Security Companion

An optional vetted protective professional nearby during an in-person session.

Version 2026-09-13.2, effective 2026-09-04.

What it is

Either the host or the guest may request a vetted protective professional to remain nearby during an in-person session. Whether that person must hold a licence depends on the country, and which one you are looking at is always shown before you pay; see "Who may serve" below. It is available in any booking category and to anyone, regardless of gender or identity, wherever the feature has been enabled for that country.

The professional is a third participant who provides protective services only. They do not take part socially and receive only the meeting time, meeting point, duration, safety instructions and an emergency contact.

Who may serve

Everyone who serves has passed identity and liveness verification, insurance verification and Timefolk compliance approval. Whether a licence is also required depends on the country, because protective work is a licensed activity in some places and not in others.

Where local law makes it a licensed activity, only a licence holder may serve, the licence is verified before approval and rechecked against the official register as it approaches expiry. In the United Kingdom that means a valid SIA Close Protection licence.

Where local law does not require one, a trained professional without a licence may also serve. They are labelled "Trained companion, not licensed security" everywhere you can see them, never described as licensed, and the choice between the two is yours and is shown before you pay. Insurance is required of both.

No weapons unless explicitly lawful, insured and approved in that jurisdiction. Intimidation, surveillance, debt collection, physical enforcement and any illegal activity are prohibited and end the professional's access.

Cost and confirmation

The security fee, convenience fee and any taxes are shown separately from the host fee. The guest must explicitly approve the increased total before anything is charged. A booking that requires security cannot be confirmed until the cost is accepted and an eligible professional is assigned and confirmed by host, guest and professional.

If no professional is available, the booking stays pending and no security charge is taken. The commission on security services is configurable by country and is not the host 80/20 arrangement. Host and professional are paid out separately, and only once payment-provider and jurisdictional requirements are met.

Cancellation

If the host or guest cancels 24 hours or more before the session, the security line is fully refunded; inside 24 hours, half is refunded. If the professional cancels, the security line is fully refunded and Timefolk attempts a re-assignment.

Check-ins and emergencies

All three participants check in on arrival. Missed check-ins alert Timefolk and the other participants. A discreet SOS button and incident reports escalate to trained people and are never resolved by automation alone. None of this replaces local emergency services: if you are in danger, call your local emergency number first.

Availability

The feature is disabled by default and is enabled per country only after local legal review, insurance confirmation, operational readiness and written payment-provider approval.