Service-based franchises have become increasingly popular as a result of the aging population and peoples’ busy lifestyles. Demand for home services in particular is growing, and home-service franchises are well-positioned to benefit. The global home services franchise market is projected to expand from around $28.65 billion in 2025 to $45 billion by 2033, at a CAGR of ~6.1% (Market Intelligence).
In the U.S., which often mirrors broader trends that influence franchise models, home improvement, maintenance, and repair spending reached historic highs after the pandemic (Joint Center for Housing Studies). Furthermore, home services is an attractive industry for prospective franchisees “because of recurring revenue and recession resistance…” (FranchiseWire).
What Counts as “Home Services”
A “home services franchise” can cover a wide variety of businesses, including but not limited to:
- Cleaning services (residential or commercial)
- Pest control
- Landscaping & lawn care
- Handyman, plumbing, or general maintenance/repair services
- HVAC, heating/cooling installation or repair
- Restoration and disaster recovery
- Painting, home-improvement, remodeling services
- Home inspection, security, or home-upgrade services
Homes constantly need maintenance, repairs, updates, and homeowners often lack the time or skills. This makes these services evergreen.
5 Things to Evaluate When Buying a Home Services Franchise
When you’re vetting a home-service franchise, here are the most important things to check to maximize your odds of success:
#1 – Demand & Market Stability
- Recognize seasonality and demand cycles. Some services are seasonal (e.g., landscaping, HVAC, winter-related services). Understand the local climate and demand cycles so you can plan cash flow accordingly.
- Consistent demand for maintenance & necessity services. Rather than purely cosmetic remodels, services like plumbing, HVAC repairs, pest control, and general maintenance tend to be long-term needs — more stable and recurring.
- Aging housing stock and home-improvement trends. In the U.S., for example, home improvement spending has remained elevated since 2019, in part due to older homes needing upkeep and homeowners investing more in maintenance, efficiency, and upgrades (Joint Center for Housing Studies)
#2 – Franchise Support, Systems & Model Scalability
One of the advantages of a franchise (versus an independent startup) is a proven model. A good home-service franchise should provide:
- Training for employees/technicians — especially when dealing with specialized services requiring licenses or certifications (e.g. HVAC, plumbing, pest control).
- Marketing support and lead generation systems — perhaps call centers, online booking, digital marketing so that you’re not hunting for clients all the time.
- Operational systems — inventory management, scheduling, CRM or dispatch software, quality-control processes in order to help standardize quality and increase reliability.
- Scalability options — ability to add staff or equipment (e.g., more vans, more technicians), or expand into complementary service lines (e.g., offering both lawn care and home cleaning), which helps grow revenue over time without completely re-engineering the business structure.
#3 – Low-to-Moderate Entry Costs + Flexible Overhead
Compared to retail or product-based franchises, many home-service franchises have more modest startup costs because there is typically less need for costly retail real estate or large inventories. Also, overhead can be controlled by hiring staff as needed and scaling in phases.
Because many home services are delivered directly in customers’ homes and scheduled by appointment, this reduces the need for a storefront and cuts down on fixed costs. This is especially appealing for first-time investors or those with limited capital.
#4 – Emphasis on Trust, Quality & Customer Relations
Home-service businesses inevitably involve entering customers’ private spaces. This makes reputation, reliability, training, and customer service critical — more than in many product-based businesses.
Great qualities to look for:
- Franchise systems that emphasize staff vetting, certification/licensing (where required), customer-service training, clear communication and transparency.
- A brand reputation and track record — ideally, a franchisor with a proven history, good reviews, and strong ongoing support.
- Ability to handle customer concerns, complaints or emergency services promptly — which can be a differentiator versus independent contractors.
#5 – Alignment With Local Regulations & Licensing Requirements
Because home-service businesses often involve regulated trades (plumbing, HVAC, pest control, specialized repairs), you must ensure compliance with local/state regulations.
A franchise should provide guidance, documentation, and ongoing support to remain compliant. Additionally, you as an owner must stay informed and ensure staff are properly licensed or certified.
Who Is a Good Fit for a Home-Service Franchise?
Home-service franchises aren’t just for those with technical skills. Many of them can be run by owners with strong managerial, organizational, or customer-service skills — especially when using a semi-absentee or manager-run model.
You might be a good fit if you:
- Are comfortable overseeing operations and managing staff rather than performing the technical work yourself.
- Value flexibility and want a business that can scale without needing full-time, hands-on involvement from day one.
- Want a lower-risk entry into business ownership compared to starting from scratch — leveraging a proven system instead.
- Prefer a business with steady demand, recurring revenue (maintenance, repairs, routine home services) rather than depending on seasonal, single-sale bursts.
- Are willing to invest in quality staffing, customer service, and compliance rather than treat the business as a side-gig.
Realistic Challenges & What to Watch Out For
No business is risk-free, and home-service franchises have their tradeoffs:
- Labor & Technician Shortages: Skilled trades such as plumbing, HVAC, and specialized repairs often have labor shortages. That can make hiring quality staff difficult, which affects your ability to deliver consistent service.
- Seasonality & Demand Fluctuations: Some services are highly seasonal (landscaping, exterior work, winter vs summer HVAC), meaning cash flow may spike and dip. You’ll need good financial planning.
- Regulation & Licensing Complexity: Depending on location and service type, licensing or regulatory requirements can be costly or complicated. You must ensure compliance.
- Need for Excellent Customer Service & Trust: Because crews enter clients’ homes, customers expect reliability, professionalism, and transparency. Reputation matters more than ever.
- Management Overhead When Scaling: As you grow you’ll need to add staff, vehicles, service lines. This increases the costs and complexity. You’ll need strong managerial and organizational skills (or a trustworthy operations manager).
Why Now Is a Good Time to Consider a Home-Service Franchise
- According to recent market research, the home-services-franchise segment remains one of the fastest-growing areas in franchising, with many new brands entering the market and a steady increase in consumer demand.
- Homeowners are investing more in maintenance, repairs, upgrades, and energy-efficiency. This is driven by older housing stock, increased home-equity, and heightened interest in comfort, safety, and value preservation.
- As lifestyles become busier and more people return to full-time jobs, many homeowners prefer to outsource maintenance and repair tasks. This creates consistent demand for reliable home-service providers.
How To Select the Right Home-Service Franchise Opportunity
When you’re vetting franchises, treat it like any major investment but with focus on home-service-specific factors. Ask:
- Does the franchise provide robust operational support, staffing/training, and marketing systems?
- Is the startup cost reasonable, and is there potential to scale without excessive debt or overhead?
- Are technicians/licensed staff included? Is compliance with local regulations supported by the franchisor?
- What does their history show — reviews, performance, customer satisfaction, recurring business, retention?
- Will the business rely on recurring maintenance, or is it project-based and sporadic (which carries more risk)?
- Are you able to recruit a strong manager or team if you don’t plan to be hands-on?
Make sure you do your due diligence: talk to existing franchisees, review their performance, ask about revenue fluctuations, ask about overhead vs revenue, and test your expectations.
Thinking About Starting a Home Services Franchise?
Home services franchises represent one of the most stable, scalable, and resilient sectors in franchising today. For entrepreneurs who value demand stability, recurring revenue, flexibility, and long-term growth, this sector offers a highly compelling path.
If you’re interested in exploring home-service franchise opportunities that match your skills, lifestyle, and goals, and want expert guidance to vet options, an expert FranNet franchise consultant can help evaluate opportunities and help you avoid pitfalls. Schedule your free consultation today!