Buying a Property? What Can a Private Investigator Verify Before You Make Payment

Buying a property usually starts with a visit. You like the house, the location looks good and the seller tells you everything is fine. After that, the next step is usually the payment.

But before giving an advance, there are some things about the seller and property that you may want to check.

A private investigator can help with this part of the process. Their work is not to give legal approval for the property. They can collect information and check the details connected with the seller and property.

Check the Property Seller

Before paying, verify the seller identity. The person showing you the property may be the owner, a relative, an agent or someone else.

A private investigator can check some basic details about the seller.

They can check:

• Seller's name

• ID details

• Address

• Job or business

• Relation to the property

• Details shared by the seller

This gives you some basic information about the person selling the property.

Find Out About Previous Owners

A property has changed hands several times.

The current seller tells you only about the last owner. If you want to know more about the property's past, a private investigator can make enquiries about previous owners and people connected with the property.

This include:

• Previous owner's details

• How long they owned the property

• People connected with earlier sales

• Local information about the property

The information collected can then be checked with the available property records.

Ask People Near the Property

Local people know some useful details about the property. They have seen the property for many years and know about the owner or people who lived there.

A private investigator can speak to nearby residents and ask simple questions about the property.

They ask about:

• Property's old history

• Names of earlier residents

• Old property disputes

• Other people using the property

• Problems known in the area

The investigator notes the information shared by nearby people. The buyer can compare it with the property papers and other records before buying.

Check the Seller's Information

A seller gives you information about the property, their ownership or their reason for selling it.

If some of these details are important to the deal, they can be checked separately.

A private investigator can compare:

• Details given by the seller

• Information from local enquiries

• Previous owner information

• Available property details

If the details are different then ask the seller to explain the difference before paying.

Check Other People Connected With the Property

Sometimes the seller is not the only person connected with a property. A family member, tenant, previous owner or business partner also have a connection with it.

Before paying, know about these people when their name comes up during the property deal.

A private investigator can make local enquiries and collect basic details.

They can check:

• Previous owners

• Family members linked to the property

• Current or old tenants

• Business partners, if any

• Other people named by the seller

If another person is using the property or says they have a right in it check their details before paying the seller.

Check the Property Before Giving an Advance

Many buyers pay an advance after seeing the property and talking to the seller.

Once the money is paid, it can become difficult to deal with a problem if something was not checked earlier.

Before paying an advance, you can check:

• Seller's identity

• Seller's connection with the property

• Previous owner details

• Local information

• People connected with the property

• Information given by the seller

The legal documents should still be checked by a property lawyer.

Recent Property Fraud Case in Gurugram

A recent case in Gurugram shows that property details should be checked before making a payment.

According to police, a Delhi couple sold a flat in Sushant Lok Phase-2 for 1.10 crore using fake documents. The buyer was told that the property loan had been cleared. Later the bank found that 35.70 lakh was still pending.

In such cases a private investigator in Gurugram, Delhi or any other city can check the seller and property details if you have any doubt before making a payment.

They can make local enquiries, check the people connected with the property and verify the information given by the seller. Property document verification and legal checking should still be done by a property lawyer.

Private Investigator: Can and Cannot

A private investigator collects and verifies information about the seller and property. Property document verification and legal checking should be done by a property lawyer. 

When Can This Check Be Useful

You consider this type of investigation when the property is being sold by someone you do not know personally.

It can also be useful when:

• The seller is in another city

• The property has changed owners several times

• The seller gives limited information

• Other people are connected with the property

• You are buying an old property

• The property is being sold through an agent

• You are planning to pay a large advance

The investigator can collect information before you make the final decision.

Conclusion

Before making a payment for a property, it is better to know who you are dealing with and what information is available about the property.

A private investigator can check the seller, previous owners, local information and other people connected with the property. A property lawyer can check the legal side of the deal.

Doing both checks before payment gives the buyer more information to work with before making the final decision.