Common questions about selling a security business.

A typical security business sale runs 6 to 9 months from initial conversation through to completion. The valuation, teaser and buyer approach stages tend to take 4 to 6 weeks. The balance is spent on meetings, offers, due diligence and legal completion. Businesses with clean management accounts, NSI or SSAIB certification and a well-documented monitoring contract book tend to move faster through due diligence.

We call or email you within two working days for an informal, confidential chat. We talk through your business, your ambitions and your timeline. If you would like an indicative valuation range, we run that separately and come back to you with a realistic figure and the reasoning behind it. There is no obligation at any stage, and nothing happens without your explicit go-ahead.

Confidentiality is the foundation of how we work. Every approach starts with an anonymised teaser that gives an approximate region, turnover band and service mix, never your business name. All interested buyers sign an NDA before receiving any identifying detail. Your operatives, control room staff, clients and competitors will not be told unless you choose to inform them.

Most UK security businesses sell for between 2x and 6x EBITDA. Manned guarding only operators without technology or long-term contracts typically trade at 2 to 4 times. NSI Gold accredited monitoring contract books regularly reach 6 to 8 times at the top of the range. SIA Approved Contractor status with a diverse client base adds around 0.3 to the multiplier, and running your own Alarm Receiving Centre can add around 0.5.

Three accreditations carry the most weight with acquirers. SIA Approved Contractor Scheme status is a baseline for serious manned guarding work. NSI Gold and Silver, and SSAIB certification, signal robust systems and inspection processes and matter most for CCTV, intruder alarm and access control work. BS 7858 staff vetting compliance is also a standard expectation for corporate and public sector buyers.

Yes, but owner dependency does affect the multiple buyers will offer. If the business cannot function without you answering the alarm line or managing rotas personally, acquirers will discount their offer to cover the cost of replacing you. Part of our preparation work involves helping you document processes and identify who in the team can step up, so buyers see a business that runs on its own.

We maintain an active buyer register of PE-backed security platforms, national security groups, regional trade acquirers and qualified individual buyers. When we take on an instruction, we run a confidential matched process by approaching buyers whose stated criteria fit your turnover, geography, sector mix and accreditations. That creates genuine competitive tension rather than relying on a single unsolicited offer.

Active and consolidating. The UK private security market is worth over 10 billion pounds annually and PE-backed platforms completed more than 90 UK security acquisitions during 2024. Buyers are paying a premium for recurring monitoring revenue, SIA Approved Contractor status and NSI Gold accreditation. The BADR rate rising from 14% to 18% in April 2026 is also pulling some owners towards earlier decisions.

Our initial conversation is free and confidential. Fee structures vary depending on the scope of work and are always agreed in writing before any commitment. In most transactions, the buyer contributes to or covers the advisory fee.

Not until you choose to. Operatives, control room staff and clients are only informed when you decide the time is right, usually late in the process once a preferred buyer has been identified. Until then the process runs under strict confidentiality, using anonymised marketing and signed NDAs before any identifying information is released.