How To Hire A Private Investigator (The Right Way)

Step-by-Step Guide On How To Hire A Good Private Investigator

Before we go into the main steps of how to hire a private investigator, it's always a good start to figure out what you are trying to achieve and what your reasons for hiring a private investigator are. What do you need and want them to do? What is your purpose and what are your expectations? With this in mind, you will be able to better assess if one matches your needs.

2. Conduct your initial search and build a list of investigation companies

TIP: A piece of advice is to first search for a local private investigator. It’s usually best to find one that operates in the area where the main investigation will take place. Choosing a good private investigator that lives and works in the local area is better, as they will usually know the area better than an outsider. This can also save you time and money.

HOW TO SEARCH: The most common place to start your search is the internet. Use a search engine and include your home town or city name like this: "private investigator in los angeles". This will produce your local search results of which you can put into a list. Although a little outdated but still in use is the phone book. Put any listed companies into your list. Word of mouth or personal recommendation from someone you know and trust can also give you likely candidates. Put them on your list as well. Check on official PI licensing or PI association websites, or an established private investigator directory.

CAUTION: When you start looking, it is advisable to not go looking on places like Craigslist. Good private investigators do sometimes advertise on these advertising websites but so do the fake, unlicensed, and unqualified ones.

3. From your list, check the investigators' business websites

These days most businesses have a website and an online presence. Search and check all the websites, online profiles, and credentials of the companies you listed.

This is how to find a private investigator you will want to hire; by checking their website for their services, experience, and associations they belong to. You can get a very good first impression by their website and can tell a lot about their professionalism. If they don’t have one, or it looks unprofessional, what does it say about them?

Go to the PI's website. Does it state the services you need? How long have they been operating? Check their contact details; does it have a proper business email address or an unprofessional Gmail account? What work background and experience do they have? Weigh-up the pros and cons of each company on your list and start to narrow it down.

Important Note: Checking the website is just for first impressions. Remember, anyone can write anything on a website, it doesn't mean it's true.

As well as getting a first impression from their website, you can search for any online reviews about them to see what others have to say. Type into a search engine the agency or investigator's name, along with the word "reviews" and see what comes up in the search results. Here's how to do it: "Joe's Investigation Company" + "Reviews".

Go through all of the reviews to get a feel for each company. It's best to ignore ratings only because you don't know why the reviewer has rated it - good or bad. Look at what people are saying. Ignore anything that may seem petty. Remove any companies from your list that have lots of genuinely bad reviews against them or poor customer experiences.

Important Note: Another important point to remember here about reviews is that they can be written by anyone - a disgruntled client perhaps that didn't get the result they wanted, despite a thorough job done by the investigator. Again, just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's true. There are many fake and malicious ratings and reviews out there (even from competitors), but if there are many negative reviews on the same investigator or company then you should probably steer clear.

There are many professional private investigator associations and most investigators belong to at least one of them. Being a member usually requires participation in some form of membership initiation requiring demonstration of competence and/or possession of a license.

Check the PI's website to see what professional associations they belong to, and then check those association websites to make sure they are indeed listed members. If an investigator mentions on their website they belong to an association, but are not listed on the association website, then that raises a red flag and you should probably remove them from your list as a potential candidate.

Does the private investigator have a valid license? Depending on which country or state they operate in, will determine if they need a license or not. Not all states or countries require licensing, so you will need to check your local legislation.

HOW TO CHECK: Here's how to check for a license of a private investigator you plan on hiring. Each jurisdiction that requires licensing usually has an official website of which investigators are listed. Search online for the regulatory licensing board and add your state or country, like this: "private investigator license texas". Click on the search result that is the official website - usually with a .gov suffix.

Licensed investigators usually (but not always) put their license number on their website, which you can check against the online regulatory licensing board. You can also search by company name. Check to see that it is valid and up to date. If they don't have a license when they should, or is invalid or outdated, then take them off your list.

It's good to hire an investigator if they operate from an office or physical address so you can visit or contact them as needed. Having a physical address and not just a P.O. box number establishes a form of permanency of the business and will give you more confidence in them. But you should also understand that some private investigators operate from home, as a home-based business, so understandably (for security reasons) they may not provide the location on their website - don't let this put you off. Just weigh it up in your pros and cons.

Private investigators, as a matter of course, should have an insurance policy in case things go wrong. Some states or countries mandate that investigators have a bond or insurance covering liability; but not all. Nevertheless, it is good practice for investigators to be insured. Check to see if they have some kind of liability insurance that covers you and your case if things happen to go wrong. If it doesn't mention insurance on their website you can ask during your first contact meeting.

9. Contact the best private investigator on your list

Hopefully by now you will have narrowed your list down to maybe two or three candidates you think would be good hires. The next step is to make contact, by email or by phone, with your best choice first. Explain your situation and let the investigator ask further questions to get a feel for the case. At this point they have an opportunity to agree to take on your case. If, for whatever reason, they turn your case down, reach out to the next best investigator on your list in the same way.

10. How to choose your initial meeting with an investigator

It’s always a good decision to meet your choice of investigator in the flesh, to get a good first impression of them personally. How do they come across to you? Do they look, sound, and feel professional? Do they sound as though they know what they are talking about and what to do?

If you can’t meet them face-to-face, ask to have an online meeting with them using a video conferencing app. A good investigator may also want a first initial meeting to ensure you are the real deal and not some time-waster or criminal trying to use their services for unethical means. This meeting will also be a good point to start asking about costs of the investigation. You should have ready your own list of questions to ask to make sure they are right for you.

Investigators can generally perform most services, but just like lawyers, investigators usually specialize in a particular service area like missing persons or background checks. Check what services the investigator specializes in, if any, and whether they specialize in your type of case. If they do, find out what other cases they have dealt with similar to your own and the outcome. If they don't specialize but have experience in your case type then still consider them.

If a private investigator is good, their clients will naturally praise their services. You can ask if they have someone (preferably a professional or business) you can check with as a reference of their good work - perhaps an attorney or law firm, as most investigators have done work with law firms. Ask for a reference contact of someone who the investigator has done work for (preferably a similar case to yours). If they can't provide a suitable reference or decline to give one, go back and choose the next firm on your list.

Once you have checked references and are satisfied you have chosen the right investigation company, you should set what it is you want to achieve with your case and agree these objectives with your investigator. Check on how they will achieve these goals and ensure everything will be carried out within the law. A good private investigator will be quite transparent with you.

You should have already asked about costs in Step 10, so there should be no surprises. Before you sign any agreement, between you, set the budget of what you want to pay. The costs to hire a private investigator can vary significantly and, if not established from the outset, can make you feel you have made the wrong choice if the investigator keeps asking for more money. The investigator can give you some idea of how long an investigation can last, based on similar cases, but this will not be set in stone. If the investigator charges you by the hour, you can start off gradually to see how the investigation unfolds.

A good private investigator will set up a contract between them and you, setting out everything agreed upon: terms, conditions, liabilities, objectives, confidentiality agreement, retainer fee, service costs, refund policy, and any other special conditions. Do not choose one that doesn’t give you a contract. A contract protects them as well as you.

Private investigators are not above the law and are not government officials, so check with them that what you are asking them to do is legal and above board. The best private investigators will ask you lots of questions and should be able to advise you on the legalities of your case. Always insist on an ethical approach and don't cut corners otherwise you and the investigator could end up getting sued.