How Much Does It Cost to Hire A Private Investigator in Los Angeles?

Embezzling employees, hackers trying to penetrate the firewall, and, of course, marital infidelity – all have but one solution – that is, a private investigator. And the Hollywood, guns-blazing Samuel L. Jackson kind. No, what you need is a proper investigator who understands the law and has been licensed by the state’s Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. But I understand that it’s not hiring an investigator that’s the problem; it’s how much it’s going cost you.

The city of angels and the home of Hollywood is no stranger to the need for private investigative services. But coming back to the original discussion – in this article, you’ll find a highly accurate and market-studied estimate of a private investigator, Los Angeles, rates.
What Do the Rates Depend on On?
Before going into a detailed listing of the rates of Los Angeles’ investigation services, it’d be prudent to first develop an understanding of what these rates depend on.

1. Like most places of employment, the first and foremost factor that goes into how much a service will cost is time. All services are billed on how time-consuming the project seems to be. Moreover, many Los Angeles detectives include an additional clause that allows them to bill by the hour if the project exceeds a certain time frame.
2. Coming right behind billable hours is the skill and expertise that are required for the project. It should go without saying that the more laborious a project is, the costlier it will be.
3. The last thing that goes into cost determination what the private investigator, Los Angeles, rates will be – is the equipment. From USB sticks to fingerprint dusters, everything that the detective will need for the project will almost certainly be coming out of the client’s pocket.
   Rates of Popular Services
   Surveillance
   Surveillance may very well be the most popular service requested by private detective firms in Los Angeles. From marital infidelity issues to embezzling employees, surveillance is used for all kinds of purposes and is one of the most tasking projects an investigator can take on.
   The average rate of surveillance service in Los Angeles is $50 to $100 per hour.
   Missing Persons
   When it comes to PIs, kidnappings, bail bond escapees, and runaway teens, are all counted as missing persons; however, the urgency of the situation does matter. That is, an investigator might charge more for a kidnapping situation than they would charge for a runaway teen – as the former requires far more labor than the latter.
   Private investigator, Los Angeles, rates for missing person services are $100 to $250 per hour.
   Rates by Billable Hours

Now, understandably these rates do seem a bit on the expensive side. So, to counter that, nowadays, investigators often forgo rates by service and only offer services by billable hours. This does mellow the situation a bit, but it’s still expensive if you require investigative services regularly. For such situations, it is recommended to retain an investigative firm rather than hiring them for one project at a time. And this is quite a viable strategy as it’s often used by my legal practices.