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Brand Dossier

Cleaning Authority, The

FDD-based analysis. Item-level data. No franchisor input.

Rank #173 on Entrepreneur 2026MaintenanceFDD issued 4/30/2026
Ranking ContextRanking from Entrepreneur Media's 2026 Franchise 500. Zorzee is independent and not affiliated with Entrepreneur Media.
Source File2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
About the Brand

About Cleaning Authority, The

The Cleaning Authority Franchising SPE LLC franchises residential home cleaning businesses similar to a maid service, offering Core Services that clean the inside of homes. Franchised Businesses may also provide Non-Core Services such as carpet cleaning, window cleaning, furniture cleaning, and light commercial cleaning of single-tenant buildings under 5,000 square feet or connected office space under 1,500 square feet. The Cleaning Authority offers two franchise programs, an Enterprise Market for territories with at least 30,000 Designated Households and a Hometown Market for smaller territories, with each Franchised Business operating from an approved location within its territory.

Source: Entrepreneur 2026 ranking/profile data and Franchise Disclosure Document, rewritten by Zorzee

Investment Summary

The Numbers At a Glance

Total Investment Range
$92,850 to $147,100
FDD Item 7
Franchise Fee
$20,000
Development fee: TERRITORY FEE The Territory Fee is variable depending on the number of Designated Households in your Territory (which will be defined by zip codes). The Territory Fee is calculated by multiplying the number of Designated Households in the Territory by $0.75. Enterprise Markets typically have 30,000 to 60,000 Designated Households in the Territory. Accordingly, the Territory Fee is between $22,500 and $45,000.
FDD Item 5
Royalty + Fees
6%
Royalty: 6%; Brand/ad fund: 1%; Local marketing: $0.37.; 6%/5%/4% tiered by market revenue thresholds; rate reverts...
FDD Item 6
Earnings Claim
Disclosed (no combined average)
The disclosed cohorts, tiers, ranges, coverage, and read are included in Pro.
FDD Item 19

Every value here comes straight from the FDD; anything not yet source-verified stays blank rather than estimated. The Pro figures and full interpretation unlock with a Pro membership.

The FDD Data Table

Everything the 2026 Filing Discloses

Every data point Zorzee tracks for this brand, in FDD Item order. Missing source data stays blank; Pro-only interpretation remains locked.

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ItemData PointValueSource
Item 3Litigation Actions (total) 2 actions disclosed FDD Item 3
Item 5Initial Franchise Fee The Initial Franchise Fee is $20,000 for an Enterprise Market or $15,000 for a Hometown Market, plus a Territory Fee of $0.75 per Designated Household in the Territory (Item 5, p.15-16). FDD Item 5
Item 5Development Fee TERRITORY FEE The Territory Fee is variable depending on the number of Designated Households in your Territory (which will be defined by zip codes). The Territory Fee is calculated by multiplying the number of Designated Households in the Territory by $0.75. Enterprise Markets typically have 30,000 to 60,000 Designated Households in the Territory. Accordingly, the Territory Fee is between $22,500 and $45,000 FDD Item 5
Item 6Royalty Fee 6%/5%/4% tiered by market revenue thresholds; rate reverts to 6% annually; weekly unless otherwise designated. FDD Item 6
Item 6National Media Fund Pro FDD Item 6
Item 6Corporate Ad & Development Fund Pro FDD Item 6
Item 6Total Ongoing Fee Burden Pro Calculated (Item 6)
Item 7Total Investment (low) $92,850 FDD Item 7
Item 7Total Investment (high) $147,100 FDD Item 7
Item 8Required Purchases (food/supplies) Pro FDD Item 8
Item 11Franchisor Assistance Pro FDD Item 11
Item 12Exclusive Territory Pro FDD Item 12
Item 12Territory Size Pro FDD Item 12
Item 15Operating Participation Pro FDD Item 15
Item 17Initial Term Length Pro FDD Item 17(a)
Item 17Renewal Terms Pro FDD Item 17(b)-(c)
Item 17Required Remodel at Renewal Pro FDD Item 17(c)
Item 17Termination Triggers Pro FDD Item 17(f)-(h)
Item 17Transfer Fee Pro FDD Item 17(m), Item 6
Item 17ROFR Provisions Pro FDD Item 17(n)
Item 17Post-Termination Non-Compete Pro FDD Item 17(r)
Item 19Revenue Metric Disclosed Pro FDD Item 19
Item 20Total Franchised Units (2025) 241 FDD Item 20
Item 20Company-Owned Units (2025) 3 FDD Item 20
Item 20Total System Net Unit Growth (YoY) +8 FDD Item 20
Item 20Terminations Pro FDD Item 20
Item 20Agreements Signed, Not Yet Open Pro FDD Item 20
Item 21Audited Financials Pro FDD Item 21
Pro Data Points Locked
The free table maps every data point to its FDD source. Pro fills in the values and interpretation that require the full read.
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The Signal Tracker

Five Signals From the 2026 Filing

Each signal turns one part of the filing into a read a buyer can act on. Strength means the disclosed data is favorable. In Line means it is typical for the category. Deal-Specific means the term is populated but you still have to model it against your own deal. Concern means the disclosed data is a real risk. The read is free. The reasoning behind it is the Pro read.

Fee Structure
Deal-Specific
FDD Item 6
The Pro Read

The Cleaning Authority uses a tiered royalty that steps down as a territory's annual gross revenue climbs, alongside a capped brand fund contribution and a local marketing fee tied to household counts. Because the earnings disclosure reports revenue only in performance thirds with a very wide overall spread and no single combined average, the effective fee load a given owner carries depends heavily on where the territory lands. Direct cleaning costs consume the majority of gross revenue before any overhead, so mature, dense routes absorb the ongoing fees far more comfortably than newer or smaller ones.

Unit Economics
Deal-Specific
FDD Item 19
The Pro Read

The FDD discloses a broad range for Enterprise territories and reports thirds, but no combined average or median. This is a range-only read, not a clean AUV row.

Litigation History
Concern
FDD Item 3
The Pro Read

FDD Item 3 discloses 2 actions. Case names, allegations, procedural posture, and source quotes are locked in Pro.

Operator Validation
In Line
FDD Item 20
The Pro Read

Item 20 system health is populated from the FDD data layer with latest system count, franchised count, company-owned count, and net-change context.

Term & Exit Terms
Deal-Specific
FDD Item 17
The Pro Read

The initial term is fifteen years, with a single ten-year renewal on the then-current form. Transfer approval, a right of first refusal, a franchisor purchase option, and a post-term non-compete are all disclosed.

Five Reads In. The Reasoning Is Locked.
You can see where each signal lands. Pro gives you the why: the math, the source detail, and what to validate before you act.
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Item 19: Earnings Disclosure

What the Earnings Claim Says, and What It Does Not

Cleaning Authority, The has an Item 19 disclosure, but it does not provide one standard combined unit figure for Free to display. The disclosed cohorts, tiers, ranges, coverage, and read are included in Pro.

Disclosed (no combined average)

The disclosed cohorts, tiers, ranges, coverage, and read are included in Pro. No combined figure is invented or exposed on Free.

What the Number Doesn't Tell You
Free, because misreading Item 19 is one of the costliest mistakes a first-time buyer can make.
  • Item 19 reports the disclosed sales or revenue metric. That is not profit, and not a forecast of what you would personally take home.
  • An average and a median are not the same number. Know which you are shown and how far apart they sit.
  • What reaches you is whatever survives operating costs and debt service. Item 19 never shows that figure.
Earnings Detail Locked
Pro reveals the filing's actual disclosure shape, coverage, ranges, and the Zorzee read without inventing a combined unit average.
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Unit Count and Trajectory

A System Still Expanding

Total Units
244
Latest sourced FDD year
Franchised
241
FDD Item 20
Company-Owned
3
FDD Item 20
Total System Net Change (YoY)
+8
Latest total-system change
Total System Units, Latest Available FDD Years
224
2023
236
2024
244
2025

Cleaning Authority, The trajectory is shown only where source-backed. Missing Item 20 fields stay blank inside the locked layout instead of removing the section.

Source: FDD Item 20 where present. Total system units, franchised plus company-owned. Not financial advice.

Beyond the Net Number
A net unit count is not the same as healthy stores. Pro breaks out openings, closures, terminations, and what the trajectory signals.
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Litigation History

What FDD Item 3 Discloses

2 actions disclosed in FDD Item 3. Case-level detail remains locked in Pro.

Case 01
Item 3 action disclosed
Case-level detail locked in Pro
The Read · Pro
Case 02
Item 3 action disclosed
Case-level detail locked in Pro
The Read · Pro
What a Litigation Count Doesn't Tell You
Free, because a raw lawsuit count is one of the most misread lines in any FDD.
  • A count means nothing without scale and time. Always compare it to system size and years covered.
  • The pattern matters more than the total. Repeated allegations matter more than isolated disputes.
  • Concluded and open matters are not the same weight. Open matters require different diligence than old resolved matters.
Litigation Read Locked
Pro gives the case-by-case read: allegations, status, scale context, and whether any pattern matters before signing.
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Editorial Analysis

The Zorzee Read

The Zorzee Take
The editor's synthesis: what the filing actually means once the numbers, diligence, and operator reality are weighed against each other. The Take names what matters, what does not, and what must be validated before any decision.
The Read · Pro
The Inversion
Charlie Munger's rule: to understand a thing, study how it fails. Zorzee stress-tests every brand against forecasting, site selection, management depth, and exit math. The framework is free. Which modes bite hardest for this brand, and the fix for each, is the read.
The Failure-Mode Read · Pro
The Editorial Read Is Locked
Pro unlocks the full Zorzee read on Cleaning Authority, The: the editorial synthesis, the math behind the numbers, and the failure modes the filing reveals. Zorzee briefs the decision; you make it.
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Zorzee editorial. Independent analysis. No franchisor review or approval. Not financial advice.

The Decision

You've Seen the Filing. The Read Is Still the Missing Piece.

The filing tells you what Cleaning Authority, The costs to open. Pro adds the read on whether the numbers work for you, in your market, and whether this brand is a business or a job you bought.

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This Dossier
  • The full read behind all five Signal Tracker verdicts
  • Pro FDD data points from fee burden through Item 17 and audited financials
  • The Item 19 earnings read where disclosed
  • The litigation and system-health read
  • The Zorzee Take and failure-mode analysis
Your Pro Membership
  • The Zorzee Report Pro every Tuesday, one franchise decoded each week
  • The full Signal Tracker across the portal
  • The Zorzee Files: FDD guides, DCF templates, and pro forma models
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