Cleaning business franchise: costs, royalties and the honest trade-offs

What is a cleaning business franchise?

A cleaning business franchise is a license to run a cleaning company under someone else’s brand, using their system, in a territory they assign. You own and fund the local business, hire the cleaners and find the clients. The franchisor provides the name, training, playbooks, marketing and usually the software, and takes a share of your revenue for as long as you operate.

Most residential cleaning franchises (often called maid service franchises or house cleaning franchises) are built around a team model. You are not expected to clean homes yourself. You run an office, recruit and schedule crews, sell to new clients and manage quality. That is very different from a solo cleaner who starts with a vacuum and a few neighbors, and it is why the startup costs are higher.

What you typically get from the franchisor:

• A known name. Some clients trust a brand they have seen before, and a brand can help with hiring.
• A protected territory. A defined area, often counted in households, where no other franchisee of the same brand can market.
• Training and a manual. How to price, clean, hire, sell and run the office, written down and taught before you open.
• Marketing. National or regional advertising paid from a shared fund, plus local marketing templates.
• Systems. Scheduling and booking software, approved suppliers and reporting.
• Other owners. A network of franchisees who have already solved the problems you are about to meet.

What you give up is independence and a slice of every dollar. You follow the franchisor’s rules on services, prices, suppliers and software, you pay fees whether or not the year went well, and you usually cannot sell or close the business on your own terms. Whether that trade is worth it depends on you, which is what the rest of this guide is for.

How do cleaning franchise fees and royalties work?

You pay in two ways: a one-time franchise fee to join, and ongoing fees, mostly a percentage of your revenue, for the life of the agreement. The total initial investment (the franchise fee plus everything else you need to open and survive the first months) is what you need to fund up front.

• Initial franchise fee. A one-time payment for the license, training and opening support. Some brands price it by territory size. For example, The Maids says its territory fee is about $0.50 per household, about $65,000 for a typical territory of 130,000 households (The Maids).
• Royalty. A percentage of your gross revenue, usually paid weekly or monthly. It is charged on revenue, not profit, so you owe it in a month where you lost money. Some brands use a sliding scale: Molly Maid posts a licensing fee of 3% to 6.5% of annual gross sales, and The Maids says royalties start at 6.9% and can go as low as 3.9% as revenue grows (The Maids FAQ).
• Marketing or brand fund. A second percentage (or a flat fee) that pays for brand advertising. The Cleaning Authority, for example, posts a 2% national brand fund on top of a 6% royalty.
• Technology and other fees. Software, call center, training for new managers, renewal and transfer fees. These are listed in Item 6 of the disclosure document.
• Territory. Usually defined by a number of households. MaidPro describes territories of about 45,000 qualifying households with incomes over $100,000 (MaidPro FAQ), and Two Maids says each territory has at least 50,000 households (Two Maids FAQ).
• Training. Before you open. MaidPro says its training takes about 200 hours, in phases.

The franchise fee is the number brands advertise, but it is rarely the biggest cost. Over five or ten years, the royalty and fund usually add up to far more, as the example further down shows.

What do the major maid service franchises cost?

The six residential cleaning franchises below post total initial investments from $93,440 to $203,950. We took every figure from the franchisor’s own franchise site on October 5, 2026. Where a brand did not post a number, the cell says so: ask for the current disclosure document instead of trusting a figure from a directory.

How to read the table:

• The total includes working capital. Item 7 must include “additional funds” for an initial period of operations, which the FTC says is generally at least three months (FTC Franchise Rule Compliance Guide). Merry Maids’ table, for example, includes $38,000 to $43,000 of additional funds for three months. That money pays wages and bills while you build clients.
• Ranges are wide on purpose. Territory size, local rents, insurance and how fast you hire all move the number. Plan for the high end.
• Discounts exist. Several of these brands post discounts on the franchise fee for military veterans.
• Some brands post nothing. Maid Brigade, for example, did not list fees or investment ranges on its franchise site when we checked, so it is not in the table. That does not make it better or worse: you will see the numbers in its disclosure document.

Compare these totals with what an independent residential cleaning business needs to open: insurance (a median of about $68 a month for general liability and a janitorial bond), supplies, an optional LLC filing and booking software. Our guide on how to start a cleaning business breaks those costs down line by line.

What is in the franchise disclosure document, and how long do you get to read it?

Before you sign or pay anything, the franchisor must give you its franchise disclosure document (FDD), and you get at least 14 calendar days to read it. The FTC’s Franchise Rule requires a disclosure document with 23 specific items of information about the franchise, its officers and other franchisees (FTC Franchise Rule).

The FTC’s compliance guide spells out the timing: the document must reach you at least 14 calendar days before you sign a binding agreement or make any payment, the 14 days begin the day after delivery, and signing or paying can happen on the fifteenth day. Its consumer guide puts it simply: you must receive the document at least 14 days before you are asked to sign any contract or pay any money (FTC: A Consumer’s Guide to Buying a Franchise).

The items that matter most for a cleaning franchise

• Item 3, litigation, and Item 4, bankruptcy. Lawsuits between the franchisor and its franchisees tell you how the relationship goes when things go wrong.
• Items 5 and 6, fees. The franchise fee, then every ongoing fee: royalty, brand fund, technology, call center, renewal, transfer, and any minimum royalty you owe even in a slow month.
• Item 7, estimated initial investment. The table behind the ranges above. It lists typical expenses such as the initial franchise fee, training, real estate, equipment, opening inventory and licenses, plus additional funds for the first months. It generally does not include your own salary, so you need to live on savings meanwhile.
• Item 8, restrictions on suppliers. Whether you must buy products, uniforms, vehicles or software from the franchisor or approved vendors.
• Item 12, territory. How your area is defined, and whether the franchisor or other channels can sell into it.
• Item 19, financial performance representations. The only place a franchisor may make claims about sales, income or profit. The Rule permits but does not require these figures. A franchisor that makes none must say so in Item 19 and may not make earnings claims elsewhere, including on its website.
• Item 20, outlets and franchisee information. How many locations opened, closed, transferred or were taken back in each of the last three years, and contact details for current and former franchisees.
• Item 21, financial statements. Audited statements showing whether the franchisor itself is healthy.

How to read Item 19 figures

Many cleaning franchises put Item 19 figures on their websites, and those numbers are usually averages for a chosen group. The Cleaning Authority, for example, shows average gross revenue for its top third of territories (The Cleaning Authority). That is a real figure, but it is revenue, not profit, and it is the top third. The FTC warns that the high incomes of a few very successful franchises can inflate the average for all franchisees. Ask for the median, the bottom third, how many outlets were counted, how long they had been open, and what their costs were.

A lawyer who knows franchise law and an accountant can review the FDD and agreement with you. The fee is small next to a six-figure investment and a ten-year contract.

Cleaning franchise vs starting your own: a 5-year cost example

In our example, a franchise owner pays about $204,400 to the franchisor over five years, and an independent owner with the same revenue spends about $42,140 on software and matching marketing. The difference, about $162,260, is what the brand, training and support must earn back.

This is a hypothetical example with round numbers, not a forecast. We assume both businesses grow to the same revenue, so the only difference is fees. We use The Cleaning Authority’s posted $50,000 franchise fee, 6% royalty and 2% national brand fund, and assume both percentages apply to gross revenue (check Item 6 for the exact base and any minimums). The independent owner pays for BroomBook’s Team plan at $59 a month and spends the same 2% of revenue on its own marketing.

What the example tells you:

• The franchise has to be worth about $32,452 a year to you. If the brand gets you clients faster, helps you hire, or keeps you from mistakes that would cost more than that, it pays. If you would have reached the same revenue on your own, it does not.
• The royalty grows with you. In year 5 alone, ongoing fees in this example are $44,800. The franchise fee is a one-time cost, the percentage is forever.
• Same revenue is the big assumption. A first-time owner with no sales or management experience may grow faster with a franchise. An owner who already cleans, has local referrals and enjoys marketing may grow just as fast without one.
• Startup capital differs too. The franchise path asks for $119,100 to $163,350 before you open. An independent can start much smaller and hire as clients come in, though growing to the same size still takes working capital.

Put your own expected prices, client count and costs into the cleaning business profit calculator, then subtract the royalty and fund at the brand’s rates to see what is left. A written plan helps here: our guide to writing a plan for a cleaning company shows how to build the forecast a lender or franchisor will ask for.

Who is a franchise a good fit for, and who should stay independent?

A franchise suits someone with capital who wants to run a team-based company and values a proven playbook over freedom. Staying independent suits someone who wants to start small, keep every dollar of revenue, and make their own decisions on services, prices and tools.

A franchise can make sense if you

• Have never run a service business and want training, a manual and someone to call.
• Have the investment money and the cushion to live without a salary for months.
• Want to manage people and sell, not clean homes yourself.
• Value a recognizable name in your area, and the brand is strong there.
• Are happy to follow a system and do not mind someone else choosing your suppliers and software.

Starting independently can make more sense if you

• Already clean professionally, or have clients who would follow you.
• Want to start with a small investment and grow from profits.
• Want to choose your own services, such as Airbnb turnovers or move-out cleans, and your own prices.
• Would rather keep the 6% to 8% of revenue and spend some of it on your own marketing.
• Want to be free to sell, close or change the business without a franchisor’s approval.

There is also a third path: buying a business that already has clients and staff, either an independent company or an existing franchise location. Our guide to buying a cleaning business covers how to value one and what to check.

What should you ask current and former franchisees?

Call at least five current and five former owners from the Item 20 list, not only the ones the franchisor suggests. The FTC calls talking to franchisees possibly the most reliable way to verify the franchisor’s claims, and suggests speaking with owners who are one year and five years into their business.

1. How long did it take you to pay yourself a regular salary? How much do you pay yourself now?
2. Was the Item 7 estimate close to what you really spent before you broke even?
3. What does the brand fund actually do for your territory? Where do your new clients come from?
4. How hard is it to hire and keep cleaners in your area, and does the franchisor help with it?
5. What does the required software do well, and what do you work around? What does it cost each month?
6. Which required purchases (products, uniforms, vehicles) cost more than you could buy them for yourself?
7. How quickly does support answer, and does it help when you have a real problem?
8. Has the franchisor added fees or changed rules since you signed?
9. Knowing what you know now, would you buy this franchise again?
10. For former owners: why did you leave, and how did the exit go?

Be aware that some current and former franchisees sign agreements that limit what they can say. The FDD must disclose those confidentiality agreements, so a silence you notice may be explained there.

Red flags to watch for in a cleaning franchise offer

The biggest red flags are pressure to sign quickly, earnings promises outside Item 19, and a pattern of closures or lawsuits. Any one of them is a reason to slow down and get professional advice.

• Pressure to sign or pay before 14 days. The Rule gives you that time. A seller who pushes against it is telling you how the relationship will go.
• Earnings claims that are not in Item 19. If a salesperson tells you what you will make, and the FDD has no such figure, that is a problem the FTC wants reported.
• Many closures, transfers or terminations in Item 20, especially near your territory. The FTC lists multiple closures in your area as a warning sign.
• Lots of franchisee lawsuits in Item 3, or a franchisor that has been through bankruptcy.
• Rapid expansion with thin support. The FTC notes that a franchisor growing quickly may struggle to support new owners.
• Weak franchisor finances in Item 21. If the franchisor depends on new franchise fees to stay afloat, support may disappear when sales slow.
• A territory too small or too poor for the model. Ask how many households in your area fit the brand’s target client, and how that compares with successful territories.
• Former owners you cannot reach, or who all tell the same unhappy story.

Can an independent cleaning company get franchise-style systems without a franchise?

Yes, much of what a franchise provides day to day is software and process, and an independent owner can buy those directly. BroomBook gives an independent residential cleaning business online booking with instant prices, recurring scheduling, a crew app with checklists and clock-in, and card payments for $29 a month (up to 2 cleaners) or $59 a month (unlimited cleaners), with a 14-day free trial and no credit card.

We make BroomBook, so here is the honest scope:

• It replaces systems, not a brand. It does not give you a known name, a territory, a training program or other owners to call. Those are the real reasons to buy a franchise.
• It is for independents. Franchisors often specify the software you must run. MaidPro’s FAQ, for example, describes scheduling and dispatching crews with MaidPro’s proprietary software, and Merry Maids’ Item 7 table includes a software and tablet line. If you buy a franchise, use what your agreement requires.
• Pick something else if you need QuickBooks sync, a native app-store app, invoices with net terms, or one system for several trades. BroomBook has none of those.

If you are leaning independent, the playbooks a franchise would sell you are mostly free: our guides on getting cleaning clients and pricing house cleaning are a good start, and you can see the software with sample data on the live demo or compare plans on the pricing page.