Hiring a Concierge Security Company: A Checklist for Vancouver Strata Councils and Property Managers

Quick answer: Before hiring a concierge security company in Vancouver, a strata council or property manager should confirm the company holds a valid BC security business licence, that every officer holds a BC security worker licence, and that the company carries liability insurance and WorkSafeBC coverage. Then check four things that decide day-to-day quality: written post orders for your building, a clear incident-reporting process, a plan for covering sick calls and turnover, and privacy-compliant handling of visitor logs and camera footage.

Your concierge desk is the first thing residents see every morning and the last line of defence every night. Get the hire right and the lobby runs quietly. Get it wrong and council meetings fill up with complaints about missed parcels, strangers in the parkade and officers who “never seem to be at the desk.”

As a licensed security guard company Vancouver, Excalibur Security has placed concierge officers in residential towers, mixed-use buildings and commercial lobbies across Metro Vancouver. This checklist reflects the questions we believe every strata council should ask, including the ones that are uncomfortable to ask a vendor.

Why Strata Buildings Need a Different Kind of Hiring Process

Hiring concierge security in Vancouver is not the same as hiring a guard for a construction site or a retail floor. A concierge officer works in someone’s home. They know residents by name, hold fob inventories, see who visits whom and handle hundreds of deliveries a week.

That creates three things a strata council is accountable for:

• Owner money. The contract is paid from the operating fund, so council has to justify the cost at the AGM.

• Resident privacy. Visitor logs, fob records and CCTV footage are personal information.

• Liability. If an unlicensed or poorly trained officer mishandles an incident, the strata corporation feels the consequences.

If you’re still deciding whether you need a concierge at all, our guide to front desk security in Vancouver explains how the concierge and security roles work together.

The 10-Point Concierge Security Hiring Checklist

1. Verify the BC Security Business Licence

In British Columbia, security businesses and the people they employ must be licensed under the Security Services Act, which is administered by the province’s Security Programs Division. Ask for the company’s business licence number and confirm it is current. A company that hesitates to share it is telling you something.

2. Confirm Every Officer Holds a Security Worker Licence

The company’s licence doesn’t cover its staff. Each concierge security officer assigned to your building needs their own valid BC security worker licence. Put a clause in the contract requiring proof of licensing for every officer, including relief staff who only cover occasional shifts.

3. Ask for Insurance and a WorkSafeBC Clearance Letter

Request a certificate of general liability insurance naming the strata corporation as an additional insured, and ask how high the coverage goes. Then ask for a WorkSafeBC clearance letter. If a contractor isn’t in good standing, the strata could be exposed if an officer is injured on site.

4. Demand Building-Specific Post Orders

Post orders are the written instructions for your desk: what the officer does, when, and how. Generic post orders are the most common reason concierge contracts fail. Good post orders for a strata building cover:

• Parcel and courier intake, storage and release

• Visitor and contractor sign-in procedures

• Fob and key control, including lost-fob requests

• Move-in and move-out elevator bookings

• Lobby, parkade and amenity room patrol times

• Who to call, in what order, for water leaks, alarms and medical emergencies

Ask the company to draft post orders after a site walk of your building, not before.

5. Evaluate the Balance of Service and Security Skills

A strong concierge security officer is part host and part guard. Ask how the company screens for both. Useful interview questions for the vendor:

• What customer-service training do officers receive beyond the licensing course?

• How do officers de-escalate a conflict between two residents?

• How do they handle a tailgater without confronting a resident’s guest?

6. Review the Incident-Reporting Process

Council and the property manager should never learn about an incident from a resident first. Ask to see a sample daily activity report and a sample incident report. Confirm:

• How quickly the property manager is notified of a serious incident (same shift is the standard to expect)

• Whether reports are digital, searchable and time-stamped

• Who owns the records if the contract ends

7. Check the Privacy Practices

In BC, strata corporations are covered by the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner has issued guidance on how organizations collect and keep personal information such as visitor records and video. Ask the security company how its officers record visitor names, how long logs are kept, who can view CCTV footage and how footage requests from residents or police are handled. The answers should match your strata’s privacy policy and bylaws.

8. Understand Coverage, Relief and Turnover

The best officer in the city doesn’t help if nobody shows up on a Sunday night. Ask:

• What happens when an officer calls in sick? How quickly is a replacement on site?

• Will you have a consistent, dedicated team, or rotating staff?

• What is the company’s average officer tenure at a single site?

• Is there a supervisor who visits the site, and how often?

Consistency matters more in residential buildings than anywhere else, because residents build trust with familiar faces.

9. Ask How Overnight and Off-Hours Are Handled

Many buildings don’t need a staffed desk 24/7. A common, cost-effective setup is a daytime or evening concierge combined with overnight mobile patrols and emergency alarm response. A good company will recommend a mix that fits your building’s actual risks rather than selling the most hours.

10. Read the Contract Before You Sign

Check the contract term, the notice period for termination, how rate increases are handled, and whether the rate includes supervision, uniforms and reporting software. Also check for a probationary period, so council can replace an officer who isn’t a fit without cancelling the whole contract.

Red Flags to Watch For

How to Run the Selection Process

1. Define the need. Hours, duties and pain points (parcels, trespassers, parkade break-ins). A security risk assessment helps if council isn’t sure.

2. Invite three to four companies to do a site walk.

3. Score each bid against the 10 checklist points above, not on price alone.

4. Interview the proposed site supervisor, not only the sales representative.

5. Present the recommendation at a council meeting with the scoring sheet, so owners can see why the company was chosen.

For towers with more complex needs, such as multiple lobbies, amenity floors or retail at grade, our article on high-rise security covers the added layers to plan for. You can also see how we support hotel and residential high-rise properties.

Ready to Hire a Concierge Security Company in Vancouver?

Choosing the right concierge security team starts with understanding your building’s specific needs. Excalibur Security Services provides licensed concierge security for strata buildings, residential towers, and mixed-use properties across Vancouver and Metro Vancouver. The team can assess your site, develop building-specific post orders, and establish clear reporting procedures for your property.

Ready to discuss your building’s security needs? Contact Excalibur Security Services to request a free concierge security quote.