Buying a pressure washing or pool service business in Florida

These businesses clean and care for buildings and their grounds without being contractors: pressure washing and soft washing (low-pressure washing with cleaning solutions) of houses, roofs, driveways and pool decks; weekly pool cleaning for homeowners; gutter cleaning; dryer vent and duct cleaning; and similar services. Most are small, owner-run companies with a few trucks or trailers, pumps, surface cleaners and chemical tanks.

Pool routes bring the steadiest repeat business. Homeowners pay a monthly fee for weekly service, and routes are often bought and sold at a price per account. Pressure washing mixes one-time jobs at homes with regular commercial work: storefronts, drive-throughs, gas stations, parking garages, and community association sidewalks and walls, cleaned monthly or quarterly. Gutter and vent cleaning tend to be yearly. In Florida's humidity, mildew and algae grow on roofs, walls and walkways all year, which keeps exterior cleaning in steady demand. The team is usually an owner who still works in the field, a few technicians, and someone answering phones and scheduling.

• Regular, repeat work: a dense pool route or commercial accounts on a set schedule, not just one-time jobs. One-time washing work has to be found again every week.
• Few cancellations, and customers who have stayed for years and pay automatically.
• Customers clustered close together, so more stops fit in a day.
• Technicians who can run a route or a job alone and keep customers happy.
• Equipment in good shape, with spare pumps and engines so a breakdown doesn't stop work.
• Repairs (for pools) or add-on services (for washing) sold to existing customers.
• Careful chemical handling and a clean record on property damage claims.
• Reviews and referrals that bring in new customers steadily.

Pressure washing needs no state license, and state law bars cities and counties from requiring one (section 489.117). The exception is roof cleaning above three stories: a local government that licensed it before 2021 may still do so. Cleaning a pool and balancing its water need no license either.

Installing, repairing or replacing pool equipment, such as pumps, motors, filter systems and heaters, is pool contracting. That takes a pool/spa servicing or pool contractor license from the Construction Industry Licensing Board at the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Duct cleaning that means dismantling any part of an air conditioning system falls under the board's air conditioning, mechanical and sheet metal licenses. A licensed company works through its qualifier, the license holder who supervises its work. If its only qualifier leaves, the company has 60 days to hire another and can't take on licensed work in the meantime.

Most pools at community associations, hotels and apartments are public pools. The Florida Department of Health permits them and can require a certified pool technician to service them.

Expect a county or city business tax receipt, and ask the county about its rules on wash water and chemical runoff into storm drains.

• For pool routes: the account list with each customer's monthly price, service day, years as a customer, and cancellations. Route sales often include the seller's promise that accounts will stay for a set period; consider asking for one.
• For washing: how revenue splits between regular commercial accounts and one-time jobs at homes.
• Whether pool equipment repairs, and any duct cleaning that opens up an air conditioning system, are done under the right license.
• How chemicals are stored, handled and carried, and any spills.
• Damage claims: etched glass, stripped paint, damaged roofs or plants from chemicals or pressure.
• Equipment age, the condition of trucks and trailers, and spare parts.
• How much of the work depends on the owner personally.
• Insurance: general liability that covers chemical and pressure damage, auto coverage for the trucks, and workers' compensation. Florida requires it from the first employee for construction work and from the fourth for most other businesses. Pressure washing isn't named among the state's construction classes, but ask an insurance agent how this company is classed.

• How many regular accounts do you have, and how many left in the last year?
• How are your routes laid out, and how many stops does a technician make in a day?
• Do you repair or replace pool equipment or clean air ducts, and under whose license?
• What chemicals do you use on roofs and siding, and have you had any damage claims?
• Which commercial customers are on a regular schedule, and do you have those agreements in writing?
• How much of the work do you still do yourself?
• If you were staying, what would you buy or replace?