How accurate is an address trace? What Confirmed, Probable and Possible mean, and why nobody honest promises 100 percent

What a trace actually reports

A trace does not stand outside anyone's door. It establishes where the records place a person now. Trace Bureau's report gives the person's current registered UK address, a confidence rating and a date, and "registered" is a deliberate word: it means the address at which the person is registered according to the records checked on the date shown. In the great majority of cases that is where they live. The rating tells you how strong the evidence is, and the date tells you when it was true. A report is not a statement about who else lives at the address, who owns it or whether the person will answer the door; it answers one question, and says how well.

The three ratings, and how to use each

Why no trace is certain

• Records lag behind life. When someone moves, the records that place them at the new address appear over weeks and months. A trace run just after a move may still show the old address as current.
• Namesakes. A father and son with the same name at the same address, or two people of the same name and age in one city, are the classic source of error. A date of birth is the best protection.
• More than one address. A person may stay registered at a parent's home while renting elsewhere, split their time between two homes, or be a student with a term address and a home address.
• Living without records. Lodgers, people living with a partner and people who move often may leave little in their own name at the address where they actually live.
• Errors in the records themselves. Misspelt names, transposed dates and wrong house numbers turn up in every system.
• Wrong starting details. A nickname, a mistaken date of birth or an address the person never lived at can send any trace in the wrong direction.

A trace that ignores these risks is not more accurate, only more confident. The rating is how a good trace tells you which risk applies.

Why "100 percent" should worry you

Some services advertise near-perfect success rates, or say every address is guaranteed. Ask what counts as success. Often it is any address returned, however old, rather than a current one verified by a private investigator. An undated address with no rating cannot be shown to be wrong, which is not the same as being right. A guarantee is also only as good as what happens when it fails, so ask what happens when the address turns out to be wrong. Trace Bureau does not publish a success rate or promise a result. It tells you, case by case, what it found and how sure it is, and charges only when a private investigator has verified a current address.

How the details you give change the result

The biggest single influence on accuracy is the information at the start. The full legal name, with middle names, and a date of birth separate your person from everyone else of the same name. A recent previous address with rough dates gives the trace a firm starting point. Former names, a partner's name, an employer, a phone number or an email address all help confirm that the person found is the right one. None of it changes the price, but all of it can change the rating. Can you find someone's address with just a name? explains why a second identifier matters so much.

Checking a result before you rely on it

For most purposes a Confirmed or Probable address is enough on its own. Where a lot depends on it, such as service of a claim form or an enforcement visit, a few simple steps add certainty at little cost:

• Send a short letter first, asking for a reply, and see whether it comes back.
• Give the process server the rating and any description you lawfully hold, so they confirm identity at the door.
• If the report is several weeks old by the time you act, check again before service. Organisations and professionals have a free re-check within 60 days.
• Keep the dated report on the file. If the address is later challenged, it shows what you knew and when.

A rating has a date

A rating describes the evidence on the day of the report, not for ever. A Confirmed address from last spring says the person was there last spring. How quickly an address goes stale depends on the person: a homeowner who has lived somewhere for twenty years is likely to be there next year, and a young tenant on a short let much less so. If a matter has been paused, or a hearing has moved, check the address again before anything that depends on it. The date is on the report so that you can see at a glance how old the answer is.

Accuracy and the law

Data protection law expects personal data to be accurate, and the courts expect reasonable steps before you serve at an address you have reason to doubt. A dated, rated report meets both expectations better than an undated database result: it shows that the address was checked, by a person, on a particular day, and how strong the evidence was. That is what you want on the file if the person later says they never lived there. Serving court documents without an address explains the court's side.

What you pay for

You pay for a verified current address, not for an attempt. Standard is £150, delivered within 3 to 5 working days; Priority is £200, delivered within 2 to 3 working days. There is nothing to pay when you instruct. Your card is only saved, and it is charged only when a private investigator has verified a current address. A Possible result is never charged at the full fee. Not found, no fee. No find, no fee address tracing explains how this differs from services that take payment first.

When to instruct a professional trace

Instruct when you need an address you can act on, and evidence of how sure it is: before a letter of claim, a claim form, an enforcement step or a distribution from an estate. Give every detail you have at the start, because it is the surest way to a stronger rating. Instruct a trace online in about five minutes.