1-800 WATER DAMAGE franchise cost 2026
The 2026 1-800 WATER DAMAGE FDD puts the estimated initial investment at 2 different totals depending on format (Item 7). It lists a $24,000 initial franchise fee and a royalty of 7%.
Quick answer. The 2026 1-800 WATER DAMAGE FDD puts the estimated initial investment at 2 different totals depending on format (Item 7). It lists a $59,000 standard initial franchise fee and a royalty of 7%.
Key takeaways
- Estimated initial investment: 2 different totals depending on format (Item 7).
- The largest single line is "Standard Franchise — Vehicle with upfitting" at $6,000 to $115,000 (Item 7, p. 26).
- Initial franchise fee (standard single unit): $59,000 (Item 5, p. 15). Other fee variants apply; see the fee table below.
- Royalty: 7% · percentage of Gross Sales; tiered by annual Gross Sales (Item 6, p. 19).
- Outlets on file in Item 20 went from 167 at the start of 2023 to 160 at the end of 2025 (Item 20).
Estimated initial investment (Item 7)
Item 7 of the 2026 FDD lists the following ranges. These are the franchisor's estimates, not quotes for any specific location.
| Line | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Franchise — Initial Franchise Fee per Territory | $59,000 | $64,950 |
| Standard Franchise — Food and lodging while at training | $1,800 | $2,500 |
| Standard Franchise — Vehicle with upfitting | $6,000 | $115,000 |
| Standard Franchise — Full time Service Technician | $6,336 | $16,896 |
| Standard Franchise — Business Telephone Fee | $0 | $150 |
| Standard Franchise — Computer System | $0 | $2,875 |
| Standard Franchise — Insurance | $4,500 | $8,750 |
| Standard Franchise — Rent | $3,000 | $15,000 |
| Standard Franchise — Leasehold Improvements | $0 | $1,200 |
| Standard Franchise — Security Deposits/Utility Deposits | $1,000 | $3,000 |
| Standard Franchise — Licenses and Permits | $0 | $600 |
| Standard Franchise — Initial Package Fee | $51,000 | $51,000 |
| Standard Franchise — High Speed Internet, Anti-Virus Software and Electronic Mail | $267 | $477 |
| Standard Franchise — Additional funds for the first 3 months | $10,000 | $30,000 |
| Standard Franchise — Total Estimated Initial Investment & Additional Expenses | $142,903 | $312,398 |
| Conversion Franchise — Total Estimated Initial Investment & Additional Expenses | $71,403 | $290,548 |
Fees (Items 5 and 6)
| Fee | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee — Conversion Franchise | $24,000 | — |
| Initial Package Fee | $51,000 | — |
| Modified Initial Package — Conversion Franchise | $8,500 | — |
| Initial Franchise Fee — Standard Franchise | $59,000 | — |
| Initial Franchise Fee — Expansion Franchise | $49,000 | — |
| Royalty — Remediation Services | 7% | 7% · percentage of Gross Sales; tiered by annual Gross Sales |
| Royalty — Reconstruction Services | 3% | 3% · percentage of Gross Sales |
| Transfer Fee | $10,000 | 25% of the Initial Franchise Fee, but not less than $10,000 |
| Administrative Fee | $500 | per transaction |
| Transfer of Corporation Fee | $500 | per transfer of legal entity |
| Conventions, Regional Meetings and/or Additional Training | $1,000 | per person per event |
| Convention Non-Attendance Fee | $1,000 | per missed convention |
| Collection Fee | 35% | 35% · percentage of gross amounts collected on franchisee’s behalf |
| Additional Training | $50 | per person per day |
| Testing, New Product or New Supplier Approval | $500 | minimum fee plus costs |
| Late Payment Fee | $50 | per week |
| Software Fee | $399 | monthly |
| Brand Marketing Fund Contributions | 2% | 2% · percentage of Gross Sales |
| Referral Fee | 0% | 0% · percentage of invoice amount |
| Late Report Fee | $50 | per day that a report is late |
| NSF Fee | $50 | per NSF |
| Technology Fee | $750 | monthly |
| Minimum Monthly Royalty | $500 | monthly minimum payment beginning in the 13th month of operation |
| Non-Compliance Fee | $2,500 | per incident or instance |
| Interest | 18% | 18% · annual percentage rate, or maximum permitted by law, whichever is less |
| Transfer-Broker Fee | $30,000 | approximately 10% of sale price, or $30,000, whichever is higher |
| Audit Fee | $2,500 | cost of inspection or audit, plus specified additional amounts |
Financial performance (Item 19)
These figures are reported by the franchisor. Read the population, period and basis before comparing them with anything else, and remember that gross sales are not profit.
| Metric | Statistic | Value | Period | Who is counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Sales | reported | $1,949,638 USD | 2025 Measurement Period | Not stated in our record |
| Gross Sales | reported | $770,375 USD | 2025 Measurement Period | Not stated in our record |
| Gross Sales | reported | $481,891 USD | 2025 Measurement Period | Not stated in our record |
| Revenue per Territory | reported | $0 USD | 2025 Measurement Period | Not stated in our record |
| Gross Sales | reported | $944,433 USD | 2025 Measurement Period | Not stated in our record |
| Revenue per Territory | reported | $512,051 USD | 2025 Measurement Period | Not stated in our record |
Outlets (Item 20)
| Year | Outlet type | Start of year | End of year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | company owned | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | franchised - traditional | 167 | 178 |
| 2024 | company owned | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | franchised - traditional | 178 | 175 |
| 2025 | company owned | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | franchised - traditional | 175 | 160 |
Calculated: net change in outlets 2023–2025 = end of 2025 (160) − start of 2023 (167) = -7. Outlet counts describe the size of the system, not how individual owners performed.
Questions to bring to your own research
- Which Item 7 lines depend most on your local rent, buildout and labor costs?
- Which fees in Item 6 are fixed, and which rise with sales or at renewal?
- Which units are included in the Item 19 figures, and which are excluded?
- What do current and former franchisees say about the time it took to open and the costs they actually paid?
Sources and method
Every figure above comes from the 1-800 WATER DAMAGE 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document and was checked against the document by a reviewer before it appeared on Franopolis. Figures marked "Calculated" are Franopolis arithmetic, with the formula shown. This entry is not investment, legal or tax advice, and it does not rank or recommend any franchise.
See the full 1-800 WATER DAMAGE research profile, model your own numbers in the Investment Planner, or read the territory disclosures.