The Maids

The Maids prices its franchise by territory. A single territory (90,000–150,000 households) costs $60,000. Two territories run $110,000 total; three run $145,000; five run $190,000. On top of the franchise fee, the mandatory SMART Start Package — training, cleaning supplies, uniforms, vacuums, and branded equipment — costs a flat $19,900 and is required within 30 days of signing. There's no discount for existing franchisees adding territories.

Compared to competing residential cleaning franchises, The Maids' entry cost is reasonable. Molly Maid and Merry Maids typically run $100K–$120K all-in; The Maids single-territory total of $118K–$141K lands in the same range. Multi-territory entry is priced more attractively relative to scale than most cleaning competitors.

Ongoing fees use a tiered royalty called the Continuing License Fee: 6.9% on the first $350K in annual revenue per territory, stepping down to 6.5%, then 6.0%, 5.5%, 5.0%, 4.5%, and 3.9% for the highest-volume operators. For a single-territory operator at the $386K per-territory average, you'd pay about 6.9% on most of that revenue. The marketing fund adds 2% of gross revenues, plus a Technology Innovation Fund of 0.25% (capped at $15,000 per year). Local marketing is required at $2,500/month for the first territory.

The National Sales Center is mandatory for your first year at $60/week base plus $7.50 per unsold quote and $36 per sold quote. This is effectively an outsourced call center you're required to pay for while you're still building your customer base — it can be canceled with 60 days' notice after year one.

The Maids is unusually transparent for a cleaning franchise. Item 19 discloses three data sets: per-clean and per-customer metrics, franchise-level revenue for 97 reporting franchisees, and a full P&L from 6 company-owned outlet offices covering 31 territories.

For the 97 reporting franchisees, average total revenue was $1,184,667 and the median was $764,051. But note that these are per-franchisee figures — most franchisees operate multiple territories. The per-territory average was $386,244 (median $305,938), which is the more relevant number if you're starting with one territory.

The company-owned outlet P&L is the most valuable disclosure: 6 offices operating 31 territories averaged $1,424,377 in revenue with $220,356 in net income — a 15.5% net margin. Cost of revenue was 71% (including direct labor at 38.6%, vehicle costs at 4%, and royalties at 5.4%), and operating expenses were 13.6%. The median net income across those 6 offices was $208,952.

The 15.5% margin figure applies to multi-territory operations with the scale advantage of multiple cleaning teams. A single-territory operator at $305K–$386K in revenue, paying 6.9% in royalties and $2,500/month in mandatory local marketing, would likely see thinner margins until the business achieves density. Per-clean revenue averaged $221 for regular maid service and $862 for special projects.

The Maids' unit count has been essentially flat for three years: 374 total units in 2022 and 2023, declining slightly to 369 by year-end 2025. The system opens roughly 9–12 new territories annually, but closures (8–17 per year) have kept net growth near zero.

The franchisor has been actively reacquiring franchised territories — taking 6 territories back from franchisees in 2024 — then sometimes reselling to new operators. This churn at the individual territory level suggests some operators are struggling even as the overall count holds steady.

With 106 franchisees operating 338 territories and 1 affiliate running 31 company-owned territories, the average franchisee controls about 3.2 territories. There's international presence (5 franchisees in Canada), and the franchisor has projected adding only 4 new franchised units in the next year — very modest growth expectations.

The financial health disclosure is the most important item here. The FDD explicitly states that The Maids' financial statements 'call into question the Franchisor's financial ability to provide services and support.' This is not boilerplate — it's a specific risk disclosure that means the franchisor may struggle to maintain training programs, system-wide marketing, technology platforms, and operational support. Before signing, request current financial statements and have a CPA review them.

The franchisor also filed four active lawsuits against former franchisees for non-payment, trademark infringement, and underreported revenues in fiscal year 2025. While four cases isn't alarming for a 100+ franchisee system, combined with the financial health flag it suggests ongoing friction in the franchisee relationship.

All disputes must be litigated in Texas (where the franchisor is headquartered). If you're in California or New York, you'll need Texas counsel if anything goes wrong.

Liquidated damages on early termination are calculated as: combined weekly average revenue × weeks remaining × 9.15% (the sum of the royalty, tech, and marketing rates). On a $300K-per-territory business with 5 years left on a 10-year agreement, that's roughly $137,000 in penalties for walking away. Exiting early is expensive.