How much is my security business worth?

What a security business sells for depends heavily on its revenue mix. Manned guarding operations typically achieve around 3x to 8x EBITDA, while electronic security and alarm businesses with recurring revenue achieve more, and monitoring books are often valued on a multiple of recurring monthly revenue. We provide a free, confidential valuation to establish a realistic range for your specific business.

Do I have to pay anything upfront?

No. Our initial valuation and consultation are covered by a written fee agreement. We operate on a competitive fee structure, which means you only pay a fee if your business is successfully sold.

Will my staff and clients find out I am selling?

Confidentiality is fundamental to our process. We use anonymous business profiles when approaching buyers, and all interested parties sign NDAs before receiving any identifying information.

Does NSI Gold or SSAIB accreditation affect my valuation?

Yes, significantly. Buyers pay a premium for SIA Approved Contractor status, NSI Gold or SSAIB certification, BS 7858 staff vetting, and a book of recurring monitoring accounts. Accredited businesses are a lower-risk acquisition, and unaccredited operators typically attract a discount.

Security Business Sales

Maximise the exit value of your security business.

We are the UK's specialist brokerage for UK private security business owners considering a sale. Confidential valuations. Qualified buyers. Expert guidance.

Discuss a Valuation Buying? Register Your Interest

Strictly Confidential

competitive fee structure

Sector Specialists

The Security Market

Recurring monitoring revenue and private equity are reshaping the sector.

The UK private security guarding market is worth around £9bn a year, served by roughly 6,460 businesses, while the electronic security systems market of alarms, CCTV, access control and monitoring adds a further £2bn or so. More than 500,000 active SIA licences are in issue, held by around 459,000 individuals, evidence of a large, regulated and highly fragmented sector. Private equity is consolidating it quickly: in 2025, 70% of UK fire and security deals were private-equity backed, up from 57% the year before, and buy-and-build platforms are actively acquiring owner-managed businesses below £1m EBITDA. Buyers pay a premium for recurring monitoring revenue, NSI Gold or SIA Approved Contractor status, and BS 7858 vetted teams. From 6 April 2026 the Business Asset Disposal Relief rate rose to 18%, which sharpens the timing of any exit.

Sources: IBISWorld, Private Security Services and Security System Services in the UK (2025/2026); GOV.UK, SIA Licence Holders (2025); Grant Thornton, UK Fire and Security Sector M&A Review 2025; Brodies LLP, BADR Changes (March 2026).

£9bn

UK private security guarding market

500,000+

Active SIA licences in issue

70%

UK fire and security deals PE-backed in 2025

18%

New BADR CGT rate from April 2026

How We Work

A clear, structured process.

Free Confidential Valuation

Every conversation starts with understanding your business. We assess your turnover, contract book, team qualifications, and growth trajectory to establish a realistic valuation range. No cost, no obligation, completely confidential.

Qualified Buyer Matching

We maintain an active register of pre-qualified buyers: PE-backed platforms, national security groups, and trade acquirers specifically seeking security businesses. We match your business to the right buyers and create competitive tension.

Managed Sale Process

From initial valuation through to completion, we manage every stage. NDAs, buyer meetings, negotiations, due diligence, and legal coordination. You focus on running your business while we handle the sale.

Sector Expertise

We speak your language.

We understand the difference between a manned guarding operation running 40 officers across regional contracts and a systems business managing 2,000 monitored alarm accounts. We know what SIA Approved Contractor status means for your buyer pool, why NSI Gold accreditation attracts premium multiples, and how your mix of CCTV, access control, intruder alarms and guarding shapes the valuation.

We understand vehicle fleet and response capability, monitoring route density, the split between reactive alarm response and long-term monitoring contracts, and why a business with twenty SIA-licensed operatives and a BS 7858 compliant vetting process is worth more than one where the owner still answers the alarm line at 3am. This sector knowledge means we position your business correctly and attract the right buyers from day one.

Get In Touch

Start with a conversation.

Whether you are actively considering a sale or simply curious about what your security business might be worth, we are happy to talk. No obligation, completely confidential.

Thank you for getting in touch.

We will review your details and be in contact within two working days. Everything you have shared is treated as strictly confidential.

6,460

UK private security businesses in the market

over a decade

Advising UK business owners on exit

Confidential

No obligation, free to enquire

Looking to Acquire

Register as a security buyer.

Most of the security businesses we represent never go to open market. They move through a small, private buyer register. If you are an individual buyer, trade acquirer, or investor actively looking at the sector, register your criteria and we will contact you directly when something suitable becomes available.

70%

of UK fire and security deals were private-equity backed in 2025, up from 57% the year before. Buy-and-build platforms are actively acquiring owner-managed security businesses with recurring monitoring income and accreditations. Source: Grant Thornton, UK Fire and Security Sector M&A Review 2025.

Your Adviser

Simon Read, Lead Adviser

Simon Read leads our Security division, working directly with every client from initial conversation through to completion. Reads M&A Advisory has over a decade of experience selling businesses, and many of the investors and acquirers in our network have been asking specifically for security and monitoring opportunities.

Every conversation starts with understanding what matters most to you: the price, the legacy, the staff, the timing, or simply getting out with certainty. Nothing is decided until you are ready.

Start a Confidential Conversation

Maximise the exit value of your security business.

Recurring monitoring revenue and private equity are reshaping the sector.

A clear, structured process.

Free Confidential Valuation

Qualified Buyer Matching

Managed Sale Process

We speak your language.

Start with a conversation.

Thank you for getting in touch.

Thinking of selling your security business?

Get a confidential, no-obligation conversation with a specialist adviser.

A few details about the business.

Where should Simon reach you?

Thank you, there.

Register as a security buyer.

Simon Read, Lead Adviser

Maximise the exit value of your security business.

Recurring monitoring revenue and private equity are reshaping the sector.

A clear, structured process.

Free Confidential Valuation

Qualified Buyer Matching

Managed Sale Process

We speak your language.

Start with a conversation.

Thank you for getting in touch.

Thinking of selling your security business?

Get a confidential, no-obligation conversation with a specialist adviser.

A few details about the business.

Where should Simon reach you?

Thank you, there.

Register as a security buyer.

The kind of mandates we handle.

Electronic security and monitoring business, South East

Manned guarding business with 15 staff, Midlands

Integrated systems and access control specialist, London

Simon Read, Lead Adviser