A burst supply pipe spraying water across a laundry room floor

Independent review

Updated 25 September 2026 · 15 sources · not paid by RooterMan

RooterMan review: a drain and sewer franchise with a small Florida footprint

A fair look at a franchise many people confuse with Roto-Rooter or Mr. Rooter, written for the Florida homeowner deciding who to call about a leak or a backed-up drain.

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Call RooterMan if

You live in Pinellas, Hillsborough or on the Space Coast, where RooterMan has offices.
The problem is a slow drain, a sewer backup or a septic issue.
You want a price explained before work starts.

Compare first if

You live outside the few Florida areas it serves.
Water is spraying now at night. We found no 24/7 promise on its site.
The job is a slab leak or a repipe. Get a second licensed quote.

Compare with a licensed local company

Pick your area and see three local plumbers next to RooterMan. None of them pay us to be here.

Your area

Our verdict. RooterMan is a reasonable call for a drain, sewer or septic problem if you live near one of its few Florida offices, mainly Tampa Bay, the Space Coast and the Panhandle. The Tampa Bay office has an A+ BBB grade and one complaint in three years, but its public review record is too thin to lean on. The brand publishes no prices and we found no 24/7 promise on its website, so it is not the obvious first call for a pipe spraying water at night. For leaks, repipes and slab work, get a second written quote from a licensed local plumber.

At a glance

5Florida locations on its own list

70+Locations, by its own count

$147 to $352Typical drain cleaning, Angi 2026 (not a RooterMan price)

1BBB complaint in 3 years, Tampa Bay office

Where it is strong

The Tampa Bay office has an A+ BBB grade, has been in business since 2006, and shows one complaint in three years, which was marked resolved.
Every location is locally owned, and the brand says pricing is explained up front before work starts.
Strong in drain cleaning, hydro jetting, camera inspection, sewer and septic work, the core of the brand since 1970.
Leak detection, slab leaks and repiping are listed by the Tampa Bay office, so one company can find and fix a leak.

Where to be careful

Only five Florida locations on its own list, and three of them share one Titusville address. Most of the state is not covered.
No published prices, no trip fee or after-hours policy on its site, and no written guarantee we could find.
Very little public review data: five BBB reviews for the Tampa Bay office (an average of 3.4 of 5) and no meaningful national review average.
The brand's own location counts do not agree, and the name is easy to confuse with Roto-Rooter and Mr. Rooter, which are different companies.

How we reviewed RooterMan: research only, nobody here has hired them, 15 public sources. Read the method

We have not hired RooterMan, and nobody at BestHonestPro has. This review is research: RooterMan's own website and Florida location pages, its parent company's acquisition announcement and franchise pages, franchise directory data, the Better Business Bureau file for its Tampa Bay office, consumer review sites, two published cost guides and a search of court and Attorney General records. We read patterns across complaints rather than quoting single angry customers, and we left out anything we could not trace to a source.

We have not called RooterMan for a test quote yet. When we do, what we asked and what they said will be added here with the date.

Last checked 25 September 2026. RooterMan is not affiliated with BestHonestPro, has not paid us, and did not see this page before it went up. RooterMan is a trademark of its owner and is used here only to name the company.

What RooterMan is

RooterMan started in 1970 in North Billerica, Massachusetts, and began franchising in 1981. In February 2022 it was bought by Premium Service Brands, a franchise company based in Charlottesville, Virginia. RooterMan is a separate company from Roto-Rooter and from Mr. Rooter, even though the names are close.

How big it is depends on who you ask. Rooterman.com says 70+ service locations serving 600+ territories. Premium Service Brands said over 700 locations when it bought the brand in 2022, and a 2022 Entrepreneur listing shows 563 units. These figures appear to count different things, and the brand does not explain the gap.

The fact that matters most to you: every RooterMan location is locally owned. In the brand's words, all locations are owned and operated by someone in your community. The owner sets the prices and the service standards you actually get.

1970
Founded in North Billerica, Massachusetts.
1981
Starts franchising.
2022
Bought by Premium Service Brands (28 Feb 2022).
2026
Five Florida locations on the brand's own location list.

Source: RooterMan, About us; Premium Service Brands, acquisition announcement (28 Feb 2022); Entrepreneur, RooterMan franchise listing; RooterMan Florida locations.

What RooterMan charges

RooterMan does not publish a price list, and we found no cost guide that reports RooterMan prices. Its site promises upfront pricing, with no hidden fees and no figures that change when the invoice arrives. The figures below are what cost guides report for any plumber, so you can tell whether a quote is in the normal range.

Typical plumber prices, national cost guides (not RooterMan's own)

Drain cleaning, Angi 2026

$147 to $352

Sewer main line, Angi 2026

$100 to $800

Leak repair, HomeGuide

$150 to $850

Drain cleaning	$147 to $352, average $246 (Angi, Aug 2026)
Toilet clog	$110 to $275 (Angi)
Sewer main line	$100 to $800 (Angi)
Leak repair	$150 to $850 (HomeGuide)
Service call	$50 to $200 (HomeGuide)

Source: Angi, drain cleaning cost (updated 3 Aug 2026); HomeGuide, plumber cost. National figures, not RooterMan quotes.

We found no RooterMan statement on trip fees, diagnostic fees or night and weekend rates. Ask for all three on the phone, and get the price in writing before anyone starts. For what finding a hidden leak usually costs, see our leak detection cost guide.

Source: RooterMan home page and Tampa Bay service page.

RooterMan in Florida

The brand's Florida page lists five locations: Tampa Bay (Largo), Milton in the Panhandle, and three entries (Daytona-Melbourne, Orlando and Titusville) that share one Titusville address. The Orlando page lists drain services only, with no leak detection. That is a thin footprint. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Fort Myers and Sarasota have no RooterMan location on the brand's list.

The Tampa Bay office is Rooter-Man of Tampa Bay LLC. Its BBB file shows Florida plumbing licence CFC1426130 and lists water heaters, slab leaks, repiping, video sewer inspection and drain cleaning. We have not yet checked that licence number with the Florida DBPR, so treat it as shown, not verified.

You may also see local businesses with similar names, such as a Rooterman in Boca Raton, that do not appear on the brand's Florida list. Ask any company which network it belongs to.

Source: RooterMan Florida locations; RooterMan of Orlando service page; BBB, Rooter-Man of Tampa Bay LLC; Rooterman-Boca website.

The complaint record, read fairly

There is not much record to read, and that is the honest finding. The Tampa Bay office is graded A+ by the BBB, is not accredited, and shows one complaint in three years. That complaint came from a homeowners association billed for a second day of drain work after equipment trouble. It is marked resolved, and both sides agreed the scope could have been clearer.

BBB grade, Tampa Bay office	A+, not accredited
BBB complaints, 3 years	1 (resolved)
BBB customer review average	3.4 of 5 (5 reviews)
Trustpilot, rooterman.com	A single review, too few to mean anything
ConsumerAffairs	No RooterMan profile found

Source: BBB, Rooter-Man of Tampa Bay LLC, profile, complaints and customer reviews; Trustpilot, rooterman.com. Checked 25 Sep 2026.

Of the five BBB reviews, three praise fast response and fair pricing. Two describe problems: one over drain work and damage, one over repeated water heater replacements and a warranty dispute, which the company answered in writing. Five reviews is too few to call a pattern.

In court and with regulators. We found no lawsuit, Attorney General action or settlement involving the RooterMan brand or its Florida offices as of this review.

Who it suits, and who should compare

A good fit: a slow or backed-up drain, a sewer line problem or septic work, if you are in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Brevard or the western Panhandle, and you want a price explained before work starts.

Compare first: an active leak at night, since we found no 24/7 promise, and any recommendation to repipe, dig or open a slab. Those are the jobs where a second licensed plumber costs you one phone call and can save you thousands. See slab leaks and how to find your main shutoff.

What to ask before you say yes

Ask these on the phone, in this order, and ask the same questions of whoever you compare them with. The spread in the answers tells you more than the spread in the prices.

Is this a RooterMan franchise, and who owns this location?
Are you open tonight, and is there a trip fee, a diagnostic fee or an after-hours charge?
Will I get a written price before any work starts, and what do I owe if I say no?
What is your Florida plumbing licence number (it starts with CFC)? Check it free on the DBPR site.
How long is your guarantee on this repair, and can I have it in writing?
If you recommend a repipe, slab work or a new sewer line, can I see the camera footage or leak test results first?
If there is water damage or mold, who do you refer me to? Florida mold work needs its own licence (MRSR for remediators).

Local alternatives in Florida

RooterMan covers only a few parts of Florida. We list local plumbers and leak specialists for eight Florida metros, each checked against the state licence register where a number was available. Call one alongside RooterMan and ask both the same questions.

No company pays to be listed on those pages or to rank higher. Each listing links to its own licence check and sources.

Right of reply

RooterMan, or the owner of any RooterMan location, can correct a fact on this page. Email [email protected] with the fact and a source. We check it and publish the correction here with its date.

Where this comes from

Every figure above is published by the organisation named beside it. Nothing on this page is our own estimate, and where sources disagree we show both.

Show all 15 sources