VPS Guardians

What VPS Guardians does

VPS Guardians Limited (trading name of VPS (UK) Limited) is a UK-based property guardianship company and subsidiary of VPS Group, Europe's leading temporary security specialist. The company operates a dual-sided marketplace that places vetted individuals — guardians — into vacant residential, commercial, retail, hospitality, education, and healthcare properties under licence agreements, in exchange for below-market accommodation fees. This simultaneously delivers cost-neutral security and business rates mitigation to property owners while providing affordable, flexible housing to guardians such as key workers, professionals, and creatives.

The underlying platform is a property guardianship management system comprising an online property search and application portal, cloud-based maintenance reporting, 24/7 emergency support, and a vetting workflow that includes DBS, credit, character-reference, and employment verification. Sector-specific guardianship modules and case-study-driven marketing are distributed through a self-serve website, social channels, and direct B2B sales, supplemented by industry events such as Housing Brighton and inbound referrals from VPS Group's broader security customer base.

The business model combines subscription-style monthly guardian licence fees (typically £60 per week to £600+ per month depending on property type and location) with a managed-services layer for property owners and, in some cases, a rebate/revenue-share component (e.g., a 20% pass-through to Heineken on a London pub site). The service is positioned as cost-neutral or cost-saving for owners — case studies document £5,000+ per week in security savings at a Lewisham Council site and a £2.25M-to-£60,000 business-rates reduction at Native Land's Ludgate House.

Name

VPS Guardians

Legal name

VPS Guardians Limited

Website

https://vps-guardians.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VPS Guardians is a UK-based property guardianship marketplace, subsidiary of VPS Group, that places vetted individuals in vacant residential, commercial, retail, hospitality, education, and healthcare properties to deliver cost-neutral security for owners and below-market accommodation for guardians.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oldham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Guardian License Fees: Property guardians pay monthly license fees (significantly below market rent) in exchange for accommodation. Fees typically range from £60 per week to £600+ per month depending on property type and location. This is not traditional tenancy but a flexible license agreement.
2. Property Owner Security Services: Property owners save on traditional security costs, insurance premiums, and business rates by using guardianship instead of static guards or monitoring systems. The service is described as cost-neutral or cost-saving for property owners.
3. Guardian Rebate/Revenue Share: In some cases, property owners receive a percentage of guardian license income (e.g., Heineken case: 20% rebate). VPS retains portion for property management, guardian screening, and inspection services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VPS Guardians places vetted individuals (guardians) in vacant residential, commercial, retail, hospitality, education, and healthcare properties under license agreements. The model delivers security-through-occupation for property owners, deterring squatting and vandalism, while providing below-market, flexible short-term accommodation to guardians seeking affordable housing. The service operates as a dual-sided platform connecting property owners seeking cost-neutral security with professionals and key workers needing affordable, flexible living.

Product overview

VPS Guardians operates a property guardianship platform providing vacancy management solutions for property owners. The core offering is the Property Guardianship Service, where vetted individuals occupy vacant buildings under licence agreements to provide security and maintenance. This core service is complemented by sector-specific guardianship modules (Residential, Commercial, Retail, Hospitality, Education, and Healthcare) that tailor the solution to different property types. VPS Security Services, available through parent company VPS Group, offers additional add-on security technology and manned guarding options. The company manages a portfolio of diverse properties including converted hostels, former schools, care homes, and heritage buildings across the UK, offering guardians flexible short-term accommodation at below-market rates while protecting owners' assets from vandalism, squatting, and deterioration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Property Guardianship Service The core VPS Guardians offering where carefully vetted individuals (Guardians) occupy vacant properties under licence agreements, providing security, deterring squatting and vandalism, and maintaining buildings in exchange for below-market accommodation costs.
• Residential Property Guardianship Specialised guardianship solution for vacant residential properties, offering flexible 28-day notice terms to reclaim property while keeping it occupied and maintained.
• Commercial Property Guardianship Guardianship service for vacant offices, retail units, and warehouses awaiting tenants or redevelopment, providing visible occupation to deter criminal activity.
• Retail Property Guardianship Guardian placement for vacant retail spaces, protecting against anti-social behaviour, squatting, and fly-tipping while maintaining asset readiness.
• Hospitality Property Guardianship Security solution for vacant hotels, restaurants, and heritage pubs under renovation or awaiting new tenants, offering live-in presence to protect assets.
• Educational Property Guardianship Discreet guardianship for vacant private schools, colleges, and educational institutions undergoing redevelopment or awaiting new ownership.
• Healthcare Property Guardianship Specialised guardianship for vacant healthcare buildings such as care homes and clinics, with compliance management for health and safety regulations, supported by Primary Authority Partners in Hampshire.
• VPS Security Services Additional security solutions provided through parent company VPS Group, including monitored technology (CCTV, alarms), human intervention (manned guarding), and physical protection (steel doors, flood/fire detection), available as supplements to the guardianship model.

Quantifiable outcome

• Savings of £5,000+ per week in security costs for property owners (Lewisham Council case)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• The Hill GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2023VPS Guardians partnered with award-winning house builder The Hill Group in July 2023 to introduce property Guardians as a 'meanwhile use' solution at an ex-care home in Bristol (former Wills Tobacco Factory site). The partnership provided security through occupation while Hill Group awaited planning permission for 100+ home redevelopment. Social value created by offering affordable housing to local key workers.
• VPS GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVPS Guardians is part of VPS Group, Europe's leading temporary security specialist with 15 businesses and operations in UK, France, and Netherlands. Parent company provides scale, credibility, cross-selling opportunities, and shared services (monitoring, security systems, operational infrastructure).
• Hampshire Fire and Rescue, Hampshire Trading Standards, Hampshire Environmental Health and LicensingcoreOthersPrimary Authority Partners providing regulatory guidance for healthcare property guardianship compliance. Ensures properties meet health, fire, safety, and HMO standards throughout contract periods.

Scale indicators9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mitie Security: Large UK facilities management and security services provider offering manned guarding and vacant-property solutions; competes with VPS Group's broader security services portfolio rather than the guardianship product specifically.
• Securitas UK: Major global manned guarding and security services firm operating across the UK, offering static guards and vacant-property protection as part of a broad portfolio - represents the incumbent alternative to guardianship that VPS Guardians displaces on cost grounds.

Direct peers

• Global Guardians: UK property guardian provider placing vetted individuals in vacant residential, commercial, and public-sector buildings under license agreements, targeting the same property-owner customer base as VPS Guardians with comparable pricing and service tiers.
• Dot Dot Dot Property Guardians: London-focused property guardian social enterprise that places vetted professionals in vacant buildings under license agreements, combining live-in security with social impact - a near-identical operating model to VPS Guardians but with a stronger community-mission positioning.
• Live-in Guardians: UK property guardian placement service operating a similar license-based model connecting vacant properties with vetted live-in guardians - competes head-to-head with VPS Guardians on price, geography, and property-owner verticals.
• Guardians UK (Lexgil Group): Property guardianship specialist operating within the Lexgil Group, providing vacant-property protection via placed guardians under license arrangements - another direct UK competitor sharing the same marketplace mechanics as VPS Guardians.
• Camelot Property Guardians: UK-based property guardianship company placing vetted guardians in vacant residential and commercial properties under license agreements - the most direct UK competitor to VPS Guardians with an overlapping London-centric portfolio and similar owner/guardian marketplace model.
• National Property Guardians: UK property guardianship company serving property owners with vacant homes and commercial assets across multiple regions - directly competes with VPS Guardians for the same license-agreement placement workflow and target segments.

Emerging players

• Big Yellow Group: UK self-storage operator whose adjacent storage offering overlaps with the broader vacant-property protection need - an alternative solution for property owners considering short-term asset protection vs. guardianship.

Others

• VPS Group: Parent conglomerate and primary distribution channel; while not a peer in the competitive sense, VPS Group's broader portfolio of temporary security services (steel doors, CCTV, manned guarding) defines the strategic and operational context for the VPS Guardians subsidiary.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vpsguardiansmanchester
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vps-guardians
• Instagraminstagram.com/vpsguardians
• Xx.com/vps_guardians

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VPS Guardians