Which costs less to open, 1-800 WATER DAMAGE or Molly Maid?

1-800 WATER DAMAGE: $71,403 – $312,398 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Molly Maid: $144,150 – $203,950 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 40). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for 1-800 WATER DAMAGE. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.

Which has more locations, 1-800 WATER DAMAGE or Molly Maid?

1-800 WATER DAMAGE: 160 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 64); Molly Maid: 432 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 78). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.

Do 1-800 WATER DAMAGE and Molly Maid disclose financial performance (Item 19)?

1-800 WATER DAMAGE has reviewed Item 19 figures for 4 location groups; Molly Maid has reviewed Item 19 figures for 3 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

Franchise opportunities compared

1-800 WATER DAMAGE vs Molly Maid

Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

1-800 WATER DAMAGE2026 FDD

Molly Maid2026 FDD

Initial investment · Item 7

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

$71,403 – $312,398

2026 FDD · Item 7

Molly Maid

$144,150 – $203,950

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 40

Initial franchise fee · Item 5

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

$59,000

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 15

Molly Maid

$14,900

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 23

Royalty · Item 6

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

7% · percentage of Gross Sales; tiered by annual Gross Sales

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 19

Molly Maid

3% · percentage of Gross Sales

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 26

Before you compare

Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
1-800 WATER DAMAGE discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (1-800 WATER DAMAGE: 4, Molly Maid: 3). Different groups are not directly comparable.

Financial commitment

Disclosure

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

Molly Maid

Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

$71,403 – $312,398

2026 FDD · Item 7

Molly Maid

$144,150 – $203,950

TOTAL

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 40

Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

$59,000

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 15

Molly Maid

$14,900

A separate territory fee is also required and varies based on target households and market size.

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 23

Royalty (Item 6)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

7% · percentage of Gross Sales; tiered by annual Gross Sales

Royalty — Remediation Services

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 19

Molly Maid

3% · percentage of Gross Sales

License Fee

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 26

Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

2% of percentage of gross sales

Brand Marketing Fund Contributions

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 20

Molly Maid

Not available

No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

System scale & health

Disclosure

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

Molly Maid

Total outlets (Item 20)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

160

Outlets at end of 2025

2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 64

Molly Maid

432

Outlets at end of 2025

2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 78

Net outlet change (Item 20)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

−18

Calculated: 178 at end of 2023 → 160 at end of 2025

Molly Maid

−32

Calculated: 464 at end of 2023 → 432 at end of 2025

Outlet exits (Item 20)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

Not available

No complete exit records for a year

Molly Maid

Closures, terminations & non-renewals in 2025 · Calculated turnover 4.7% of outlets at start of year

2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 78

Franchising since (Item 1)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

2015

2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 9

Molly Maid

Not separately stated for Molly Maid SPV LLC; predecessor offered franchises until March 2021

2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 10

Franchisor founded (Item 1)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

2015

2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 9

Molly Maid

Not available

Not in reviewed records

Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

Franchised (19 locations) — revenue — Top 25% Franchisees

$944,433

other Gross Sales

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 61

Franchised (46 locations) — revenue

$512,051

other Revenue per Territory

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 62

Franchised (19 locations) — revenue — “Top 25% Franchisees”

$1,949,638

other Gross Sales

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 61

+1 more groups in the full report

Molly Maid

Franchised (188 locations) — revenue

0 percent

other Gross Sales Decline

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 78

Franchised (188 locations) — other measures

188 franchisees

other Reporting Franchisees

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 66

Franchised locations — other measures

402 businesses

other Franchised businesses

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 66

Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

1-800 WATER DAMAGE vs Molly Maid: common questions

Which costs less to open, 1-800 WATER DAMAGE or Molly Maid?: 1-800 WATER DAMAGE: $71,403 – $312,398 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Molly Maid: $144,150 – $203,950 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 40). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for 1-800 WATER DAMAGE. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
How do 1-800 WATER DAMAGE and Molly Maid royalties compare?: 1-800 WATER DAMAGE: 7% · percentage of Gross Sales; tiered by annual Gross Sales (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 19); Molly Maid: 3% · percentage of Gross Sales (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 26). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.
Which has more locations, 1-800 WATER DAMAGE or Molly Maid?: 1-800 WATER DAMAGE: 160 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 64); Molly Maid: 432 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 78). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
Do 1-800 WATER DAMAGE and Molly Maid disclose financial performance (Item 19)?: 1-800 WATER DAMAGE has reviewed Item 19 figures for 4 location groups; Molly Maid has reviewed Item 19 figures for 3 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

How Franopolis reviews FDD figures