SBA 7(a) loan outcomes · FY2010–FY2019 cohort · Statuses as of June 30, 2026 · Last updated August 17, 2026
The Cleaning Authority Franchise Failure Rate: 13.5% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 7 The Cleaning Authority SBA borrowers failed to repay — above the Janitorial Services average of 11.2%.
Between 2010 and 2019, 37 The Cleaning Authority franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 5 defaulted — a 13.5% charge-off rate, 1.2x the Janitorial Services average of 11.2%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
What is the The Cleaning Authority franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
The Cleaning Authority is a Janitorial Services franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to The Cleaning Authority franchisees: 37 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 5 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY201937
- Charged off5
- Charge-off rate13.5%
- Janitorial Services franchise benchmark11.2%
- Brand vs industry1.2x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$197,443
- New SBA loans since 202031
- Early charge-offs since 20201
How does The Cleaning Authority compare with other Janitorial Services franchises?
The table sets The Cleaning Authority's charge-off rate beside its Janitorial Services peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable.
| Measure | The Cleaning Authority | Janitorial Services | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 13.5% | 11.2% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 37 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 5 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $197,443 | — | — | — |
What has The Cleaning Authority SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, The Cleaning Authority franchisees have taken 31 new SBA 7(a) loans. 1 has already charged off. Early defaults on loans under six years old are notable — most SBA failures take longer to develop.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 1 has charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2014 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2015 | 12 | 1 | 8.3% |
| FY2016 | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| FY2017 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2018 | 7 | 2 | 28.6% |
| FY2019 | 2 | 1 | 50.0% |
| FY2020 | 3 | — | outstanding |
| FY2021 | 6 | — | outstanding |
| FY2022 | 2 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 9 | — | outstanding |
| FY2024 | 3 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 3 | — | outstanding |
| FY2026 | 5 | — | outstanding |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
The Cleaning Authority's figure rests on 37 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019 — a matured cohort, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 37 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 2.7 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every The Cleaning Authority figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Based on 37 resolved loans — directional, not precise.
Frequently asked
- What is The Cleaning Authority's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
- Between 2010 and 2019, 37 The Cleaning Authority franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 5 defaulted — a 13.5% charge-off rate, 1.2x the Janitorial Services average of 11.2%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
- Is The Cleaning Authority a safe franchise investment?
- Between 2010–2019, The Cleaning Authority franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 13.5% versus a 11.2% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). The Cleaning Authority franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 13.5% (5 of 37 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/the-cleaning-authority/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)