Provider profile
COIT Cleaning and Restoration
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Bay Area homeowners dealing with water damage or mold who want a large-scale operation with 75 years of history and insurance company relationships already in place.
Best for
- Bay Area homeowners with active water damage who need same-day response and insurance billing handled directly
- Commercial property managers needing mold or water restoration at scale — COIT has documented crews of 100+ workers on single projects
- Homeowners who want one company for the full sequence: water extraction, drying, mold remediation, and carpet cleaning afterward
- Customers whose insurance carrier already has a relationship with COIT, which includes Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Nationwide, and five other major carriers
- Bay Area residents who prefer a long-established local company over a startup — COIT has operated from Burlingame since 1950
About this company
COIT is a national franchise headquartered in Burlingame, California, and the Bay Area location doubles as the corporate home base. They started as a drapery cleaner in 1950 at the base of Coit Tower in San Francisco and have expanded into carpet cleaning, air duct cleaning, water damage restoration, and mold remediation. They handle both residential and commercial work.
The mold and water damage side follows IICRC S-520 and ANSI/IICRC S500 standards. Their website lists HEPA filtration, negative air pressure, containment, and dehumidification as part of their remediation process. For water damage, they deploy infrared cameras, moisture meters, and truck-mounted drying equipment. They also do mold testing and inspection, which creates a conflict of interest worth knowing about.
COIT has the infrastructure for large jobs. A UCLA case study shows 19 technicians cleaning 1.4 million square feet in 5 days. A Reno fire restoration project involved 136 workers across 188 apartment units over 120 days. Gary Hamilton (GM) and Joshua Serrano (Ops Manager) led the UCLA project; Lonnie Fixel (franchise owner) oversaw the Reno restoration. They work with Liberty Mutual, Chubb, Nationwide, Travelers, State Farm, Progressive, Geico, and Amica on insurance claims.
At 4.6 stars across 2,654 Google reviews, COIT sits in solid territory for a company handling this volume. The sheer review count gives the rating statistical weight that a 4.9-star company with 40 reviews cannot match.
Services
Service area
COIT's Bay Area office operates from Burlingame, California. They serve San Francisco, the Peninsula, South Bay, East Bay, and North Bay communities. As a national franchise, they list locations across the U.S., but the Bay Area operation is the corporate headquarters with direct oversight. For jobs outside the immediate Peninsula and South Bay corridor, confirm technician availability and expected response times.
Review consensus
Reviewers name specific technicians repeatedly. Martin has a customer who has requested him for years. Troy drew praise for being kind and efficient. Fabian impressed a customer by restoring a 25-year-old carpet. Josue arrived early and handled furniture with care. Tony removed stains the customer thought were permanent. Manuel gets mentioned across multiple reviews for inside and outside work. The consistent theme: when COIT sends a good tech, the results impress. Customers also praise on-time arrivals, clear communication about what to expect, and willingness to explain the cleaning process.
26 found across 2654 total reviews at 4.6★. Pricing disputes dominate the complaints. Nadine Kelly was quoted one price by phone and charged significantly more on-site. Anastasios Piliotis had a similar experience. Kimberly Powers felt pressured into add-on services. Adrien S paid $550 for a garage cleaning that took under an hour and called it a scam. Beyond pricing, quality complaints surface: Mahesh Gupta found edges and corners untouched. Mesfin Mekonnen reported sloppy work and rude behavior. Mae Gentry says COIT damaged her sofa and pillow during cleaning. Sam Gee had a technician arrive two hours late, break a lamp, and leave without completing the job. Claudia A alleges COIT performed unauthorized lead and asbestos testing during a water damage job, billing her insurer without consent. Jason Sayers waited three days for a sofa to dry. Owner responses follow a pattern: most acknowledge the complaint and offer the 100% satisfaction guarantee re-clean, but few directly address pricing discrepancies.
The gap between COIT's best and worst reviews reflects a franchise staffing model. When reviewers are happy, they name a specific technician. When they are unhappy, the complaints point to a different tech or a phone-to-field communication breakdown on pricing. The owner response rate (69%) is moderate, and the responses tend toward a template: acknowledge, apologize, invoke the satisfaction guarantee, provide a phone number. Few responses engage with the specific pricing or quality details the reviewer raised. This suggests reputation management over genuine complaint resolution.
Martin (carpet technician — praised repeatedly, requested by name for years by Lucette Zanardi). Troy (technician — praised for kindness, efficiency by Christopher Kam). Nia (technician — praised for hard work on pet-stained carpets by Rhonda Williams). Manny (technician — praised for dryer vent cleaning by Amy J.). Edgar (technician — praised for speed and efficiency by Edward Stephens). Fabian (technician — praised for restoring old carpet by Gale Armstrong). Josue (technician — praised for early arrival, care with furniture by Annette E.). Manuel (technician — praised across multiple reviews for carpet and exterior work). Kevin (technician — praised for exceeding expectations by Bill Chatelain). Tony (technician — praised for stain removal by Caitlin Zaremba). Gary Hamilton (General Manager — named in UCLA case study). Joshua Serrano (Operations Manager — named in UCLA case study). Lonnie Fixel (franchise owner — named in Reno restoration case study).
COIT delivers strong results when you get the right technician. Ask for a named tech if you can — Martin, Troy, Fabian, and Josue all have documented track records. Get a written, itemized estimate before any work starts, because phone quotes and final bills do not always match. For mold work specifically, get an independent test first since COIT does both testing and remediation.
Keep in mind
- COIT does both mold testing and mold remediation. That means the same company diagnosing the problem profits from fixing it. Consider getting an independent mold test before committing to their remediation scope.
- Multiple reviewers report final prices significantly exceeding phone quotes. The pattern shows up across carpet cleaning, upholstery, and restoration work. Get a written estimate with line items before work begins.
- This is a franchise operation. The technician who shows up may vary in skill and attentiveness. Several negative reviews cite rushed work, missed edges, and corners left dirty.
- COIT's service area covers the entire Bay Area and beyond. For jobs far from their Burlingame headquarters, confirm crew availability and response times before booking.
- Their 100% satisfaction guarantee offers a re-clean, not a refund. Several owner responses to complaints direct customers to call back for a re-service rather than addressing pricing disputes.