Franchise Facts Report → brands → 1-800 Water Damage
1-800 Water Damage franchise — is it worth it?
High risk Significant turnover Item 19 disclosed
1-800 WATER DAMAGE operates in the cleaning and restoration sector.
Everything below is free, read straight off 1-800 Water Damage's registered filing, with where the numbers land against cleaning & restoration peers. Weighing 1-800 Water Damage against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in 1-800 Water Damage's most recent FDD (registered 2026). Source: Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration · filing 640558 — check it yourself. See every other Wisconsin-registered franchise.
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How much does a 1-800 Water Damage franchise make?
1-800 Water Damage is one of the franchisors that answers this on the record: its most recent FDD makes an Item 19 financial performance representation — actual unit earnings figures, disclosed by the franchisor itself. The headline figure did not machine-read cleanly from this filing, so we don't print one; Item 19 of the source FDD has the tables. See every cleaning & restoration brand that discloses earnings in the Cleaning & restoration franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.
1-800 Water Damage franchise profit vs. revenue
Revenue is not profit. An Item 19 almost always reports sales — what a location takes in — not what an owner keeps. Out of that number come 1-800 Water Damage's 10% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a 1-800 Water Damage franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "1-800 Water Damage franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure.
1-800 Water Damage lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
1-800 Water Damage's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026) does disclose 3 legal proceedings in Item 3 . Item 3 is the item where a franchisor must put its material legal history on the record. Two things it is not: it covers the franchisor and its predecessors, parents and affiliates, so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against 1-800 Water Damage itself; and a disclosure is a fact, not a finding of wrongdoing — most entries are contract disputes with former franchisees, which every large system accumulates. 1 of those proceedings were brought by franchisees against the franchisor — the split that actually matters, because franchisees suing their franchisor is the signal a buyer is looking for. Item 3 of the source FDD describes each case.
1-800 Water Damage closures & failure rate
Before you sign, 1-800 Water Damage will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what 1-800 Water Damage's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a cleaning & restoration of this kind.
The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. 1-800 Water Damage's latest tables show significant franchisee turnover. Its franchised-outlet closure rate — closures, terminations and non-renewals against outlets — is 14.3%, against a cleaning & restoration median of 4% — worse than the category. Net franchised outlets moved -15 to 160 in the latest reported year.
Who owns 1-800 Water Damage?
1-800 Water Damage's franchise is offered by 1-800 WATER DAMAGE International, LLC — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at WI DFI; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Cleaning & restoration franchises at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing 1-800 Water Damage is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.
1-800 Water Damage franchise — frequently asked
Who owns 1-800 Water Damage — who is the franchisor?
1-800 Water Damage's most recently filed FDD (2026) names 1-800 WATER DAMAGE International, LLC as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.
How much does a 1-800 Water Damage franchise cost?
1-800 Water Damage's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $142,903 – $312,398 and a 10% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against cleaning & restoration peers it sits in the lower quartile (median $180,063).
How much profit does a 1-800 Water Damage franchise make?
1-800 Water Damage discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (10% of gross for 1-800 Water Damage), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any 1-800 Water Damage franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate.
Does 1-800 Water Damage disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — 1-800 Water Damage reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The headline figure did not machine-read cleanly, so check Item 19 of the source FDD for the numbers.
Are there lawsuits against 1-800 Water Damage?
1-800 Water Damage's most recently filed FDD (2026) discloses 3 legal proceedings in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against 1-800 Water Damage itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing. 1 of the disclosed proceedings were brought by franchisees against the franchisor.
Is 1-800 Water Damage a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from 1-800 Water Damage's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against cleaning & restoration peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is high risk. Every figure behind that read is on this page for free. If you're comparing options, the free shortlist on this page matches you with 5–10 franchises that fit your budget and industry.
Get a free email when something changes on 1-800 Water Damage or cleaning & restoration: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same state registries this page is built on.