Quick Verdict · who it fits
The Cleaning Authority fits owner-operators looking for a mid-scale cleaning concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$77K - $147K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$15K
Royalty (Item 6)
4–6% + 1% ad
System size (Item 20)
241 +2
Agreement term
15 yrs
Years in business
5+ yrs
Company-owned units
3
Item 3 litigation
2 suits
Model The Cleaning Authority's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
✓Exclusive territory•Owner-operator required✓No bankruptcy disclosed•2 Item 3 cases
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 4–6% + ad fund 1% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$500,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (4–6%)
—
Ad fund (1%)
—
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.
241 franchised territories operating as of December 31, 2025
Total units open
13 new franchised outlets opened in 2025
Units opened last year
13 franchised outlets ceased operations in 2025
Units closed last year
8 net new franchised territories in 2025 (fr
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
5
Strengths identified
4
Questions to ask
How The Cleaning Authority ranks against 136 Cleaning & Maintenance peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
28th pct · of 136 peers
Franchise fee
16th pct · of 136 peers
System size
77th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cleaning Authority | Disclosed | $15K | $77K - $147K | 4–6% | 241 |
| Corporate Cleaning GroupSimilar price | Disclosed | $60K | $97K - $147K | 5.5% | 44 |
| Jani-King of CaliforniaBiggest system | None | $3K | — | 11% | 202,320 |
| Vanguard CleaningTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $100K | $165K - $473K | 5% | 48 |
Not sure The Cleaning Authority 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.
The Cleaning Authority requires a $15,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $76,600–$147,100, per the most recent FDD on file.
The Cleaning Authority franchises are sold by The Cleaning Authority Franchising SPE LLC, the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the corporate structure, including any parent companies and predecessors.
Yes. The Cleaning Authority discloses Item 19 financial performance representations in its FDD. See the financials sub-page for the disclosed figures.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 6%-4% tiered by market and revenue threshold and an advertising fund contribution of 1% of Gross Revenue or $200/week, whichever is less on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, The Cleaning Authority has 241 total locations, with 2 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
Yes. The Cleaning Authority grants franchisees an exclusive territory under Item 12 of the FDD. Note that exclusive territories often carve out online sales, alternative distribution channels, and non-traditional venues — review the full Item 12 language before signing.
Per the FDD, The Cleaning Authority discloses an initial agreement term of 15 years. Review Items 10 and 17 for the full renewal and termination provisions.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt