Business Practices, Client Relations, and Reporting
Engagement terms
Put the scope in writing before work begins: the specific questions to be answered, methods authorized, fee structure (hourly plus expenses, or flat), retainer, billing cadence, reporting format, and a clear statement that no particular result is guaranteed. Ambiguity about scope is the most common source of fee disputes and complaints.
Client communication
Set expectations early: how often you will update, what you will not do (no illegal entry, no pretext calls to financial institutions, no guarantees), and who else may see the report. Confirm the client's lawful purpose for the information, which matters most in employment, tenant, and custody work where the FCRA and court orders constrain what may be gathered and how it may be used.
Report writing
Separate fact from inference. A sound report states each finding with its source, date, time, and location; quotes rather than paraphrases where wording matters; labels opinion explicitly; and lists attached evidence with chain-of-custody references. Write for a reader who may be a judge, an opposing attorney, or an insurer.
Billing, records, and testimony
Invoice promptly with itemized time and expenses. Retain files, notes, and evidence logs as long as DPSST rules and your insurer require, and never shorter than the limitations period for a malpractice claim. Dispose of client data by shredding or secure deletion. Prepare for testimony by rereading the file, not by memorizing a script; distinguish what you observed from what you were told.
Worked example
A landlord asks for a background report on a rental applicant. That is a consumer report under the FCRA: you need the landlord's certification of permissible purpose, the applicant's authorization, and the landlord must follow adverse-action procedures if your findings are negative. Taking the job without those steps exposes both of you.
Traps that cost marks
Promising results; reporting rumor as fact; discussing one client's case with another; working without a written scope; billing for expenses never disclosed.