Security Services

Security services in a property are the human guarding of a building or compound, including gate guards, patrols, control of visitor and vehicle access, running the monitoring room and responding to incidents, provided by licensed guarding companies or by direct contracts with individually licensed guards. They are common in gated residential compounds, office towers, shopping centres and warehouses, and are a draw for family and corporate tenants. In Saudi Arabia guarding is governed by the Private Civil Security Guarding Law, which requires it to be carried out by establishments or companies holding a special licence, requires all employees of such companies and all security guards to be Saudi nationals, obliges companies to train and qualify their guards, and empowers the security authorities to inspect them. The law also allows any individual or establishment to contract directly with licensed Saudi individuals as guards. Guards’ work interacts with the Law on the Use of Security Surveillance Cameras, which covers residential buildings including compounds and apartment blocks and prohibits transferring or publishing recordings except with official approval or a court order. Visitor logs are personal data governed by the Personal Data Protection Law. In practice, the value of security lies in written procedures, not just headcount: defined post orders, shift and incident logs, coordination with property management and respect for residents’ privacy. It is a major operating cost for compounds, and in residential property the input VAT on it is usually not recoverable because the rent is exempt.