Most cleaning and janitorial businesses in Canada change hands at a multiple of their normalized earnings, typically EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), adjusted for owner add-backs. The multiple itself depends on your size, location, growth trajectory, and how much the business depends on you, the owner.
Commercial cleaning and janitorial companies are valued largely on the quality of their contracts. Long-term commercial accounts, low customer churn, and supervisors who manage crews make a business far more sellable than one built on residential one-offs or month-to-month work.
Pushes the number up
- Multi-year commercial cleaning contracts
- Low customer churn and high renewal rates
- Supervisors who manage the crews day to day
- A diversified client base across buildings and sectors
Pulls the number down
- Month-to-month or easily cancelled accounts
- High staff turnover
- Owner manages clients and scheduling directly
- A few large accounts making up most of revenue
You put in your numbers. We show you two things.
Market data: Sector-specific transaction multiples based on aggregated business transaction reports. Updated quarterly.
Peer benchmarks: Estimates from verified owners in your sector and size range. See what similar businesses are worth, and compare your own expectations against market data and transaction multiples.
Takes about three minutes.
No pitch. No account required. Just your numbers in, and market context out.
Get My InsightsCommercial cleaning businesses are valued as a multiple of normalized EBITDA. Contract length, churn, and owner dependence move the number more than almost anything else. Clariva shows the benchmark range for your size and province.
A buyer is really buying your future cash flow. Long-term, low-churn contracts make that cash flow predictable, which supports a higher multiple than easily-cancelled accounts.
Higher for firms with sticky commercial contracts and supervisors running crews; lower for owner-run, residential, or month-to-month work. Enter your numbers to see your range.
No. The estimate is for benchmarking and context only, and does not replace a formal business valuation. For a transaction, work with an M&A advisor or a Chartered Business Valuator (CBV).
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Not financial advice. Clariva is a data aggregation and compilation tool. All ranges shown on this platform are derived from publicly available transaction data and anonymized user submissions, and are provided for informational and benchmarking purposes only. Nothing on this platform constitutes a formal business valuation, financial advice, or a recommendation to buy or sell. Consult a qualified M&A advisor, Chartered Business Valuator (CBV), or legal counsel before making any financial or transactional decisions. Individual data is never shared or sold. Anonymized, aggregated insights may be used for industry research. You can request deletion of your data at any time by emailing tanner@clariva.ca.