Is a Deck Medic franchisee permitted to operate from a home-based administrative office?
Deck_Medic Franchise · 2024 FDDAnswer from 2024 FDD Document
If permitted by local law, you may operate your Deck Medic Business from a home based administrative office. Otherwise, you are responsible for selecting a site for your administrative office and must obtain our approval of your selected location. If you elect to establish an operations center comprised of a non-retail back-office facility to support the operations of your Deck Medic Business, including maintaining inventory, staging service visits, and parking your service vehicle, you are responsible for selecting and securing a site within your Operating Territory. We do not typically own or lease the real property that will serve as your administrative office and/or operations center and you are responsible for all costs and expenses in locating and evaluating proposed sites for your administrative office. We will provide you with site selection guidelines.
Within 30 days of our written receipt and submission of all information and documentation that we may request, we will respond to your proposed request for our approval or disapproval of the proposed location of your administrative office. Factors that into consideration include characteristics of the proposed site, whether or not the proposed site meets our criteria for non-retail back-office operations, and the location of your proposed site relative to your overall Operating Territory and proximity to other franchisee operating territories.
Since you may administratively manage your Deck Medic Business from your home there is no required time period within which you must secure a commercial office location. If you do not meet our requirements for site selection, we may terminate your Franchise Agreement without refunding any fees to you. It is your obligation to consult with government agencies, architects and legal professionals to evaluate and determine that your site permits the establishment and operation of the Franchised Business and that you possess the necessary licenses and authority to operate the Franchised Business. (Franchise Agreement, Article 3).
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND TRAINING (FDD pages 24–29)
What This Means (2024 FDD)
According to Deck Medic's 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees may operate their business from a home-based administrative office if permitted by local law. If operating from a home-based office is not allowed, the franchisee is responsible for selecting a site for their administrative office and must obtain Deck Medic's approval of the location.
If a franchisee chooses to establish an operations center, which is a non-retail back-office facility for inventory, staging service visits, and parking a service vehicle, they are responsible for selecting and securing a site within their operating territory. Deck Medic does not typically own or lease the real property for administrative offices or operations centers, and the franchisee is responsible for all costs associated with locating and evaluating potential sites. Deck Medic will provide site selection guidelines.
Deck Medic must respond to a franchisee's proposed location for an administrative office within 30 days of receiving all required information and documentation. Factors considered for approval include the site's characteristics, whether it meets Deck Medic's criteria for non-retail back-office operations, and its location relative to the franchisee's operating territory and other franchisee territories. Since franchisees may manage their Deck Medic business from home, there is no required timeframe to secure a commercial office location. However, Deck Medic may terminate the Franchise Agreement without refunding any fees if the site selection requirements are not met. The franchisee is obligated to consult with government agencies, architects, and legal professionals to ensure the site permits the business's establishment and operation and that they possess the necessary licenses and authority.