The Maids franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening The Maids franchise takes $117,720 – $141,200 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $79,900. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 3.9% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 2%. To qualify, The Maids asks for $60,000 in liquid cash and a $250,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
The Maids franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $79,900 | $79,900 | $79,900 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $117,720 | $141,200 | $117,720 to $141,200 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $60,000 | $60,000 | $60,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $117,720 | $141,200 | $117,720 to $141,200 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 3.9% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 2% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 10 years |
See the full The Maids cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How The Maids's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where The Maids's disclosed cost sits against the Home Services category:
- Minimum startup cost of $117,720 — about in line with the Home Services median of $116,350.
- Initial franchise fee of $79,900 — about 1.5× the Home Services median of $54,450.
Category medians are computed from the Home Services brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Home Services franchises
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How The Maids's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2013–2021: began the window at 1,037 units; 566 units opened, 136 closed, ending at 1,423 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for The Maids or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask The Maids for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether The Maids is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether The Maids grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only The Maids can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About The Maids franchise
The Maids is a home services franchisor with 1,423 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2013 and 2021, it began the window at 1,037 units; its filings record 566 unit openings and 136 closures, ending at 1,423 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Gladstone Management Corp.. The filings indicate financing options are available; terms come from the franchisor, not from us.
Disclosure filings report 1 franchise-related lawsuit. Review Item 3 of the FDD. (as of 2026-05)
From the franchisor's materials
The franchised business being offered is The Maids® household maintenance and home services business.
The Maids franchise: quick answers
- How much does The Maids franchise cost?
- $117,720 – $141,200 all-in to open, per The Maids's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many The Maids units are there?
- 1,423 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have The Maids's units held up?
- 94.7% of units at risk between 2019 and 2021 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).
- Is The Maids SBA-eligible?
- The Maids is flagged SBA-eligible in our dataset (as of 2026-05). Confirm current status on the SBA Franchise Directory before relying on it for financing.