How We Work

You reach out to us — usually by email or a contact form. This is often done cautiously, as many clients are dealing with sensitive personal situations and have not spoken to anyone else about it. You will receive a response promptly and all discussions are confidential.

This is typically a phone or video call, or in some cases a face-to-face meeting. We listen to the situation and ask questions to understand the nature of the case, what you want to achieve, and what information you already may have. The client should be honest at this stage — the more context the investigator has, the more accurately they can assess what is involved and advise on the best approach.

We will be using this conversation to assess the lawfulness of the request. We are not obliged to take every case, and a responsible investigator will decline anything that appears unlawful or that lacks a legitimate purpose.

After the consultation, we consider whether the case is viable — whether the objective is achievable, what methods would be required, how long it might take, and what the realistic chances of a successful outcome are. We will always tell a client if their expectations are unrealistic rather than taking their money and delivering nothing useful.

We present a proposal outlining the recommended approach, the scope of work, the pricing structure (hourly, fixed fee, or retainer), any anticipated expenses such as travel or equipment, and a realistic timeframe. This will always be a written customer agreement which is required to be signed by both parties.

Before any work begins, a written client agreement is issued and signed by both parties. This covers the scope of work, fees and payment terms, expense limits, confidentiality obligations, GDPR and data handling, cancellation terms, and a declaration from the client confirming the lawful purpose of the investigation.

A fee of 50% of the value of the service will be taken at this stage. In higher cost services this will be 25%. For hourly services the standard initial payment is 5 hours.

We require a payment either equivalent to an agreed number of hours or a fixed percentage of the total estimated fee. For retainer arrangements, the first month's payment is typically taken at this point.

We conduct a detailed briefing with you to collect all relevant information — names, addresses, vehicle details, photographs, known routines, relevant dates, and any other intelligence that will help the investigation. The more accurate the briefing, the more efficiently the PI can work.

The PI begins the agreed work — whether that is surveillance, database tracing, background checks, digital forensics, or any other method relevant to the case. The client should expect regular updates at agreed intervals, not silence.

As the investigation progresses, the PI documents everything — timestamps, locations, photographs, video footage, written observations, and any other relevant material. All evidence is gathered lawfully and recorded in a way that will hold up if it is later used in legal proceedings.

For longer investigations, the PI provides progress reports — either at agreed milestones or when something significant is found. At this stage, the client may wish to adjust the scope, extend the investigation, or in some cases bring it to a close early if the objective has been achieved.

When the investigation is complete, the PI delivers a final report. This is a formal, structured document that sets out the findings, supported by the evidence gathered — photographs, video, written logs, and any other material. For legal cases, the report will be formatted to court-admissible standards. The client is walked through the findings and any questions are addressed.

Any outstanding balance beyond the initial deposit is invoiced and settled at or after case conclusion, in line with the payment terms agreed in the contract.