Quick Verdict · who it fits
1-800 Water Damage fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mid-scale cleaning concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$143K - $312K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$59K
Royalty (Item 6)
7–10% + 2% ad
Item 19 median rev
$482k Reported Franchisees (franchisees open and operating during e…
System size (Item 20)
160 +10
Years in business
11+ yrs
Item 3 litigation
3 suits
Model 1-800 Water Damage's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 7–10% + ad fund 2% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$480,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (7–10%)
—
Ad fund (2%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
160
Total units open
10
Units opened last year
25
Units closed last year
-15
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How 1-800 Water Damage ranks against 136 Cleaning & Maintenance peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
58th pct · of 136 peers
Franchise fee
70th pct · of 136 peers
System size
69th pct · of 136 peers
Cleaning & Maintenance industry averages
Avg investment
$164K - $418K
Avg franchise fee
$44K
Avg system size
470
Franchises analyzed
136
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-800 Water Damage | Disclosed | $59K | $143K - $312K | 7–10% | 160 |
| Bin There USASimilar price | Disclosed | $29K | $134K - $313K | — | 244 |
| Jani-King of CaliforniaBiggest system | None | $3K | — | 11% | 202,320 |
| Vanguard CleaningTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $100K | $165K - $473K | 5% | 48 |
Not sure 1-800 Water Damage is the one?
Answer five questions and get matched against 2,000+ analyzed FDDs — including every Cleaning & Maintenance brand we cover. Free, no account needed.
Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Brand Analysis
Home service franchises offer lower overhead than restaurants and strong recession resistance. Compare investment costs, royalties, and territory sizes across plumbing, cleaning, restoration, lawn care, HVAC, and handyman brands.
Brand Analysis
Window Genie's 2026 FDD discloses a $387K median AUV across 90 units, with a $128K-$828K interquartile range that tells the real story. Inside the Neighborly portfolio, the verdict depends on how the brand fits adjacent operations.
Brand Analysis
Tide Cleaners' 2025 FDD shows total investment of $698K to $2.5M, a $20K-$50K franchise fee, and a 6.5% royalty plus 4% ad fund. The 12-14 year typical payback period is among the longest in major U.S. franchising. Here's the honest math and the buyer profile that makes it work.
1-800 Water Damage requires a $59,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $142,903–$312,398, per the most recent FDD on file.
1-800 Water Damage is franchised by 1-800 WATER DAMAGE International, LLC, the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the franchisor's corporate history, parents, and predecessors.
Yes. 1-800 Water Damage discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $481,891. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 10%-7% of Gross Sales and an advertising fund contribution of 2% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, 1-800 Water Damage has 160 total locations, with 10 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt