Molly Maid franchise review
Entity: Molly Maid SPV LLC
Parent: KKR / Neighborly
Ownership: PE-backed (Neighborly SPV)
Franchising since: 1984
448
System Size
franchised outlets, end 2024
$139K–$197K
Initial Investment
Item 7 range
$31,056
Annual Fees at $300K
#3 of 7 in cohort
-53 units
3-Year Net Growth
Steady contraction
Where Maid Stands vs. Peers
Fee burden (at $300K)
$31,056/yr
#3 of 7
Royalty rate
6.5% / 6% / 5.5% / 5% / 4.5% / 4% / 3.5% / 3%
8-tier marginal — declines to 3% above $2.8M
Marketing floor
2% + $1/TH/yr local
moderate (MAP 2% + declining per-TH local)
2024 attrition
5.4%
above cohort average
Disclosure quality
Strong
2nd of 7
Peer comparisons from
fee burden,
system health,
cost to enter
analysis.
Biggest Watchouts Editorial
- △ System has contracted every year for 3 consecutive years (501 → 481 → 464 → 448, −10.6%).
- △ Item 19 does not disclose absolute total gross sales per franchisee — only per-cleaning and per-TH metrics. Revenue comparisons require inference.
- △ Technology costs total ~$463/month ($58 ZorWare + $405 CLEO/ServiceTitan).
- △ Same Neighborly/KKR SPV structure as Mosquito Joe — securitization layers.
- △ Minimum License Fees apply from Year 2 based on TH in territory.
Strongest Positives Editorial
- ✓ Tiered marginal royalty genuinely rewards growth: 6.5% on first $500K declining to 3% above $2.8M. Most favorable royalty structure in the cleaning cohort at scale.
- ✓ 91% recurring customer rate — one of the highest in any franchise vertical.
- ✓ 79% of franchisees grew YoY in 2024. Only 4% declined more than 10%.
- ✓ Per-cleaning revenue of $173 average ($170 median) is a useful unit metric.
- ✓ 45-year system history (founded 1979, US franchising since 1984).
Fee Burden Position Modeled
| Revenue Level |
Annual Fees |
% of Revenue |
Rank |
| $200,000 |
$22,556 |
11.3% |
3 of 7 |
| $300,000 |
$31,056 |
10.4% |
3 of 7 |
| $400,000 |
$39,556 |
9.9% |
3 of 7 |
| $500,000 |
$48,056 |
9.6% |
3 of 7 |
Year 5 assumptions, single territory. See full methodology.
Minimum License Fees
Minimum fees based on TH in territory apply from Year 2. At low revenue, these minimums may exceed the percentage-based royalty.
System Health
| Year |
Opened |
Closed |
Net Change |
End Count |
| 2022 |
5 |
25 |
-20 |
481 |
| 2023 |
7 |
24 |
-17 |
464 |
| 2024 |
9 |
25 |
-16 |
448 |
Steady contraction
System has lost 53 units over 3 years (−10.6%). Contraction is consistent but slowing slightly (−20, −17, −16).
Disclosure Quality Editorial
Item 19 provides 4 parts: per-cleaning revenue ($173 avg), per-TH penetration, 91% recurring customer rate, and YoY growth distribution. 79% of franchisees grew in 2024. Does not disclose absolute total gross sales per franchisee. 25 businesses that closed during 2024 excluded.
Get the Molly Maid 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 Maid compares to other residential cleaning franchise brands in the cohort.