Straight answers for security business owners.

A typical sale runs from five to nine months. The first month covers the initial conversation, information gathering, and valuation. Buyer approaches and interest tend to happen in months two and three. Meetings, offers, and heads of terms (the short document setting out the main points of the deal before the lawyers draft the contract) usually sit in months three to five. Due diligence, the buyer's detailed check of your business, and legal completion take another two to four months. Businesses with clean management accounts, current accreditation, and a well-documented monitoring contract book tend to move faster. The pace is set by you.

It depends on the revenue mix. Published practitioner guidance puts integrated electronic security businesses at 6x to 10x EBITDA and gives no range for manned guarding. EBITDA is profit before interest, tax, and the write-down of equipment, vehicles and other assets, usually adjusted so that the owner's personal costs and one-off items have been added back. A multiple is the number that yearly profit is multiplied by to reach a price. Strong recurring monitoring revenue, NSI Gold or SSAIB accreditation, BS 7858 vetting, and low owner dependency, meaning the business does not lean on you personally, push you towards the upper end. Have a free first conversation with Simon or Emily, in confidence. The paid Snapshot is a written, indicative view of value, and what to fix first. The 6x to 10x range is published practitioner guidance, 2026, not a guaranteed value.

Our buyer register is open to buyers including security platforms owned by private equity (investment firms that buy companies to grow and sell on), national security groups, regional security firms looking to grow geographically, and individual acquirers entering the sector. When your business goes to market we approach only buyers whose stated criteria fit your profile, and you control which of them see information and in what order. That creates competition without broadcasting the sale.

Yes. Confidentiality is the foundation of the process, not a feature on top. We approach buyers with anonymised teasers, short summaries that describe the business without naming it, and release information in stages. Every buyer signs an NDA, a confidentiality agreement, before any identifying details are shared. Your operatives, control room staff, customers, suppliers, and competitors will not be told you are exploring a sale unless you choose to tell them.

Our initial conversation is free and confidential. Beyond that, any paid work is on a fee agreed in writing before we start.

Not until you choose to. During the process we use anonymised profiles so buyers cannot identify your business. Once a preferred buyer is under NDA and a deal is taking shape, you decide when and how to tell your team. Announcing a sale once a buyer is confirmed and a handover plan is in place is far less disruptive than speculating in advance. Your team's terms are safe either way: in a sale of the company's shares their employer does not change, and in a sale of its assets TUPE, the rules your officers already know from guarding contracts changing hands, moves them across on their existing terms. Clean contracts make that transition smoother.

Buyers price accreditation heavily because it underpins tender eligibility, insurance, and self-certification. SIA Approved Contractor Scheme status is a baseline for serious manned guarding work. NSI Gold, and SSAIB certification, signal robust systems and inspection and matter most for CCTV, intruder alarm, access control and monitoring. BS 7858 staff vetting is a standard expectation for corporate and public sector buyers, and operating to the EN 50131, 50132, 50136 and 50518 standards marks a compliant, monitored operation. Unaccredited businesses typically attract a discount to cover re-certification.

Yes, but expect the valuation to reflect the risk. If the business cannot function without you answering the alarm line, managing rotas, or holding the key client relationships, acquirers will discount their offer to cover the cost of replacing you. A business where the work carries on without the owner commands a higher multiple. If you are still central to operations, there are practical steps you can take to reduce that dependency before you go to market.

Active and consolidating. The electronic security systems market is worth about £2.1bn in 2026, and more than 500,000 active SIA licences are in issue. Buyers are paying a premium for recurring monitoring revenue and accreditation, and structural demand drivers, Martyn's Law, the PSTN switch-off at the end of January 2027, are sharpening timing for well-prepared sellers. Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR, the lower rate for owners selling a business they run) has been 18% since April 2026.

You will hear back within two working days with a short first conversation arranged at a time that suits you. The first call typically lasts around thirty minutes and is simply about understanding your business and what you are considering. If it makes sense to go further, we will explain the next steps clearly before anything else happens.