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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).

241locations
$77K–$147K
Since 1996
ServicesColumbia, MDAuthority Brands, Inc.www.thecleaningauthority.comDisclaimer

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Franchise Costs

Franchise Fee
$20,000
Initial Investment
$76,600 – $147,100
Royalty Rate
6.00%
Brand Fund
1.00%
Fixed Monthly Fees
$4,321 – $4,321

6% royalty (tiered) + 1% ad fund + $40.24/mo technology fee + variable call center fees

Financial Performance


Item 19 Financial Performance

Average Gross Revenue
$1,468,010.97
Median Gross Revenue
$1,289,775
Top Quartile Revenue
$2,486,854
Bottom Quartile Revenue
$629,131
Average Gross Profit
$568,310.29

Data Based On: 212 Enterprise Market Territories (Reporting Territories) operating for the entire 2025 fiscal year, segmented into top, middle, and lower performing groups.

* Average gross revenue calculated as a weighted average of the 'Average Gross Revenue' from the Top (71 units), Middle (70 units), and Lower (71 units) Third Reporting Territories for 2025. Formula: (71 * $2,486,854 + 70 * $1,285,477 + 71 * $629,131) / 212 total units = $1,468,010.97. Median gross revenue is taken from the 'Middle Third Reporting Territories' median value, which is $1,289,775. Revenue top quartile is the 'Average Gross Revenue' of the 'Top Third Reporting Territories', which is $2,486,854. Revenue bottom quartile is the 'Average Gross Revenue' of the 'Lower Third Reporting Territories', which is $629,131. Average gross profit calculated as a weighted average. Gross Profit % for Top/Middle was (1 - 0.61) = 0.39, for Lower was (1 - 0.63) = 0.37. Individual Gross Profit = Average Gross Revenue * Gross Profit %. Weighted Average Gross Profit = (71 * ($2,486,854 * 0.39) + 70 * ($1,285,477 * 0.39) + 71 * ($629,131 * 0.37)) / 212 total units = $568,310.29. Best guess profit high is set to average gross profit. Best guess profit low is estimated by subtracting the high end of explicitly quantified annual operating expenses (rent, telephone/internet, employee advertising from Note 4 on Page 3: $24,000 + $4,200 + $6,000 = $34,200) from the average gross profit ($568,310.29 - $34,200 = $534,110.29). This is a conservative estimate as other operating expenses are mentioned but not quantified.

Extracted Item 19 Section

Avg. Revenue: $1,468,011

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How THE CLEANING AUTHORITY Compares

Key Insights

  • Lower than average SBA loan default rate in Cleaning Services
FranchiseInvestmentFeeRoyaltyLocations
THE CLEANING AUTHORITY
Current
$77K – $147K$20K6.0%241
COVERALL COMMERCIAL CLEANING FRANCHISE$18K – $64K$16K5.0%5,669
JANI-KING$50K – $138K$40K10.0%4,731
VCS BUSINESS$14K – $37K$5K6.0%1,914
ANAGO OF MINNEAPOLIS$13K – $68K$31K10.0%1,868
THE MAIDS$82K – $160K$57K6.9%1,517
Cleaning Services Average
84 franchises
$186K – $385K$46K6.9%

* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 84 Cleaning Services franchises by location count.

Locations & Growth


Outlet Growth Over Time

Total outlets at end of each year

Geographic Distribution (2025)

Outlets by state across the United States

Top States
1FL
27
2TX
26
3OH
17
4CA
14
5MI
12
6NC
10
7GA
10
8IL
9
9WI
8
10VA
8
11NJ
7
12PA
7
13IN
6
14TN
6
15CO
6

+26 more states

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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.

79 SBA loans on record

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Franchisee Contacts

224 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.

224 Contacts Available

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Due Diligence


Litigation (Item 3)

Franchisee Cases2

One case involved an independent association of franchisees alleging inadequate disclosure, inhibition of association, and improper use of marketing funds. The second case was a breach of contract and non-competition dispute with a former franchisee, who also alleged misrepresentation.

Bankruptcy (Item 4)

Bankruptcy HistoryNo
No bankruptcy history reported

System Health (Item 20)

Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year

Terminations
2
Non-Renewals
0
Reacquired
0
Ceased Ops
3
Transfers
7
Sold to Franchisees
0
Projected New
8

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Frequently Asked Questions

The total initial investment to open a THE CLEANING AUTHORITY franchise ranges from $76,600 to $147,100. This includes a franchise fee of $20,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 6.0% of gross sales.