Licence-verified investigators with fixed scopes, published prices and payment held in escrow.
DetectiveHive connects individuals, law firms, insurers, landlords and HR teams with investigators whose licence and insurance are checked against the state register. Scope and deliverable are agreed before anyone pays.
No account. No card. No sales call.
- Licence and insurance checked against the register
- Scope and deliverable fixed before payment
- Funds held in escrow until the report
The problem
Hiring a private investigator is opaque and intimidating.
Prices are quoted by the hour with no ceiling, credentials are unverifiable, and the market is thick with unlicensed operators and outright scams targeting people at emotionally vulnerable moments.
Clients have no idea what a reasonable scope or price is, so they overpay or get nothing.
Who it is for
Individuals
People needing skip tracing, background verification, an asset search or surveillance, with no trusted provider to turn to.
Law firms and insurers
Firms that commission investigations irregularly, with business accounts and invoicing.
Landlords and HR teams
Landlords, property managers and HR teams who need tenant or pre-employment checks.
What should you have in place before you hire an investigator?
Answer questions about your scope, what can lawfully be obtained, the investigator and how you will pay. See how much you have checked and what to ask before you commission anything. Runs in your browser. No account, no card, no call.
Method: yes scores a question in full, partly scores half and no scores nothing. Each is weighted from one to three by how much it protects you from paying for the wrong work or for nothing, and the score is the weighted share, as a percentage. Unanswered questions are left out.
Hiring an investigator, without the guesswork
A marketplace of licence-verified investigators offering defined services at published prices.
- 01
Licences verified
Every investigator's licence and insurance are verified against the state register.
- 02
Fixed scopes, published prices
Locating a person, verifying identity or employment history, asset searches, defined surveillance windows, and pre-employment or tenant checks.
- 03
Deliverable agreed up front
Scope and deliverable are defined before you pay.
- 04
Escrow until delivery
Funds are held in escrow until the report is delivered.
- 05
Standard report format
Reports follow a standard format.
- 06
Unlawful requests refused
Legally impermissible requests are refused clearly, with an explanation.
Pricing
Services have fixed scopes and published prices. Investigators join free, and a platform fee applies to completed engagements.
Scope builder
What can legally be found, and a scope ready to commission.
- Guidance by jurisdiction
- What a reasonable price is
Services
A fixed scope and published price, paid into escrow.
- Licence-verified investigators
- Standard report format
Business accounts
For law firms, insurers and property managers.
- Invoicing
Investigators
An 18 percent platform fee on completed engagements.
- Paid from escrow when the report is delivered
The 18 percent platform fee applies to completed engagements and is held in escrow. Prices in USD.
How it works
DetectiveHive, from the first step to the result.
- 1
Build your scope
Describe the situation and see what can lawfully be obtained where you are.
- 2
Choose a service
From a licence-verified investigator, with a fixed scope and published price.
- 3
Pay into escrow
Scope and deliverable are agreed before payment.
- 4
Receive the report
In a standard format. Funds are held until it is delivered.
Questions people actually ask
- How do I know an investigator is licensed?
- Every investigator's licence and insurance are verified against the state register.
- What services are offered?
- Locating a person, verifying an identity or employment history, asset searches, defined surveillance windows, and pre-employment or tenant checks, each with a fixed scope and published price.
- When is the investigator paid?
- Funds are held in escrow until the report is delivered.
- What can an investigator legally find?
- It depends on the jurisdiction. The free What Can Legally Be Found guide explains what a licensed investigator can lawfully obtain, what nobody can legally obtain regardless of what they promise, what a reasonable price is, and what to ask for.
- Will any request be taken on?
- No. Legally impermissible requests are refused clearly, with an explanation.
- What does an investigation cost?
- Services are typically 150 to 2,500 dollars, at a published price. DetectiveHive charges an 18 percent platform fee on completed engagements, held in escrow.
- Do investigators pay to join?
- No. Investigators pay nothing to join.
- Is there an account for businesses?
- Yes. Business accounts with invoicing are available for law firms, insurers and property managers.
- Why should I trust the investigator hiring check?
- The score comes from your own answers, in your browser. It lists what to check and ask, and does not say what is lawful where you are. The free What Can Legally Be Found guide explains that jurisdiction by jurisdiction and builds a defined scope.
What should you have in place before you hire an investigator?
Answer questions about your scope, what can lawfully be obtained, the investigator and how you will pay. See how much you have checked and what to ask before you commission anything. Runs in your browser. No account, no card, no call.
Open the free toolIt runs in your browser. DetectiveHive never sees your inputs.