Questions to Ask a Security Company
Written for whoever has to hire the guards: a store or warehouse owner, a property or community manager, an HOA board, the organizer of a one-day event. The 57 questions follow the order of a sales meeting and a site walk: the company and its paperwork, the guards it would send, how the post is supervised and reported on, incidents and response, cameras and remote monitoring, then price and contract. Guard licensing and what a guard may do differ by state and country, so several questions ask the company how it works where you are.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
The company
What security license does your company hold here, and where can I look it up?
Why ask it
Security firms are licensed by a state, provincial or national body in many places, and some of those license the company and each guard separately. Ask which body issued theirs, then check the number on that body's own site instead of trusting a copy in the proposal. While you are there, see whether it lists complaints or disciplinary action.
What insurance do you carry, and will your insurer send the certificate to us directly?
Why ask it
You are looking for general liability, workers' compensation or its local equivalent for guards hurt on the job, and auto coverage if they drive, each with its limit written down. A certificate that comes from the insurer or broker is more reliable than a PDF forwarded by a salesperson, and it shows the expiration date. Your own insurer can tell you what limits it expects and whether you should be named on the policy.
How long have you been in business, and how long under the current owners?
Why ask it
Years in business say less than they seem to: a firm bought last spring has an old name and new management. What counts is how long the people who would run your account have been doing this work in your area. A young company can be a good choice, but its references have to carry more of the weight.
Which sites like ours do you guard now, and can I call two of those clients?
Why ask it
A firm that is good on construction sites is not automatically good in an apartment lobby or at a festival gate. Pick one client of several years and one who started in the last six months: the first can say whether the service held up, the second how the start went. Call them yourself and find out how many no-shows they have had.
Are the guards your own employees, or are any shifts subcontracted?
Why ask it
Subcontracting is common for events and for last-minute shifts, and it is not a problem in itself. What matters is whether the other firm's guards are screened, trained and insured to the same standard, and whether you would be told before one arrives. A vague answer is a reason to want a contract line that requires your consent.
Who runs our account after we sign, and how do I reach them at 2 a.m.?
Why ask it
The person selling the contract is rarely the person who fills a shift on short notice. Meet the operations or account manager before you sign, and dial the after-hours number once in the evening to hear who picks up. If it goes to a voicemail box, you have your answer.
How many guards and supervisors do you have within an hour of our site?
Why ask it
Local depth is what covers a sick call or an extra guard for a busy weekend. A company whose nearest other post is far away will either leave the shift empty or keep a tired guard on. The location of their closest current client tells you most of it.
Have you lost a client in the last two years, and what was the reason?
Why ask it
Any firm that has been around a while has, so a flat no is less believable than a story. The answer worth having names what went wrong and what they changed. If every loss was about price, see whether the references tell it the same way.
Will you walk the site before you quote, and tell us what you would change?
Why ask it
A quote written from an email prices hours, not your property. A walk at the time of day the trouble happens should produce suggestions that earn them nothing: a light that is out, a gate that does not latch, a blind corner. Compare what each bidder noticed.
The guards
How do you screen guards before hiring, and are the checks ever repeated?
Why ask it
Which checks are required or even permitted depends on where you are, so find out what they actually run: identity, criminal record, work history, drug testing, driving record for patrol staff. The second half is the one companies skip. Someone cleared six years ago has had six years since.
How do you make sure every guard sent to us holds a current license or guard card?
Why ask it
Where guards are licensed individually, you do not want to learn after an incident that a card had lapsed. Someone at the company should own the list of expiration dates and be able to say what happens the week one runs out. Some clients ask for the card numbers of the guards assigned to them, which is a fair request.
What training does a guard get before a first shift alone at our site?
Why ask it
Separate the classroom hours the license requires from time spent learning your property. The number to get is paid shifts shadowing someone who knows the site, and whether those hours appear on your invoice. One walk around the building on the first night is not training.
What refresher training do your guards get each year, and does any of it cover de-escalation?
Why ask it
Most of a guard's hard moments are conversations: a resident locked out, a driver turned away at the gate, a guest who has had too much to drink. Have them name the course, who teaches it and how many of the guards proposed for your site have taken it. Whether continuing hours are required at all depends on the licensing rules where you are, so compare the companies on what each does by choice.
What is your guard turnover, and how long have the guards you would send us been with you?
Why ask it
Firms count turnover differently and a headline number is easy to flatter, so have them explain how theirs is worked out. The second half is more useful: the tenure of the specific people proposed for your post. A new face every month means the site is always being learned.
Out of the hourly rate we pay, what does the guard take home?
Why ask it
The gap between the bill rate and the wage pays for insurance, supervision, equipment and profit, all legitimate. But a guard paid at the bottom of the local market leaves for a small raise somewhere else, and you get a stranger. Not every company will share the figure; one that will not can still tell you how its pay compares with other security jobs nearby.
Will the same guards cover our site each week?
Why ask it
Regular guards learn the tenants' faces, the delivery drivers and the door that never quite shuts. Ask how many different people would work the post in an ordinary month, and have a ceiling written in if it matters to you. For a single event, the equivalent is who the lead is and whether they have worked that venue.
Can we meet the guards first, and ask for one to be replaced if it is not working out?
Why ask it
Find out how fast a replacement happens and whether the request has to be in writing. Keep your reasons to the work: lateness, manner with residents, rounds missed. A company that asks why is doing its job, since it has obligations to its employee too.
What happens when a guard calls in sick or does not turn up?
Why ask it
Three things to pin down: how the company finds out (a check-in call, a clock-in on a phone app), how long a replacement takes, and whether the empty hours come off the bill. Then ask how often it happened across their sites last month. An honest number above zero beats 'never'.
What is the longest shift you schedule, and how much rest is there before the next one?
Why ask it
Double shifts are how a short-staffed company fills gaps, and a guard sixteen hours in is not watching much. Rules on working hours differ by place, so what you are after is the company's own limit and how its scheduling enforces it. It is fair to want the timesheets to show when a guard has worked back to back.
Would you put armed or unarmed guards here, and why?
Why ask it
Armed posts cost more, change the insurance picture and come under separate licensing rules that vary by place. A careful company wants to know what has happened on the property before recommending either. Be wary of a recommendation that arrives before any question about your incidents, and talk to your insurer before agreeing to armed guards.
What will the guards wear and carry?
Why ask it
A blazer at a residential front desk and a high-visibility vest at a construction gate send different messages, and you get a say. Go through the gear: radio or phone, flashlight, body camera, vehicle. Some of it will be in the rate and some billed as an extra, so mark which is which.
On site
Who writes the post orders, and can we see a set from a site like ours?
Why ask it
Post orders are the written instructions for a post: the rounds, the doors, who to call for what. Good ones are drafted with you after the site walk and revised when something changes. If the sample is one generic page, the guard at your gate will be making it up.
How do you prove a patrol round was actually walked?
Why ask it
Most companies use checkpoint tags scanned with a phone, or GPS tracking, and can show a report of each tour. The one to see has a missed checkpoint on it, along with what happened next. The detail that matters is whether a supervisor is alerted during the shift or reads about it the next morning.
How many properties does one patrol car cover, and how many times a night would it stop at ours?
Why ask it
A patrol service sells visits, so pin down how many, how long each lasts and whether the guard gets out of the car and tries the doors. Visits at the same times every night are easy to plan around, so have them varied. Each one should leave a record you can see.
How often does a supervisor visit a site unannounced, nights included?
Why ask it
'Regularly' is not a number, so have them show what last month looked like at one of their current accounts. Visits should be logged where you can see them. Night and weekend visits count most, because that is when a post is least watched.
How do you check on a guard who is working alone overnight?
Why ask it
Scheduled check-in calls or a lone worker app are the usual answers, and they serve two purposes: the guard's safety and your coverage. The follow-up is what the dispatcher does when a check-in is missed. Having no plan for either suggests nobody has thought about the 3 a.m. shift.
What reports will we receive, and can I read a real one with the names taken out?
Why ask it
Expect a daily activity log and a separate incident report, and read the sample for times, specifics and photos. Twelve hourly entries that say 'all secure' show a form being filled in. The other thing to settle is how soon after an incident its report reaches you.
Which events get us a phone call right away, and which wait for the report?
Why ask it
Agree on the list before the first shift: a break-in, an injury, police or firefighters on the property, damage, a guard leaving the post. Give names and numbers in order, with a backup. Otherwise you hear about Friday night's incident on Monday.
How do you look after keys, alarm codes and access cards we hand over?
Why ask it
Listen for a signed key log, keys that stay on the property or in a sealed box, and codes issued to a person and not to the whole company. The follow-up is the important part: what happens on the day a guard who knows your codes resigns. You should be told, so you can change them.
What else may guards do for us, such as reception, packages, locking up or parking checks?
Why ask it
Extra duties are normal, provided they are in the post orders and the contract. A favor asked informally takes the guard off the post and may fall outside what the company's insurance covers. The requests they turn down show you where their line is.
For an event, how do you work out how many guards we need, and who is in charge on the day?
Why ask it
Crowd size, alcohol, the layout and the number of entrances all change the answer, and the venue, the permit or local rules may set a minimum. Have them show the reasoning, then check the requirement with the venue and the local authority yourself. You want one named lead who has been to the venue beforehand.
How often will you sit down with us to review how the service is going?
Why ask it
A monthly or quarterly meeting should have numbers on the table: incidents, missed rounds, uncovered hours, complaints. See what they would bring to it without being asked. If the account manager only appears near renewal, you have learned how the relationship works.
Incidents
What are your guards allowed to do when someone refuses to leave or turns aggressive?
Why ask it
What a guard may lawfully do differs by place, and the company's own policy is usually narrower than the law. Ask for the written use of force policy and read it. Then decide with your insurer whether you want observe and report or something more hands-on, and make sure the contract says the same.
When do your guards call the police, and what do they do until officers arrive?
Why ask it
How fast police come, and to what, is decided locally and is outside the company's control. So the useful part is the gap: keeping people back, watching from a safe distance, noting descriptions, meeting the officers at the gate. Check where the call to you falls in that sequence.
If we use your patrol or alarm response, how long does it take someone to arrive, and from where?
Why ask it
The figure to get is the measured average over recent months, not the target in the brochure. Where the car is based and how many properties it covers decide the real number. If the response time matters to you, it belongs in the contract, with a stated consequence when it is missed.
Tell me about a serious incident at a client's site last year. What did your people do?
Why ask it
A real account has a time of night, a sequence and something that did not go perfectly. Listen for what came after: who was told, what was written down, what changed on the site. A company where nothing ever happens is either very small or not telling you.
What do your guards do in a fire, a medical emergency or severe weather?
Why ask it
Find out which guards hold current first aid and CPR certificates and whether they would be walked through your evacuation plan. If you want someone trained on the AED on every shift, say so now, because it narrows who can be assigned. The answers belong in the post orders, not in a guard's memory.
Has a guard of yours ever been accused of theft or misconduct at a client's property, and what did you do about it?
Why ask it
In a company of any size the truthful answer is probably yes. What you want to hear is that the guard was taken off the post, the client was told promptly and the matter was looked into and not smoothed over. Whether the company's insurance paid for the client's loss is the natural next question.
Cameras
Would you recommend guards, patrols, cameras or a mix for our property, and what would the cheaper option miss?
Why ask it
A company that sells only one of these tends to recommend it. A balanced answer names what each does badly: cameras cannot open a gate for the fire department, and one guard cannot watch four sides of a yard. A good test is what they would drop first if the budget were cut by a third.
Who watches the cameras, and how many sites does one operator cover at once?
Why ask it
Not every service has a person watching your screens all night. Often software flags movement and an operator looks when alerted, which can work well, but it is a different product from live viewing. Two follow-ups: whether the monitoring center is theirs or contracted, and what takes over if it goes offline.
Someone climbs our fence at 1 a.m. and a camera catches it. What does your operator do, and in what order?
Why ask it
Typical steps are a warning over a loudspeaker, a call to a patrol or the police, then a call to you, but the order and the timing differ between companies. Ask how long it usually takes from detection to the first of those. A recording of a real warning, or a clip of a real event, tells you more than the description.
How many false alerts should we expect, and how do you bring the number down?
Why ask it
Animals, headlights, rain and a loose tarp on a construction site all set off motion detection. A provider that knows the work talks about the first few weeks of adjusting zones and schedules. Some places charge for an unnecessary police dispatch, so find out how that works locally and who would pay.
Can you monitor the cameras we already own, or would we have to buy or lease yours?
Why ask it
Taking over existing cameras saves money if they are good enough at night, so ask for an honest view of each one. For new equipment, find out who owns it when the contract ends and what removal costs. Leased hardware often runs on its own term, separate from the monitoring.
If we need footage of something that happened on a Saturday night, how soon can we have it, and how far back does it go?
Why ask it
The retention period has to be longer than the time it takes you to notice a problem. Fourteen days of video is no help with a theft found at a month-end inventory count. Settle who can export a clip, in what format, and what longer storage costs.
What do we need to do about signs, audio recording and filming staff or residents?
Why ask it
These rules vary a great deal from place to place, and the duty to follow them may sit with the property owner as much as the security firm, so check for your location. A company that works locally should know the basics and say where its knowledge stops. For an HOA, also decide which board members may request footage before the first dispute between neighbors.
What happens when a camera fails, the power goes out or the connection drops?
Why ask it
The first thing to learn is whether the system reports its own faults or waits for someone to notice a blank screen. Then get the repair time and whether a guard or patrol fills the gap, and at whose cost. On a temporary site, ask how the units are powered and what they connect through.
Price and contract
What is the hourly rate, and what exactly does it include?
Why ask it
Ask for a written list: supervision, uniforms, radios, the tour software, reports, a vehicle and its fuel. Two rates a dollar apart can be the same price once one of them adds a vehicle charge. Have each bidder quote the same hours so the totals can be compared.
What gets billed on top: overtime, holidays, short-notice shifts, training hours?
Why ask it
Holiday premiums and rush requests are normal extras, and you should know the multiplier in advance. Overtime is the one to question. When a guard runs into overtime because the company was short-staffed, who pays for it is the point to have in writing.
What could make the rate go up before the term ends?
Why ask it
A clause passing on an increase in the legal minimum wage is common and reasonable. An open right to adjust rates is not the same thing. Push for written notice, a cap, and the right to leave without penalty if an increase goes above it.
How long is the term, and how much notice does either side need to end it?
Why ask it
A right for either side to end the contract on thirty days' notice, with no reason needed, is a common thing to request, and whether you get it depends on the firm and the size of the account. Check whether the agreement renews automatically and how narrow the window to stop it is. Note the last day you can cancel somewhere you will see it a year from now.
Which service levels will you put in the contract, and what do we get when one is missed?
Why ask it
Candidates are uncovered hours, missed rounds, response time and how soon reports arrive. Each needs a number and a remedy, usually a credit on the invoice. A standard with no consequence attached is a sales line.
Where does the contract limit what you owe us if a guard causes a loss or fails to act?
Why ask it
Security contracts commonly cap the company's liability and ask the client to indemnify it for certain claims. Have the rep point to the clauses, then give them to your lawyer and your insurer instead of relying on the summary. What you can negotiate depends on the size of the account.
Is there a minimum number of hours, and how quickly can we add or cut coverage?
Why ask it
Event work often has a minimum call per guard, and site contracts may fix weekly hours. Two cases to test: how much notice it takes to add a guard for a week, and whether dropping the overnight shift in a quiet season carries a charge. Seasonal businesses should get this settled before the rate.
Could we hire one of your guards ourselves later, and what would that cost?
Why ask it
Many agreements bar the client from hiring the company's guards, or set a fee for doing so. It matters if you ever bring security in-house or change firms and want to keep the one person who knows the property. See whether the clause would also stop a guard from staying on under a new contractor.
How do you invoice, and can we check the hours against clock-in records?
Why ask it
The usual billing argument is over scheduled hours charged when fewer were worked. Have the timesheet or tour system export sent with each invoice. Check one month closely at the start and the habit of accuracy tends to follow.
How long from signing to the first shift, and what do you need from us to start well?
Why ask it
A proper start has steps: the survey, draft post orders, guards walked through the site, keys and codes handed over and logged. A promise to begin tomorrow usually means whoever is free tonight. If they are replacing another firm, ask how they handle the handover night.
For a one-time event, what deposit do you take, and what do we owe if the date moves or it is called off?
Why ask it
Get the cancellation terms as dates and amounts, not a general assurance. Outdoor events should also cover weather: who decides to cancel, and whether guards already on their way are paid for. Compare this with what your venue contract says, so the two do not leave you paying twice.
How to choose a security company
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you ask for bids
List what has gone wrong
Write down the past year's incidents with dates and times: break-ins, trespassers, cars that should not have been there, complaints from tenants or residents. The hours you need covered should fall out of that list. A company handed it can design something for your property, and one without it will sell you its standard package.
Decide what the guard is for
Deterring, checking visitors in, locking up and responding to alarms are four different services at four different prices. Whether you want guards to observe and report or to intervene is a decision to make with your insurer and your lawyer, before a salesperson frames it for you.
Find the licensing body
Look up who licenses security companies and guards where you are and read what it requires of each. Ten minutes on that site tells you which documents to ask for and lets you check a license number yourself. For an event, ask the venue and the local authority what they expect as well.
Give every bidder the same page
One sheet with the posts, the hours, the duties and the start date. Bids written against different assumptions cannot be compared, and the cheapest is often just the one that assumed the least.
On the site walk
Walk it at the hour that worries you
A loading yard at 11 p.m. is a different place from the same yard at noon. If a company can only come in office hours for the first visit, ask who will see it after dark before the post orders are written.
Bring the person who will take the calls
The facility manager, community manager or event lead who will deal with the guards day to day should hear the answers firsthand. They also know the gate that sticks and the tenant who props the fire door, which a board member may not.
Collect documents, not assurances
License, insurance certificate, a sample daily report, sample post orders, a tour report and the contract itself. Ask for them by email after the walk. How fast and how completely they arrive is a preview of the service.
Leave price until last
Hear what each company would do on your property before you hear what it costs. A rate quoted in the first five minutes was set before anyone looked at the fence.
Reading the bids
Work out one yearly figure
Take the hourly rate times the hours, then add holidays, the vehicle, equipment and any setup fee. Divide by the hours of coverage if the bids differ in scope. The order from cheapest to most expensive often changes once the extras are in.
Look at the wage inside the rate
A bid well under the others often has a lower wage inside it, and low pay is the usual reason a post keeps changing hands. Put it to that company directly: how does it keep people at that rate?
Use the references for the awkward questions
Ask each one how many different guards they saw last month, how the last complaint was dealt with and whether an invoice has ever been wrong. Then ask whether they plan to renew. A pause before that answer is information.
Four clauses to line up
The notice period to end the contract, the cap on the company's liability, the rate increase clause and automatic renewal. Lay them next to each other for every bidder and pass the set to your lawyer before choosing.
The first ninety days
Go through the post orders line by line
Sit down with the account manager and read the draft against your own incident list. Every item on the list should have an instruction somewhere in the orders. Anything missing now will be improvised later.
Turn up when nobody expects you
Visit once at night and once on a weekend in the first month. You are checking simple things: someone is there, awake, in uniform, and knows who you are supposed to be. Tell the company what you found, good or bad.
Read the reports and answer them
A short reply to a daily report, even one line, tells the guard and the supervisor that it is being read. Reports that go into silence get shorter every week.
Hold the review you were promised
Around the three-month mark, compare the service levels in the contract with what the records show: uncovered hours, missed rounds, late reports. This is the easiest point to ask for a change of guard, schedule or supervisor, and well before the renewal window.