Quick Verdict · who it fits
Roto-Rooter fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mid-scale home services concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$123K - $282K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$25K
System size (Item 20)
333
Years in business
90+ yrs
Model Roto-Rooter's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
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.
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
448
Total units open
0
Units opened last year
5
Units closed last year
-5
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
4
Risks to review
3
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Roto-Rooter ranks against 254 Home Services peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
45th pct · of 254 peers
Franchise fee
9th pct · of 254 peers
System size
92nd pct · of 254 peers
Home Services industry averages
Avg investment
$156K - $287K
Avg franchise fee
$52K
Avg system size
150
Franchises analyzed
254
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roto-Rooter | Disclosed | $25K | $123K - $282K | — | 333 |
| PurairSimilar price | Disclosed | $60K | $207K - $283K | 7% | 0 |
| BranchesBiggest system | Disclosed | $68K | $80K - $114K | 6% | 8,086 |
| CBDTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $20K | $154K - $511K | 7.25% | 84 |
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Brand Analysis
Home Instead's most recent Item 19 reports a $2.26M median across 603 franchised territories — among the highest senior-care AUVs disclosed. The low investment ($91K-$270K) makes the AUV-to-investment ratio one of the strongest in any franchise category.
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
HomeVestors' 2026 FDD reports a $287K median across 898 franchised territories — but the unit-economics story is unique: the franchisee buys houses, renovates, and resells. Revenue is one metric; capital deployment and inventory cycle are the real ones.
Roto-Rooter requires a $25,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $123,110–$281,550, per the most recent FDD on file.
Roto-Rooter franchises are sold by Roto-Rooter Corporation, 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. Roto-Rooter discloses Item 19 financial performance representations in its FDD. See the financials sub-page for the disclosed figures.
As of their 2026 FDD, Roto-Rooter has 333 total locations. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt