Merry Maids franchise review
Entity: Merry Maids SPE LLC
Parent: Roark Capital / ServiceMaster
Ownership: PE-backed
Franchising since: 1980
802
System Size
franchised outlets, end 2024
$126K–$170K
Initial Investment
Item 7 range
$32,988
Annual Fees at $300K
#4 of 7 in cohort
-187 units
3-Year Net Growth
Accelerating contraction
Where Maids Stands vs. Peers
Fee burden (at $300K)
$32,988/yr
#4 of 7
Royalty rate
7% / 6% / 5%
incentive tiers (discretionary, may be discontinued)
Marketing floor
$0 + 2% of Gross Sales
2% total (1.3% ad fund + 0.7% local) — lowest in cohort
2024 attrition
10.2%
highest in cohort
Disclosure quality
Mixed
4th of 7
Peer comparisons from
fee burden,
system health,
cost to enter
analysis.
Biggest Watchouts Editorial
- △ System contracted by 187 units over 3 years (989 → 802, −18.9%). Contraction is accelerating: −43, −62, −82.
- △ 73 units ceased operations in 2024 alone — highest single-year loss in the cohort.
- △ Only 306 of 802 units qualify for the Item 19 “Qualified” tier. 419 Legacy Franchises have lower averages and were on different fee structures.
- △ Wisconsin risk disclosure explicitly flags turnover rate as a buyer risk.
- △ Incentive royalty tiers (6% at $400K+, 5% at $500K+) are discretionary and may be discontinued at any time.
Strongest Positives Editorial
- ✓ Largest system in the cleaning cohort (802 units) with 46 years of history.
- ✓ Lowest marketing burden in the cohort: 2% total (1.3% ad fund + 0.7% local).
- ✓ Qualified Franchise average gross sales of $487,441 (median $427,425).
- ✓ Simple fee structure with low technology cost ($499/month).
- ✓ Lowest initial investment in the cohort ($127K–$170K).
Fee Burden Position Modeled
| Revenue Level |
Annual Fees |
% of Revenue |
Rank |
| $200,000 |
$23,988 |
12.0% |
4 of 7 |
| $300,000 |
$32,988 |
11.0% |
4 of 7 |
| $400,000 |
$41,988 |
10.5% |
4 of 7 |
| $500,000 |
$49,988 |
10.0% |
4 of 7 |
Year 5 assumptions, single territory. See full methodology.
Incentive tiers are not guaranteed
The reduced royalty rates (6% at $400K+, 5% at $500K+) are discretionary incentive programs that the franchisor can discontinue at any time. Base rate is 7%.
System Health
| Year |
Opened |
Closed |
Net Change |
End Count |
| 2022 |
4 |
47 |
-43 |
946 |
| 2023 |
13 |
75 |
-62 |
884 |
| 2024 |
8 |
90 |
-82 |
802 |
Accelerating contraction
System lost 187 units in 3 years (−18.9%), with losses accelerating each year. 73 units ceased operations in 2024 alone. Wisconsin risk disclosure flags the turnover rate.
Disclosure Quality Editorial
Item 19 provides average and median gross sales for “Qualified Franchises” ($487K avg, $427K median) but only 306 of 802 units qualify. 419 “Legacy Franchises” are reported separately at lower averages ($256K). Wisconsin risk disclosure flags the turnover rate as a specific risk factor.
Get the Merry Maids Decision Report
Full fee burden modeling, Item 19 translation, risk flags, investment breakdown
analysis, and specific discovery day questions — the analysis that takes
this brand from “interesting” to “ready to evaluate.”
One-time purchase · Single brand · Instant delivery
What’s in the report
1Fee Burden Deep Dive
Dollar-level modeling at 4 revenue levels with component breakdown, minimum triggers, and year-by-year escalation
2Item 19 Translation
What the financial performance data actually says — and what it conspicuously omits
3Investment Breakdown
Where the initial investment goes, what’s negotiable vs. fixed, what the FDD footnotes bury
4System Health Narrative
Churn context, closure patterns, transfer trends — what the Item 20 numbers actually mean
5Risk Flags & Litigation
Regulatory history, entity changes, franchise dispute outcomes, and what they signal
6Discovery Day Questions
Specific, data-informed questions to ask the franchisor — derived from this brand’s FDD
7Peer Positioning
How this brand compares across the full residential cleaning category with narrative context
Compare Other Brands
See how Maids compares to other residential cleaning franchise brands in the cohort.