HOW TO HIRE · BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL

How to hire a private investigator in Ireland
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

A private investigator in Ireland costs €60–€150 per hour, typically around €90. Here is how to check that in a minute, what to ask before you book, and what you must be handed when the job is done.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a private investigator in five steps

  1. Are you on the Private Security Authority register, and what is your number?A number you can look up yourself before you agree a price — discretion throughout — the work is done without anyone being told who asked for it.
  2. How does complexity of the case change the price?The more of it there is, the longer the job runs. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  3. How does time required to gather information change the price?Running over is charged, so the estimate matters. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  4. How does type of investigation change the price?The level of service you pick is the price you pay. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  5. What is not included?Written findings — what is found is given to you in a report you can keep and act on — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a private investigator job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Private Security Authority (PSA) licence

A licence runs for two years. Section 38 makes it an offence to ENGAGE an unlicensed person for a service that needs a licence — a fine of up to €3,000, up to 12 months' imprisonment, or both, on summary conviction. That duty falls on whoever hires, which is unusual and worth knowing. The Private Security Services Act 2004 defines a 'security service' to include an installer of security equipment and a locksmith. An installer is anyone who for reward installs, maintains, repairs or services devices that warn of, monitor or record unauthorised entry near premises. The 2012 Licensing and Standards Regulations split installers into access control, CCTV and intruder alarm categories, and S.I. 134/2025 added a category for suppliers or installers of safes. Restricted to PSA-licensed contractor: installing, maintaining or repairing an intruder alarm; installing or maintaining CCTV; installing or maintaining access control; locksmithing; supplying or installing a safe.

Search the Private Security Authority register for the name or the registration number before you agree a price. psa.gov.ie →

Insurance

Expect public liability; a licensed contractor carries it as a condition. From a company, ask for the insurer, the limit and the VAT number, and ask who actually attends: the team that turns up may be employed, subcontracted or both, and only one of those is supervised by the firm you are paying.

Ask to see the current certificate of insurance — the insurer's name, the limit and the date it runs to.

Trader or private seller

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 a trader must tell you they are a trader, and your consumer rights — work carried out with reasonable skill and care, and a cooling-off period on a contract agreed in your home or online — apply to traders and not to private sellers. On Locufy the trader status is shown on the profile.

Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile, and ask anyone else for it in writing before you agree a price.

Identity

Providers on Locufy prove who they are with photo ID before they can be booked; the ID-checked badge shows who has done it, and the document itself is deleted once the check is made. For a private investigator coming into your home it is the cheapest check there is.

Look for the ID-checked badge on the card, before you message anyone.

VAT

VAT at 23%, the standard rate Revenue publishes for this service. Ask whether the price you were given includes it. A trader under the €42,500 registration threshold does not charge it; one over it must, and must show it separately.

Ask whether the figure you were given includes it, and for the VAT number if they are registered — Revenue publishes the rate for this service. revenue.ie →

“Are you on the Private Security Authority register, and what is your number?”

A good answer: A number you can look up yourself before you agree a price — discretion throughout — the work is done without anyone being told who asked for it.

“How does complexity of the case change the price?”

A good answer: The more of it there is, the longer the job runs. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“How does time required to gather information change the price?”

A good answer: Running over is charged, so the estimate matters. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“How does type of investigation change the price?”

A good answer: The level of service you pick is the price you pay. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“What is not included?”

A good answer: Written findings — what is found is given to you in a report you can keep and act on — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a private investigator job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.

“Who insures you, and what is the policy number?”

A good answer: Expect public liability; a licensed contractor carries it as a condition — hours and reporting — you are told how the hours will be used and when you will hear back.

“What do I get in writing, and when?”

A good answer: A written scope and a price before the private investigator starts, and an itemised invoice after — the brief, agreed first — what you need found out is written down and agreed before any work starts.

Getting the quote right

  • Complexity of the case — the more of it there is, the longer the job runs.
  • Time required to gather information — running over is charged, so the estimate matters.
  • Type of investigation — the level of service you pick is the price you pay.
  • Required resources — it is part of every quote for this kind of work.
  • In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts
  • What is NOT included, named
  • Who actually attends, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, and whether it checks out on the Revenue register

Walk away if

  • They are not on the Private Security Authority register, or the number does not resolve to the name on the quote
  • They will not talk about it: complexity of the case — the more of it there is, the longer the job runs
  • They will not talk about it: time required to gather information — running over is charged, so the estimate matters
  • They will not talk about it: type of investigation — the level of service you pick is the price you pay
  • A price for the private investigator before anyone has asked the size, the access or the condition of what they are working on
  • Cash only, or a large deposit before anything at all has started
LOW
€60
TYPICAL
€90
HIGH
€150

What a private investigator costs: €60–€150 per hour

Most private investigators quote the job rather than the hour; the hourly rate is what the small jobs are priced from. Background checks and Infidelity investigations each carry their own band. Private Investigator price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Private investigators near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. Look firstComplexity of the case — the more of it there is, the longer the job runs — that is what the private investigator is judging on the first visit, and a price given without it is a guess.
  2. Agree what is being doneTime required to gather information — running over is charged, so the estimate matters — put in writing before anyone starts, because it is the document you both read back at the end.
  3. The work itselfType of investigation — the level of service you pick is the price you pay — and anything found on the day that was not in that is priced before it is started.
  4. Check it togetherRequired resources — it is part of every quote for this kind of work — walked against the written scope rather than against the feeling of it, while the private investigator is still there.
  5. What you are handedThe itemised invoice and any guarantee on the workmanship and the parts, check for experience in the specific type of investigation needed.

The brief, agreed first
What you need found out is written down and agreed before any work starts.
Hours and reporting
You are told how the hours will be used and when you will hear back.
Written findings
What is found is given to you in a report you can keep and act on.
Discretion throughout
The work is done without anyone being told who asked for it.
Background Checks
Conducting thorough investigations to verify an individual's history, including criminal records and employment verification.
Infidelity Investigations
Gathering evidence to determine if a partner is being unfaithful through discreet surveillance.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the invoice and the paperworkAn itemised invoice with the trader's name, the work and the total — discretion throughout — the work is done without anyone being told who asked for it, because it is what a buyer's solicitor, an insurer or a lender asks for long after the private investigator has gone.
Test what was doneWritten findings — what is found is given to you in a report you can keep and act on — and something that does not work on the day is theirs to put right there and then.
Ask what the guarantee isOn the workmanship and on the parts, and for how long each one runs — they are usually different. hours and reporting — you are told how the hours will be used and when you will hear back — under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 what was agreed is what can be relied on.
Leave the reviewOnly a booked job can be reviewed on Locufy, which is why the score on a private investigator's card means something — the brief, agreed first — what you need found out is written down and agreed before any work starts.

STEP 1Say it in writing, firstSay what is wrong and what you want done. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and defective work put right.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyUnder four stars you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then review.
STEP 3Escalate to the body that regulates itReport it to Private Security Authority (PSA) licence.
STEP 4Small claimsSmall claims covers €2,000, once you have asked in writing and given them a chance to put it right.

Hiring a private investigator: questions people ask

Private investigators handle a wide range of cases, including personal matters like infidelity, corporate issues such as fraud, and locating missing persons. Their work often involves surveillance, background checks, and gathering evidence for legal matters, personal disputes, or corporate investigations.

Private investigators have access to certain databases and public records, but they must operate within legal boundaries and cannot access private or confidential information unlawfully. Private investigators employ various techniques, including interviews, research, and technological tools, to obtain accurate and reliable information.

During the initial consultation, you can expect to discuss your needs, the investigator's approach, and any relevant details that will help shape the investigation. The scope of their work can vary significantly based on the client's needs, ranging from simple inquiries to complex investigations requiring extensive resources.

Search the name or the registration number. If the number does not resolve to the name on the quote, stop there.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and put right if it is not. Say what is wrong in writing first.

Two or three, each for the same written scope. Quotes for different scopes are not comparable, which is how the cheapest one wins and then grows.

MORE GUIDES

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How to hire: AccountantHow to hire: BookkeeperHow to hire: Payroll ServiceHow to hire: Tax AdvisorHow to hire: VAT ReturnsHow to hire: Self-Assessment HelpHow to hire: AuditorHow to hire: Financial AdvisorAll 701 hiring guides →

Private investigators near you

Private investigators in DublinPrivate investigators in CorkPrivate investigators in GalwayPrivate investigators in LimerickAll private investigators on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Private Security Services Act 2004, section 2
  2. Private Security Services Act 2004, section 38
  3. S.I. 144/2012 — Private Security (Licensing and Standards) Regulations
  4. S.I. 134/2025 — supplier or installer of safes
  5. Private Security Authority
  6. Revenue — SECURITY SERVICES - (Supply) — Standard rate
  7. Revenue — current VAT rates (effective 1 January 2026)
  8. Revenue — VAT thresholds: €42,500 for a person supplying services only