Merry Maids Franchise Costs, Fees & FDD

Year Business Began: 1980

Franchising Since: 1980

Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia

Estimated Number of Units: 1,690

Franchise Description: Merry Maids SPE LLC is the franchisor. The franchisor grants franchises that offer cleaning services to (i) residential customers and (ii) commercial customers with office spaces under 5,000 square feet. A Merry Maids franchised business provides one-time and ongoing residential cleaning services to customers in all sizes of homes. Franchised businesses offer à la carte services and full-service cleaning services.
Training Overview: Franchisees or their manager must complete the initial training program to the franchisor’s reasonable satisfaction. Before attending the initial training program, franchisees are required to successfully complete the pre-operations initial training program from their location. The initial training program is held in Memphis, Tennessee, or at such other location as the franchisor may designate, which may include training held virtually. During the first 12 weeks of business operations, the franchisor will provide business coaching consisting of regular telephone calls. The franchisor usually holds a three-day national seminar at a hotel/convention center at a designated location within the United States. Typically, these national seminars are held annually, but they may be held more or less frequently. The franchisor also may hold regional meetings in various cities, which may include training sessions. The franchisor may make additional virtual trainings available throughout the year on topics which it believes will be of interest to franchise businesses.

Territory Granted: The franchisee will receive a territory with limited protected rights. A territory will typically include 40,000 or more qualified households. A qualified household is one with an average annual income of $75,000 or higher. Franchisees will not receive an exclusive territory. However, the territory will have limited protected rights. Specifically, while the Franchise Agreement is in effect, the franchisor will not establish, or license a third party to establish, a Merry Maids business or franchised business that offers residential maid cleaning services utilizing the system or the marks within the territory. Franchisees must operate the franchised business from an office that is located within a 60-minute drive to all addresses in the territory, as measured by the drive times during normal business hours that are estimated by Google Maps (or such other third-party source specified by the franchisor from time to time). Beginning in the first full period of the franchisee’s second year of operation, the continuation of these limited protected rights in the territory is contingent upon the maintaining, in each four-week period specified by the franchisor, certain average minimum weekly gross sales levels.

Obligations and Restrictions: The franchisor recommends, but does not require, that franchisees personally supervise the franchised business. If franchisees do not personally supervise the business, or if they are a corporation, partnership, or limited liability company, they must employ a manager who will be responsible for direct, on-premises supervision of the business. The manager must have successfully completed the training program. Franchisees must offer and provide all the services required. Franchisees are required to follow the franchisor’s cleaning processes and use only cleaning products the franchisor has approved. If a customer outside of the franchisee’s market is seeking cleaning services, the franchisee shall refer the request to the Merry Maids office which covers the customer’s area.

Term of Agreement and Renewal: The length of initial franchise term is five years. If franchisees satisfy the conditions for renewal specified, they will have the option of entering into a renewal agreement for two additional, consecutive five-year terms.

Financial Assistance: The franchisor and its affiliates do not offer direct or indirect financing arrangements for any purpose in establishing or operating the franchised business. The franchisor and its affiliates do not guarantee a franchisee’s promissory note, lease, or any other obligation they may make to others. The franchisor has relationships with certain banks and third-party lenders in different regions and may be able to refer franchisees to a preferred source of financing for initial franchise fees and franchise growth initiatives, but it does not have any arrangements with such lenders and does not receive any benefits from such lenders if franchisees obtain financing from them. The franchisor offers initial franchise fee discounts for individuals who have at least two years’ experience owning or being employed by any business offering the services franchised by the franchisor, are honorably discharged from the United States Armed Forces, or converting an existing business to a Merry Maids franchised business.

Estimated Initial Investment

Name of Fee	Low	High
Initial Fee	$55,000	$55,000
Travel and Living Expenses During Training	$2,500	$7,000
Real Estate and Improvements	$2,000	$4,000
Software and Hardware	$1,700	$4,300
Office Equipment	$5,250	$6,850
Opening Inventory	$6,500	$8,000
Insurance	$3,400	$9,400
Employee Screening	$80	$160
Telephone Answering Service	$50	$300
Opening Marketing	$6,000	$8,000
Miscellaneous Opening Costs	$1,400	$10,000
Professional Fees	$5,000	$15,000
Additional Funds (3 months)	$38,000	$43,000
ESTIMATED TOTAL	$126,880	$170,110

Other Fees

Type of Fee	Amount
Service Fee	7% of gross sales. (May be reduced to 6% of gross sales or 5% or gross sales based on total gross sales in the calendar year and the effective royalty incentive (if any).)
Ad Fund Fee	1.3% of gross sales per week.
Local Marketing Obligations	See FDD.
Technology Fee	Currently $499 per month per franchised business.
Initial Training for Additional Persons or Sessions or Subsequent or Replacement Trainees	$1,000 per person.
Ongoing Training Programs	The then-current registration fees, which shall not exceed $500 per trainee per program for virtual training. If ongoing training programs are conducted in-person, franchisees must pay $250 per trainee per day attending training at the franchisor’s office and $750 per trainer per day, plus their travel and living expenses, for any trainers that provide training at the franchised business.
Meeting Registration Fee	The then-current fee, which shall not exceed $1,500 per person.
National Accounts Processing Fee	$20 per job.
Lead Fee	$10,000
Transfer Fee	See FDD.
Change Fee	Currently, $500 per change per Franchise Agreement.
Renewal Fee	The then-current renewal fee. Currently, $5,000 per Franchise Agreement.
Change Fee	$200 per Franchise Agreement.
Audit	$5,000 plus the cost of audit, the amount of the underpayment, and interest on the underpayment.
Interest and Late Fees	For fees: 2% per month in interest compounded daily or the maximum permitted by law, whichever is less. For fees, reports, and other information and materials: $200 weekly late fee for first four late weeks and $500 weekly late fee thereafter; and all other costs incurred by the franchisor (including bank charges and attorneys’ fees).
Insurance Procurement Fee	Up to 150% of any costs and expenses that the franchisor and its affiliates incur to obtain and maintain insurance.
Customer Complaint Management Fee	$500, plus any costs and expenses that the franchisor and its affiliates incur to attempt to resolve such complaint.
Performance After Default	Up to 120% of any costs and expenses that the franchisor and its affiliates incur to perform such obligation.
Enforcement Expenses	The franchisor’s and its affiliates’ costs and expenses.
Tax Reimbursement Fees	Will vary under circumstances.
Indemnification	Varies by nature of claims.
Liquidated Damages	The average monthly amount of royalties and ad fund contributions that the franchisee owed to the franchisor during the past 12 months times the lesser of remainder of term of Franchise Agreement or 24 months.
Appraiser’s Fee	50% of appraiser’s fee for the first appraiser; 100% of appraiser’s fee for the second and third appraiser.

The above information has been compiled from the FDD of Merry Maids. Year of FDD: 2025.
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