How Much Does a Private Investigator Cost Per Hour

The demand for private investigators is as high as it has ever been. More people are realizing the usefulness of private investigators as the industry shakes the reputation that it's only useful for investigating allegations of infidelity. Because of this increased interest in the industry, it's important to assess what the prevailing private investigator costs are.

Here is what you can expect for some of the services that are usually charged by the hour:

• Surveillance: Private investigators costs for surveillance start at £45 per hour when you're dealing with experienced and licensed investigators. This service is a common tool in many types of investigations ranging from infidelity to tracing missing persons
• Background checks: This service is being requested more frequently nowadays as more companies are adopting stringent recruitment policies. The hourly costs for this begin at £55.
• Other Services: There are many other services for which investigators will charge an hourly fee. These include appearing in court, fraud investigations etc. It's difficult to put an exact number since the figures vary greatly depending on many issues. However, according to the structures in place, you can expect to pay from £55 per hour. The starting figure can also be as high as £95 per hour in some cases.

• Resources required: Whether it's specialized equipment or more manpower, anything that consumes more resources or requires the use of expensive resources will raise the cost of services. For example, if a surveillance van has to be used instead of tracking a person on foot, it will have a different cost.
• Location: Areas with high operation fees or those that are far from the location of the investigation will result in higher cost of services.
• The reputation of the agency: Undoubtedly, you may have seen private investigators offering surveillance services at much lower costs than those above. It's important to check whether these private investigators are licensed and what their success rate is.
• Time of day: Many agencies have different cost of services for off-peak hours.