agreement/non-compete; franchisor won partial summary judgment and the parties settled with franchisee paying damages/fees.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 37 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 45 hrs
- Training location
- Columbia, Maryland
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- 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 (2026) 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 $77K – $147K, with an initial franchise fee of $15K. 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?
The Cleaning Authority does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the The Cleaning Authority 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 The Cleaning Authority FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 244 total units in the United States, including 241 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 verdict score of 95 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?
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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.