Best residential security companies in New York (2026)

Calvis is a marketplace connecting New York homeowners, co-op boards, and condo managers with vetted local agencies — we don't employ guards ourselves. Before an agency takes residential work through us, we confirm its licensing with the New York State Division of Licensing Services, verify that its guards hold valid New York security guard registrations and the required state-mandated training, check liability insurance, and review its experience with doorman-building concierge work and high-value townhouse coverage. We monitor that standing on an ongoing basis.

In New York, unarmed residential guards typically run $33–55/hr and armed officers $60–100/hr through the agencies on our roster — the highest residential range of any city on our network, reflecting NYC labor costs and the white-glove expectations of staffed buildings. The rate tracks the work: a 24/7 Upper East Side doorman desk, a Brooklyn brownstone patrol route, and discreet armed coverage for a Tribeca penthouse each price differently. Calvis pulls quotes from multiple vetted New York agencies so you can compare the same scope side by side.

No — Calvis itself is not a licensed security provider. Every guard you'd hire through us works for an agency licensed by the New York State Division of Licensing Services (NYS DOS), and each guard holds a valid New York security guard registration, with armed officers carrying the required pistol license and additional training. We verify that licensing on the agency's side. Calvis's role is to match you with the right NYS-licensed New York agency, not to hold the license ourselves.

Yes — staffed-lobby concierge and doorman coverage is the single most common residential request in New York because so much of the city lives in co-ops and condo towers. Vetted agencies on our roster supply NYS-licensed officers for round-the-clock front-desk operations, handling access control, package and delivery logistics, and visitor screening, and can scale a board's coverage from a single overnight post to a full multi-shift desk for a luxury tower.

Hiring directly means you vet each agency's NYS licensing, training compliance, insurance, and reliability yourself, and you only get one company's quote — and in a market with strict state requirements and high white-glove expectations, that's a real burden for a co-op board. Calvis does the vetting up front, puts multiple qualified New York agencies in front of you, and gives you one point of contact if coverage needs to flex between a doorman desk, brownstone patrol, and discreet estate protection. For boards and high-profile households, that consolidation usually beats negotiating with each company alone.