London House Top 10

For our clients we undertake a mixed variety of work that covers the full remit of investigative services. Our client base, which continues to grow, know that they can come to London House with a business problem and they can be confident of our professional help and advice. At the end of the year we thought we would have a look at our most popular services provided in 2012 and these are listed below. 

Clicking on the service will provide more information

• Tracing missing persons/absconded debtors
• Process Serving
• Evidence of means interviews/status reports
• Discreet Enquiries/investigations
• Pre-Repossession Reports on properties
• Property Repossession (Residential & Commercial)
• Surveillance operations
• Commercial Debt Collection
• Debt & Mortgage Shortfall Counselling
• Insurance Claims Investigations

Focus on......Trace and Discreet Enquiries

When a client has lost contact with a debtor, we are often asked to trace the debtor's whereabouts and then try and investigate what assets they may have without raising their suspicions.

As you will know, trace is one of our areas of expertise and our Franchise Owners are highly skilled in field trace work. We often overcome a number of difficulties in locating people who do not want to be found, but we remain determined and our success rate of c70% confirms our abilities.

When found, we may be asked to investigate the debtor's assets. Obviously, this would normally be their residential property but we also look out for such things as vehicles, other property investments, business interests etc. Where possible we will also seek to gather information from neighbours in an effort to perhaps confirm our thoughts or just provide us with a little snippet of detail. It should be remembered, of course, that there are also occasions when there is no new information or details to find!

Lets Chat

One of our clients asked us to confirm the residential address of a debtor and to undertake enquiries into any assets that they may have. They had understood that he owned a property overseas. 

Our local manager began making enquiries in the area and was able to confirm that the debtor was still living at the address provided by our client - he was clearly avoiding them. Continuing the enquiries she took a stroll past the address one morning and the subject was in the front garden. She decided to strike up a casual conversation and they were soon chatting away. With the subject none the wiser, she came away from the conversation with not only first hand verification that he lived at the address but also with details of his various properties overseas and the websites through which he rented them out. A positive result for our client which wouldn't have been possible if our managers never left their desks.

Focus On........International work

It has been some time now since we rebranded to "International". This change was to reflect the growing levels of instructions we receive from our clients to undertake work overseas. On a daily basis we are receiving requests to begin work on instructions abroad.
We have a large and reliable network of agents around the world who work to the same high standards as ourselves and always within the relevant laws of the country in which they are operating.
We are able to provide a full range of services overseas including: trace, surveillance, discreet enquiries, asset investigations and process serving

You asked us

"What type of information do you need from us to allow you to begin your enquiries?"

Whilst we do many different types of investigations the core information that we require is typically the same - Full name, d.o.b. and last known address. This basic information allows us to begin work on the majority of the instructions that you send to us e.g. trace, discreet investigations and status reports or means interviews. Dependant on the specifics of the case other types of data that are often needed or of help are:

• Account/payment  history (for means interviews or shortfall counselling)
• Known or rumoured asset details if we are instructed to try and find further assets or report on lifestyle etc
• Copy invoices and correspondence to support our visit when recovering commercial debt
• A description, if known, of the subject can often help when serving legal process - as you know some do try to deny their identity!
• Phone numbers are always advantageous. Even old ones found in files can sometimes lead us to the subject
• A few lines of background information to your case is invariably a help. It provides us with an outline understanding of the issues you are facing and often an understanding of the subject!
• Previous or linked address information if you have it and date of last contact with the subject can assist with our efforts to trace or serve the subject

Of course, each case is different and we are always happy to chat through cases with you and decide what is likely to be the best course of action for you. Please do not hesitate to pick up the phone and give us a call.

Focus on.......Trace & Discreet Investigations

When a client has lost contact with a debtor, we are often asked to trace the debtor's whereabouts and then try and investigate what assets they may have without raising their suspicions.

As you will know, trace is one of our areas of expertise and our Franchise Owners are highly skilled in field trace work. We often overcome a number of difficulties in locating people who do not want to be found, but we remain determined and our success rate of c70% confirms our abilities.

When found, we may be asked to investigate the debtor's assets. Obviously, this would normally be their residential property but we also look out for such things as vehicles, other property investments, business interests etc. Where possible we will also seek to gather information from neighbours in an effort to perhaps confirm our thoughts or just provide us with a little snippet of detail. It should be remembered, of course, that there are also occasions when there is no new information or details to find!

What's in a name?

Following a bank repossession of a property, we were instructed by the bank's solicitors to trace the former owner and ascertain whether she had any other assets as there was a shortfall following the sale.

In trying to locate the subject, enquiries into the name given became difficult because the bank's understanding was that she was married and that all correspondence was in the matrimonial name. It subsequently became apparent that the subject wasn't married and only used the name as an alias. We therefore tried to trace the subject using her maiden name and established several people in the UK as possibilities, from which we narrowed the list down to 3.

Further extensive enquiries followed and after a series of discreet investigations at the appropriate locations we managed to obtain a positive match. Our enquiries tell us that she owns the property (in her maiden name) as well as other assets. The bank can now consider their position in light of this information thanks to the strengths of a field force investigation.

Status Enquiries

We can provide reports from the basic to the most complex providing information on an individual or company. Reports may be obtained through interviewing subjects or through discreet enquiries, always compliant with current legislation, including Data Protection.