Security and building management for central London buildings: five providers compared
Last updated: 26 October 2026
Priority First publishes this page, so it is not an independent review. It compares five firms that offer security or building management services: Corps Security, OCS, Priority First, Securitas UK and Vigilance. Priority First chose the other four because they offer services like its own. Each of the four is described using facts from one page of its own website, read on 26 October 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Corps Security says on its website that it was founded in 1859 and has 3,000+ security officers and 500+ security clients.
- OCS describes itself on its website as a UK and Ireland facilities services group, with hard services delivered by a nationwide team of mobile and static engineers.
- Securitas UK lists keyholding (holding a building's keys and attending when an alarm goes off), alarm response, mobile patrols, vacant property checks, alarm monitoring and CCTV monitoring among the services on its website.
- Vigilance says on its website that it has been trading for 16 years, and it lists 120 Armed Forces veterans.
- Priority First provides building and facilities management, manned guarding, concierge and front of house, keyholding and alarm response. Its company records name prime central London areas including Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Mayfair.
How this comparison was made
This comparison looks at five firms offering security or building management services, for owners and managers of buildings in central London: Corps Security, OCS, Priority First, Securitas UK and Vigilance. The firms are listed in alphabetical order, not in order of preference.
The details for Corps Security, OCS, Securitas UK and Vigilance come from one page of each firm's own website, read on 26 October 2026. The details for Priority First come from its own company records, its website and its entry at Companies House, read on the same day.
Every firm is described against the same five criteria:
- What one contract can cover: security only, or security with building management.
- Who carries out engineering and maintenance work: the firm's own engineers or subcontracted specialists.
- Patrol, keyholding and alarm response services, and any monitoring the firm lists.
- How the firm describes its size and background, on its own website or, for Priority First, at Companies House.
- Where the firm says it works, by region or named place.
When the table says "Not on the page we read", it means only that the detail was not on the one page we read. The lists of services give examples from each page, not every service a firm lists.
The five providers
Corps Security
Corps Security says on its website that it was founded in 1859, and it describes itself as a social enterprise. Corps Security's website says the firm has 3,000+ security officers and 500+ security clients.
Its services include security guarding, 24/7 security monitoring, security consultancy (security reviews and penetration testing, which means a controlled attempt to get past security to find weak points), integrated security and drone security. Its menu also lists robotic security patrols. Corps Security lists its offices as London (head office), Birmingham, Bristol, Crawley, Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast.
OCS
OCS describes itself on its website as a UK and Ireland facilities services group offering integrated facilities management, which means looking after a building's maintenance and day to day services through one provider. OCS's website says its hard services, meaning work on the building itself, are delivered by a nationwide team of mobile and static engineers. It lists planned preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance and MEP services among them, MEP being the usual term for mechanical, electrical and plumbing work.
OCS says it self-delivers its soft services, meaning services for the people in a building, and lists security services, front of house and concierge, and commercial cleaning among them. Its website says its security services include manned guarding. It also describes a UK National Operations Centre built to European Alarm Receiving Centre Category 1 standards. An alarm receiving centre is a control room that receives and handles alarm signals. The page we read is OCS's UK and Ireland site.
Priority First
Priority First is registered at Companies House as PF Building Management Limited, company number 14830917, with its registered office at 84 Brook Street, London. Its entry can be read on the Companies House website. The firm provides building and facilities management, planned and reactive maintenance managed through accredited specialist subcontractors, manned guarding, concierge and front of house, and keyholding and alarm response. Its website also lists CCTV monitoring and 24/7 control room monitoring.
Priority First says on its website that it operates nationwide. Its company records name prime central London (Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Mayfair) and West London, with further contracts in the West Midlands and Bedfordshire. Every patrol checkpoint on its contracts needs a photo to complete, so missed areas show as gaps in the record instead of passing silently.
Securitas UK
Securitas UK lists keyholding, alarm response, mobile patrols and vacant property checks among its mobile services, according to Securitas UK's website. The firm also lists on-site security guards, security dogs and STARS, which it describes as an integrated security and reception service.
Securitas UK lists alarm monitoring and CCTV monitoring among its remote services. Its services also include fire and safety services, corporate risk management and electronic security, including CCTV installation and maintenance, intruder alarms and access control.
Vigilance
Vigilance says on its website that it has been trading for 16 years. Vigilance's website lists 120 Armed Forces veterans and says that most of its team are ex-Armed Forces.
The firm offers a Security in Residence service, described as resident caretaking with round-the-clock security. It also offers guarding, security audits and a motion-activated camera service watched by its own 24/7 monitoring team. Vigilance gives its address as Mary Sheridan House, St Thomas Street, London Bridge, and says it works throughout the UK.
Comparison table
| Criteria | Corps Security | OCS | Priority First | Securitas UK | Vigilance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security and building management services listed (examples) | Includes security guarding, security monitoring, security consultancy, integrated security, drone security | Integrated facilities management, including hard services and soft services such as security, front of house and concierge, and commercial cleaning | Building and facilities management, manned guarding, concierge and front of house, keyholding and alarm response | Includes on-site security guards, STARS (integrated security and reception), mobile and remote services, fire and safety services, electronic security | Includes Security in Residence (resident caretaking with round-the-clock security), guarding, security audits, a motion-activated camera service |
| Engineering and maintenance | Not on the page we read | Hard services (including planned preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance, MEP services) delivered by a nationwide team of mobile and static engineers | Planned and reactive maintenance managed through accredited specialist subcontractors | Lists CCTV installation and maintenance and fire extinguisher servicing; who carries out the work is not on the page we read | Not on the page we read |
| Patrol, keyholding, alarm response and monitoring | Includes robotic security patrols and 24/7 security monitoring | A UK National Operations Centre built to European Alarm Receiving Centre Category 1 standards | Keyholding and alarm response, CCTV monitoring, 24/7 control room monitoring; every patrol checkpoint needs a photo to complete | Includes keyholding, alarm response, mobile patrols, vacant property checks, alarm monitoring, CCTV monitoring | A motion-activated camera service watched by its own 24/7 monitoring team |
| Size and background, as described | Founded 1859, 3,000+ security officers, 500+ security clients, describes itself as a social enterprise | Describes itself as a UK and Ireland facilities services group | Registered at Companies House as PF Building Management Limited, company number 14830917 | Not on the page we read | Trading 16 years, 120 Armed Forces veterans listed |
| Where the firm says it works | Offices in London (head office), Birmingham, Bristol, Crawley, Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff, Belfast | UK and Ireland | Nationwide (its website); company records name prime central London (Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Mayfair), West London, West Midlands, Bedfordshire | Not on the page we read | Throughout the UK, with an address at London Bridge |
How to choose between them
Work through the same five criteria against your own building's needs. First, decide whether one contract needs to cover security and building management together, or security alone.
Next, check who carries out engineering and maintenance work: the firm's own engineers, or accredited specialist subcontractors managed by the firm. Then list the patrol, keyholding, alarm response and monitoring services your building needs, and check each one against what each firm publishes on its own website.
Finally, look at how each firm describes its size and background next to the size of your contract. Then confirm that the area the firm says it works in covers your building's postcode.
FAQ
Which of these firms list security and building management together?
OCS describes itself as a UK and Ireland facilities services group that offers integrated facilities management and self-delivers soft services, including security. Priority First provides building and facilities management together with manned guarding, concierge and keyholding. For the other firms, check the full list of services on each firm's own website.
Where does Priority First say it operates?
Its website says it operates nationwide. Its company records name prime central London (Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Mayfair) and West London, with further contracts in the West Midlands and Bedfordshire.
How long has Vigilance been trading, according to its own website?
Vigilance says on its website that it has been trading for 16 years. The same page lists 120 Armed Forces veterans.
What year was Corps Security founded, according to its own website?
Corps Security says on its website that it was founded in 1859. It also describes itself as a social enterprise.
Talk to Priority First about your building
Priority First set out this comparison to help property managers and building owners in central London check each provider's published services against their own building's needs. Before asking for quotes, go through the five criteria above for your own site, whether that is a residential block in Knightsbridge or a commercial property in Mayfair.
Priority First is registered at Companies House as PF Building Management Limited, company number 14830917, with its registered office at 84 Brook Street, London. If you would like to talk about how its building and facilities management, manned guarding, concierge and keyholding services might fit your site, get in touch for a conversation about your building.
