Buying a pest control company in Orlando and Central Florida

• A large base of recurring residential and commercial accounts, with low cancellations and automatic billing.
• Termite agreements with a clean claims history and renewal fees that reflect the risk. A renewal that hasn't gone up in years may be covering more than it should.
• Tight routes, so each technician treats more homes per day.
• A certified operator in charge who plans to stay, and other certified staff as backup.
• Technicians who sell added services during regular visits.
• A mix of services that spreads risk, without heavy dependence on one commercial customer.
• Good records: service tickets, chemical use and inspection reports kept in software.
• Strong reviews in the neighborhoods the routes cover, where most new customers come from.

• The account list: customers by service type, recurring billing, how long they've stayed, and cancellations by month.
• Termite agreements in force: what each promises (retreatment only, or repair of damage), renewal rates and claims paid in recent years. Damage-repair guarantees are a real liability.
• Pending complaints or disputes, especially termite damage claims.
• FDACS inspection and enforcement history.
• The certified operator's plans, and the backup if they leave.
• Chemical storage, fumigation practices and any safety incidents.
• Commercial contracts, and whether they can be assigned to you.
• Technician pay and turnover, and whether routes depend on one or two people.
• Identification cards and training records for every technician, which FDACS can ask to see.

• How many recurring accounts do you have in each service line, and how many canceled last year?
• How many termite agreements are in force, and what do they cover?
• How many termite damage claims have you paid in the last five years?
• Who is your certified operator in charge, and will they stay after a sale?
• Do you do fumigation yourselves or subcontract it?
• How are technicians paid, and how long do they usually stay?
• What do customers usually say when they cancel?

This region covers Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Sumter and Marion counties: Orlando, Winter Park, Kissimmee, St. Cloud, Sanford, Clermont, Leesburg, Ocala and the large retirement communities of Sumter and Lake counties. Tourism is what the area is best known for, built on the theme parks, the hotels, the vacation rental homes around Kissimmee and the Orange County Convention Center. It's far from the only business. The University of Central Florida and the military simulation and training offices near it support a technology base, and health care is a major employer.

Marion County is horse country, with thoroughbred farms around Ocala, and it has added warehouses and distribution centers along Interstate 75. Retirees in Sumter and Lake create steady demand for medical practices, home care, home maintenance and auto services. The building trades, restaurants, and companies that serve hotels and rental homes do well across the region.

Central Florida is inland, so storm surge isn't the worry it is on the coasts. Hurricanes still bring wind damage and flooding, though: Hurricane Ian flooded neighborhoods in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties in 2022. Ask whether the business or its customers were affected.

Tourism keeps demand steadier through the year than in markets that depend on winter residents, with busy stretches around school holidays. Hotels, parks and restaurants compete hard for workers, which pushes up wages for any company that hires hourly staff. New homes have spread fast in Osceola, south Lake and southeast Orange counties and around Ocala, so check whether a company's customers are in growing areas or older ones. Traffic on Interstate 4 limits how much ground a service company can cover in a day.