# How to sell a pest control business — valuation, buyers, and process > Pest control businesses typically sell for 7× – 10× EBITDA (platform: 12×+). Recurring revenue and retention are the whole valuation. **Canonical URL:** https://chiselindustries.com/selling-a-business/pest-control **Publisher:** Chisel Industries (https://chiselindustries.com) **Last updated:** 2026-06-26 ## Key facts - **Pest control valuation range:** 7× – 10× EBITDA (platform: 12×+) - **Smaller / lower-recurring:** 5× – 7× EBITDA - **Diversified residential, 70%+ recurring:** 7× – 10× EBITDA - **Platform-quality, high-density:** 12× – 18× EBITDA ## What Pest control businesses sell for Pest control earns some of the strongest multiples in all of home services — and for one reason: it's the most recurring trade there is. Customers on quarterly and monthly contracts renew at high rates, year after year, which buyers value almost like a subscription business. Here's what your business is worth and how to sell into one of the most active consolidation markets in the trades. Pest control multiples rose again year-over-year heading into 2026, driven by relentless PE consolidation, and the deal environment is the most active it's been since the last cycle peak. The benchmark transaction — a strategic paying nearly 20× EBITDA for a national platform — anchors the top of the market. For independent operators, the prize multiples go to diversified residential businesses with 70%+ recurring contracts and tight routes. ## The single biggest lever: Recurring revenue and retention are the whole valuation Nothing drives pest-control value like the recurring book. Multiples push toward the top of the range when recurring revenue exceeds ~80%, customer retention exceeds ~88%, and routes run 10+ stops per tech per day. The metric buyers obsess over is attrition: monthly churn under 2% is excellent and commands a premium; above 4% means you're on a treadmill, replacing customers as fast as you lose them, and the multiple suffers. Your contract base and its stickiness are, quite literally, the asset. ## What makes selling a pest control business different Pest control is valued more like a recurring-revenue platform than a service contractor, which is why it commands premiums other trades can't. That also changes what diligence looks like: buyers will scrutinize your renewal rates, attrition by cohort, contract terms, and route density far more than your equipment or trucks. The businesses that sell highest are the ones that can prove their recurring book is durable. ## What drives value up - **Recurring contract share** — Revenue locked into monthly, quarterly, and annual agreements is the single most powerful driver — push it above 70–80% and the multiple climbs. - **Retention / low attrition** — Renewal above ~88% and monthly attrition under 2% is the premium zone. Buyers underwrite the whole business on this number. - **Route density** — Tight geographic concentration — 10+ stops per tech per day — lifts margins and integration value, just like in pool service. - **Residential diversification** — A broad residential base with no single dominant customer is exactly what consolidators are paying up for right now. - **Clean cohort data** — Being able to show retention and attrition by customer cohort proves the recurring book is durable and speeds diligence. - **Cross-sell breadth** — Termite, mosquito, wildlife, and specialty lines on top of general pest deepen each customer relationship and lift lifetime value. ## What buyers discount - **High attrition** — Monthly churn above 4% tells buyers the recurring book leaks. It's the fastest way to lose the premium pest control normally earns. - **One-time / job-work reliance** — A business weighted toward one-off treatments rather than contracts loses the recurring economics that justify the multiple. - **Scattered routes** — Thin, spread-out routes hurt margins and integration value, pulling you off the top of the range even with good recurring share. ## Who is buying Pest control has perhaps the most active strategic buyer pool in the trades: national consolidators like Rollins and Rentokil-Terminix, PE-backed platforms such as Anticimex, Aptive, and Hawx, and a long line of regional roll-ups — all hungry for recurring residential contracts and route density. That competition is good news for sellers. Long-term holding companies like Chisel value the same recurring durability and the customer relationships behind it. ## Related guides - Pool service: https://chiselindustries.com/selling-a-business/pool-service - Landscaping & lawn: https://chiselindustries.com/selling-a-business/landscaping - HVAC: https://chiselindustries.com/selling-a-business/hvac Nothing in this document is tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures are 2025–2026 home-services M&A norms presented as ranges. ## Common questions ### How much is my pest control business worth? Pest control commonly sells at 7×–10× EBITDA on a healthy recurring base — among the strongest multiples in home services — with smaller or lower-recurring businesses nearer 5×–7× and platform-quality operators reaching 12×+ . The size of your recurring contract book and your retention rate are what move the number most. ### Why does pest control sell for higher multiples than other trades? Because it's the most recurring trade there is. Customers on quarterly and monthly contracts renew at high rates year after year, so buyers underwrite the revenue almost like a subscription business — predictable, sticky, and high-margin. That durability justifies multiples other, more project-based trades can't reach. ### What retention or attrition rate do buyers want to see? The premium zone is renewal above ~88% and monthly attrition under 2%. Below 2% attrition is excellent; above 4% signals a leaky book and pulls your multiple down. Being able to show retention and attrition by customer cohort is one of the most valuable things you can bring to diligence. ### Who's buying pest control businesses? An unusually deep field: national strategics like Rollins and Rentokil-Terminix, PE-backed platforms such as Anticimex, Aptive, and Hawx, and many regional consolidators — all competing for recurring residential contracts and dense routes. Long-term holding companies also value the recurring model. That competition tends to work in sellers' favor.