The dry cleaner document checklist.

Seven things answer most of what a serious buyer will ask about a dry cleaning plant. Owners who have them ready move through a sale in weeks. Owners who assemble them mid-deal lose months, and sometimes the deal.

1. Tax returns, last 2 to 3 years

Returns come first, every time. The capital partners and lenders behind most deals price off filed returns, and only filed returns. A P&L alongside them fills in the detail the returns compress. Together they establish the EBITDA the whole price is built on.

2. The lease, or the deed

If you lease, the full document with amendments and options, so a buyer can read the term, the rent schedule, and the assignment clause. If you own, the deed and any mortgage. If you own and the business pays you rent, the arrangement in writing. The building guide explains why that one matters so much.

3. Equipment list with ages

The dry cleaning machine and its solvent type, the boiler, the presses and finishing equipment, and the year each went in. Add the point of sale system and any delivery vehicles. Ages tell a buyer what the next five years of capital spending look like, and on a plant that is a serious number.

4. Utility bills

Twelve months of gas, electric, water, and sewer. A plant with a boiler runs on gas, and the bills corroborate the volume story. Consistent bills make every other number easier to believe.

5. Payroll and staffing

Who works there, what they do, hours, and cost, including yourself and any family members on the payroll. This matters more in dry cleaning than anywhere else in garment care, because labor is the largest controllable cost and it is the first line a buyer reads. Be accurate about what family members are actually paid, because the filed payroll records will show it either way.

6. Solvent and waste records

Solvent purchase records, hazardous waste manifests, permits, and any environmental report ever done on the site. If a prior Phase I exists, it is the single most useful document you can hand a buyer early. The environmental guide covers what happens with it.

7. Route and commercial accounts

Contracts or terms for hotels, restaurants, uniform work, and any delivery route, with what each account bills in a year. This is the revenue buyers pay the most for, and it is the revenue that is easiest to prove.

What to do with the pile

Bring it to a buyer. We are one. Valemont Group acquires dry cleaners and laundromats directly from owners, and a first conversation is confidential and commits you to nothing. If you want the fuller picture first, start with how selling works.