The best tracing agents in the UK are few and far between.
Depending on what you want to pay and who you are looking for will determine which tracing agents are right for you.
About the Author of this Best Tracing Agents article.
My name is David Oates, I am the Head Researcher at Relative Connections, you can view my LinkedIn by clicking here. I am also the director of the adoption support agency which is regulated by Ofsted. I am a highly regarded and experienced family tracer and intermediary. I have spoken about finding long lost family on BBC Radio 5 and was part of the featured team on BBC1’s Family Finders TV series.
No find no fee tracing agents
Best tracing agents – What makes a good tracing agents?
To us it is about a few special things
- Most obviously the success of the search. You’ll want to know that you stand the best chance of a successful outcome.
- Support – Finding someone can be emotional. From long lost friends and family to people who owe you money. If you are looking for someone then emotions can be involved and support required. A good tracing agent will understand this.
- Help with outcomes – It’s not just about an address. Why did you need an address. Why did you want to contact or communicate with this person? It is all about getting you the best outcome. The best tracing agents will understand that.
- Legal, ethical service – Its best to work with a tracing agents who operate legally and ethically for obvious reasons.
It’s also worth looking at their client reviews.
Also ensure that they do the type of search you want. Some tracing agents specialise in certain aspects of people finding services.
Adoption and tracing agents
Please also be aware that if you are looking for a birth relative and you have been separated by adoption the tracing agent will need to be Ofsted registered.
An Ofsted registered agency will understand its obligations to provide the level of support required. They will be able to access the correct level of information. They will also be legally able to contact your birth relative at the correct time.
In-depth tracing agents
This is what we do but I don’t want this to be a sales pitch. With that in mind I’ll keep this section honest and tell you what to look out for.
The best in-depth tracing agents will take work on if the no find no fee agents haven’t been successful. They will usually charge a fee to start a search and then use that money to order documents and uncover information that is needed to be successful. These agents tend to have high success rates.
It is a different service to a no find no fee service. So, you should except to be supported emotionally on the journey to find your person. You will find that the search will be deeper and go on longer, so expect regular updates on how your search is developing.
In-depth services offer value in different ways. For example, we like to support the person you are looking for too.
This might not seem like a big thing, but it really helps our clients. Let’s say we’ve found a client’s father.
We’ll make contact and prepare him for contact and explain our clients’ intentions. What this does is prepare everyone and let certain emotions pass before contact is made.
This type of safeguarding protects everyone involved and means you leave the process with clear answers.
Sometimes the no find no fee services just give you an address and leave you to fend for yourself. Depending on who you are looking for this might not be a good idea.
Including the contacting part
For a lot of clients this is massive. When you want to find someone, you don’t want an address. You usually want contact. So, we include an intermediary service with all our friends and family searches.
Best tracing agency to trace debtors
Tracing debtors is where we started over 14 years ago. We trace the debtor and pass the details to a registered solicitor. We find this keeps people safe. Again, we do not offer this service as a no find no fee option.
In summary
There is space in the market for both no find no fee and in-depth tracing agents so really it is up to you. If you want a low price, then no find no fee is a good option and there are good companies doing it. Again, check trust pilot always. And then there are services like ours which is much more supportive and the teamwork with you to tailor the service to your needs.
The tracing industry is still under regulated so check any tracing agents’ details. This would include Company registration number, VAT number, Customer reviews, ownership and if they answer their phones!
Good luck with your own search and if you need any help or advice please get in touch. We hope you have enjoyed reading about the best tracing agents.