Background checks
Identity, career history, directorships and public court records checked for a business partner, a senior hire or a landlord vetting a tenant, with consent wherever the law asks for it.
Standard checkfrom $290
Answers you can use, found within the law
Background checks, tracing and evidence gathering for private clients, solicitors and businesses. Every case begins with a check that the work is lawful and ends with a written report you can put in front of a lawyer.
1 dayto answer a new enquiry
Fixedquote agreed in writing
Lawfulmethods, or we decline
- Lawful methods only
- Discreet, careful enquiries
- Written reports with sources
- Confidential first conversation
What we investigate
Prices are starting points for a straightforward case in one country. You receive a fixed fee or an hourly budget in writing before any work begins.
Tracing people
A debtor, a missing beneficiary, a witness or a lost relative located from lawful sources. Where someone may not want to be found, we pass on a message rather than an address.
Tracefrom $340
Evidence for legal cases
Observation in public places, witness statements and dated photographs gathered for your solicitor, with notes kept in the order a court expects to see them.
Investigator hour$85
Business due diligence
Company records, ownership, litigation history and reputation checked before you sign with a supplier, a buyer or an investor.
Reportfrom $650
Serving legal papers
Court and tribunal documents handed over in person, followed by a signed statement of service saying when, where and how it happened.
Each addressfrom $95
Insurance and fraud enquiries
Claims looked into for insurers and employers through interviews, records and site visits, always reported as findings rather than accusations.
Investigator hour$85
Travel, court attendance and the search fees that registries charge are billed at cost and listed on your quote.
What we take on, and what we turn down
Laws on surveillance, privacy and personal data differ from one country to the next, so each request is checked against the rules where the work would happen. Some requests we refuse everywhere.
| You ask us to | Our answer | The reason |
|---|---|---|
| Check the history of a new business partner | Yes | Company filings, court records and references are open sources when used for a fair purpose |
| Find a debtor who has moved away | Yes | We trace lawfully and give the address to you or your solicitor for the legal process |
| Gather evidence for a court case | Yes | Observation in public places and signed witness statements, prepared for your lawyer |
| Follow a partner or a former partner | No | Watching or tracking someone for personal reasons can be harassment, and we will not do it |
| Read someone's messages, email or phone | No | Getting into another person's accounts or devices is against the law in most countries |
| Obtain bank, phone or medical records | No | Those records go only to the person concerned or to whoever a court orders |
| Hide a tracker on someone's car | No | Covert trackers on another person's vehicle are unlawful in many places and put people at risk |
How a case runs
A confidential first call
Tell us what you need to know and why. The first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
We check it is lawful
Before accepting, we confirm the purpose is legitimate and the methods are allowed where the work takes place.
A fixed quote in writing
You receive the scope, the fee or hourly budget and what the report will cover. Work starts once you agree.
Enquiries carried out
Records, interviews and observation exactly as agreed, with a short update each week on longer cases.
Your written report
Findings, sources and photographs set out plainly, followed by a call to go through what they mean.
A report that holds up when it is questioned
Every finding in a Greyline report says where it came from: a public register, a named witness, a dated photograph or the investigator's own notes. Your solicitor can follow the trail, and so can the other side, which is exactly the point.
- A source listed beside every finding
- Times and places noted as they happened
- Opinion kept apart from fact
- A signed statement from the investigator on request
Who calls us
Most instructions come from people who need facts for a decision or for a legal process.
- Solicitors and law firms
- Insurers and loss adjusters
- HR and compliance teams
- Landlords and letting agents
- Lenders and debt recovery firms
- Families tracing a relative
- Executors finding beneficiaries
- Business buyers and investors
We act for the person who instructs us and nobody else on the same matter, so a conflict check comes before every case.
Inside the work
Most of an investigation happens at a desk, on the telephone and in records offices, far more than in parked cars.
Clients on the casework (example reviews)
The report on our proposed distributor separated what was proven from what was rumour, page by page. It stopped us signing a contract we would have regretted.
They traced a cousin our family had lost touch with twenty years ago, then passed on our letter first so she could decide whether to reply. She did.
Statements and photographs arrived in the order our barrister asked for, every time and place noted. Nothing had to be redone before the hearing.
Before you instruct an investigator
Are your investigators licensed?
Rules differ by country. Some require investigators to hold a licence, while others regulate the work through privacy and data protection law. Our investigators hold whatever licence the place of work requires, and we show it before you instruct us.
Can you follow a partner or check up on a spouse?
No. We do not watch, track or investigate partners or former partners for personal reasons, because it can amount to harassment and can put people in danger. If you are worried about your own safety, call your local emergency number or a support service.
Can you find someone's current address?
Often, from lawful sources, and we release it only for a legitimate reason such as a debt, a legal claim or an estate. If a person may be avoiding contact for their own safety, we decline or offer to forward a message instead.
Can you get phone, bank or medical records?
No. Those records belong to the person and are released only to them or by court order. Anyone offering to obtain them for you is likely breaking the law, and evidence gathered that way can sink a case.
Will your findings be accepted in court?
We gather evidence in ways courts generally accept and record how each item was obtained. Whether it is admitted is a matter for the judge, and your lawyer is the best guide to what your case needs.
How are fees and payment handled?
You agree a fixed fee or an hourly budget in writing before work begins. Cases over $1,000 take half up front, the rest is invoiced with the report, and payment is arranged directly with us.
Tell us what you need to know
Describe the question in a few lines. A senior investigator reads every enquiry, answers within one working day and tells you plainly if it is work we cannot take.
- Nothing you send is shared without your consent
- Fixed quote before any work
- Court deadline close? Call +44 20 7946 0133
Reach the office
Calls are answered by an investigator, never by a call centre.
Office hours
| Monday to Friday | 08:30 to 18:00 |
| Saturday | By appointment |
| Sunday | Closed |
Where we work
Cases across the country from our city office, and abroad through investigators we have worked beside for years. Clients meet us by appointment, at our office or at their solicitor's.