THE CLEANING AUTHORITY

THE CLEANING AUTHORITY

The Cleaning Authority franchise offers residential cleaning services similar to a maid service (Core Services), with options for Non-Core Services such as carpet cleaning, window cleaning, furniture cleaning, and light commercial cleaning for properties under specified size limits. Franchisees operate in defined territories—Enterprise Markets (30,000+ Designated Households) or Hometown Markets (fewer)—using the franchisor's proprietary system, marks, standards, and operations manual to serve high-income residential customers and select commercial clients. The business model emphasizes team-based cleaning, customer warranties, and royalty payments on revenue, targeting affluent households with annual incomes of at least $70,000 ($85,000 in California).

233
Locations
$93K–$147K
Investment
Since 1996
Franchising
ServicesColumbia, MDAuthority Brands, Inc.www.thecleaningauthority.comDisclaimer

Franchise Costs


Franchise Fee
$20,000
Item 5 of FDD
Initial Investment Range
$92,850 $147,100
Low: $92,850High: $147,100
Item 7 of FDD
Royalty Rate
6.00%
of gross sales
Brand Fund
1.00%
Item 6 of FDD
Fixed Monthly Fees
$159 – $174
Item 6 of FDD

6% royalty (tiered lower at higher revenue volumes) + 1% brand fund (max $200/wk) + $37-$40/wk technology fee (~$159-$174/mo)

Financial Performance


Item 19 Financial Performance

Average Gross Revenue
$0
Median Gross Revenue
$0
Top Quartile Revenue
$0
Bottom Quartile Revenue
$0

Data Based On: 206 Enterprise Market Territories operating for the entire 2024 fiscal year, segmented into Top, Middle, and Lower Thirds by Gross Revenue.

* Average Gross Revenue was calculated as a weighted average using the 'Total Actual Gross Revenue' and 'Total Number of Reporting Territories' for each segment (Top Third, Middle Third, Lower Third) from Table 1. Calculation: ($168,743,478 + $87,558,225 + $44,026,914) / (69 + 68 + 69) = $300,328,617 / 206 = $1,457,905.91. Median Gross Revenue is taken from the Middle Third Reporting Territories, as an overall median was not explicitly provided, adhering to the instruction to use the middle segment's median. Revenue Top Quartile and Revenue Bottom Quartile are represented by the Average Gross Revenue of the Top Third and Lower Third segments, respectively. Profit estimates (net income, net profit, EBITDA, and best guess profit range) are set to null because while COGS percentages and ranges for some operating expenses (rent, telephone, employee advertising) are provided in Note 4, other significant expenses such as 'manager salaries or owner draws' and the 'weekly Local Marketing Fee' are not quantified or are referred to other sections of the FDD (Items 6, 7, 8, and 11), making a comprehensive and reliable profit estimation impossible from the available information in Item 19.

Extracted Item 19 Section

How THE CLEANING AUTHORITY Compares


Key Insights

  • Lower than average SBA loan default rate in Cleaning Services
FranchiseInvestmentFeeRoyaltyLocations
THE CLEANING AUTHORITY
Current
$93K – $147K$20K6.0%233
THE MAIDS$82K – $160K$57K6.9%1,517
Chem-Dry$119K – $265K$36K7.0%1,099
MERRY MAIDS$127K – $170K$55K7.0%802
OpenWorks$4K – $134K$25K15.0%615
OXI FRESH CARPET CLEANING$54K – $105K$48KN/A481
Cleaning Services Average
72 franchises
$187K – $374K$45K7.1%

* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 72 Cleaning Services franchises by location count.

Locations & Growth


Outlet Growth Over Time

Total outlets at end of each year

Geographic Distribution (2024)

Outlets by state across the United States

Top States
1FL
28
2TX
23
3OH
17
4MI
12
5CA
12
6GA
10
7NC
10
8IL
9
9VA
8
10WI
7
11PA
7
12CO
6
13NJ
6
14IN
6
15AZ
6

+25 more states

SBA Loan History


Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for THE CLEANING AUTHORITY franchisees (20142025)

Total Loans
79
Average Loan
$257,103
Total Volume
$20.3M
Default Rate
7.6%

Loans by Year

SBA 7(a) loan activity over time

* Data sourced from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records. Default rate calculated from charged-off loans.

Franchisee Contacts


216 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.

NameSBA Loan
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active

216 Contacts Available

Unlock all THE CLEANING AUTHORITY franchisee contacts with verified contact information

Due Diligence


Litigation (Item 3)

Franchisee Cases2

One lawsuit by franchisee association alleging inadequate disclosures, interference with association rights, lack of marketing fund transparency, and above-market pricing; one action against former franchisee for unpaid fees and non-compete breach (with counterclaims alleging misrepresentations).

Bankruptcy (Item 4)

Bankruptcy HistoryNo
No bankruptcy history reported

System Health (Item 20)

Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year

Terminations
1
Non-Renewals
0
Reacquired
0
Ceased Ops
3
Transfers
5
Sold to Franchisees
0
Projected New
12

Frequently Asked Questions


The total initial investment to open a THE CLEANING AUTHORITY franchise ranges from $92,850 to $147,100. This includes a franchise fee of $20,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 6.0% of gross sales.

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