By The Restoration HQ desk · · filed under Money & Consolidation
The benchmarking survey says the squeeze isn't letting up
The 2026 benchmarking report confirms last year's warning: margins, cash flow, and labor availability are all still pressuring restoration contractors.
FORA hard benchmark year is when disciplined operators pull away. Use the survey as the mirror that forces the financial habits most shops avoid.
AGAINSTAnother survey telling owners they're squeezed without telling them what to actually change is just anxiety with a chart. Data isn't a strategy.
Consensus vs. contrarianConsensus: track your numbers against the benchmark. Contrarian worth owning: most shops don't have a margin problem, they have a pricing-and-collections problem wearing a margin costume, fix what you charge and how fast you collect before you cut costs.
Sources Cleanfax: Margins, Money, and Manpower: The Pressures Squeezing Restoration Contractors (published )