Before requesting a private investigators service, it is essential to know how much it costs to hire a detective to find the budget that best suits our pocket.
Although the fees of a private detektiv will vary depending on the criteria of each company or professional, we can say that there are some common guidelines on how much it costs to hire a detective.
The truth is that at present the detective is a labor figure that is still diffuse for a large part of the population.
How much does it cost to hire a detective
To this we must add the work intrusion that is easily found within this profession and the digital boom that allows us to share personal data on our social networks. How do you really know who is viewing your Facebook photos?
Therefore, in our specialized blog we tell you how much it costs to hire a detective and other key aspects to find a good budget and quality service. What if knowing the truth had a price you don’t know? How do you know that you have never been spied on by anyone? Keep reading.
Variable fees
When it comes to knowing how much it costs to hire a detective, the price of a private detective depends on the activities you carry out during your work day:
Surveillance, control or observation activities
The price per hour usually ranges between $ 50 and $ 60. However, it should be borne in mind that detectives often need to work several hours in a row in order to complete the investigation of their work. The minimum stipulated time is 4 hours. Once this time has elapsed, up to $ 60 / hour can be charged for each additional hour and on holidays or night hours (Between 22:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.) the price can be increased by 50%.
Despite the multiple urban legends that circulate about the work of the detectives in our heads, the tasks of surveillance and control are the most performed during their work days. For example:
– Surveillance of workers with false sick leave.
– Surveillance of couples to demonstrate alleged infidelities.
The Fact: Although each private detective agency uses different work methodologies, most professionals in the sector agree that the first thing they do is Google the victim’s name in the search engine. We usually leave many traces on the net, and if not, family and friends already do it for us.
Search and location activities
When determining how much it costs to hire a detective, these activities tend to be much more expensive, since they require more hours of work. In case of a very specific search, the stipulated minimum of between 4 and 5 hours will be charged for a price of $ 300 to $ 350.
The area where search activities should be carried out is also influential. If the person to be located is more than 50 kilometers from the detective’s professional office, a minimum number of hours are usually billed for the transfer (8 hours of work).
When calculating how much it costs to hire a detective, it will decisively influence the state where he works. For example, it will always be more expensive to hire detectives in Los Angeles to locate someone who lives in Miami than to hire a team of detectives in Miami.
Ratification of evidence
Another fundamental element in determining how much a private detective costs is the fact that the detective himself has to appear in judicial proceedings to ratify the veracity of the evidence obtained during his investigation process.
Although private detective fees can never be applied to criminal offenses (in this area the investigation must be carried out ex officio by state agents) in civil proceedings the investigation is the responsibility of the parties to the process. It is possible (in fact it happens quite frequently) that the evidence obtained by a detective during his investigative procedure is used as evidence of a trial.
In the process of determining how much it costs to hire a detective, the expenses derived from the investigation process will have a decisive influence, which, although borne by the client, must be justified by the detective. Some examples of these expenses can be:
Expenses derived from the movement of the detective during his work day.
Diets and lodging.
Expenses extracted by providing evidence extracted from public records.
Therefore, although it is difficult to establish in a concrete way how much it costs to hire a private detective, one way of knowing the professionalism of an investigation service is the previous budget that you will have on the cost of the service.
