The environment our commercial agents encounter daily is affected by the continuous evolution and availability of smart doorbells with video capability, hybrid working arrangements and numerous social media platforms to name a few and we must adapt our services to overcome challenges while still adhering to legislative and other regulatory requirements.

Our success and continued growth, we believe, is due to our turnaround times, rigorous quality assurance, professional licensed field agents, private investigators and repossession agents combined with a streamlined and cost-effective delivery.

We seek to be one step ahead and our personalised service approach is rewarded with client loyalty and satisfaction.

Property Repossessions – Evictions / Vacant Possessions

Our property team has built a reputation by professionally managing evictions and possession of real property Australia wide. With a dedicated team of repossession agents, we ensure that property is recovered within the current laws and legislation of the location state. Our property team are experts in risk management in the planning stages of an eviction ensuring coordination of third parties to mitigate potential risks and assist in a successful and smooth eviction process in the shortest time possible.

We provide exceptional reporting including lock up confirmation reports, detailed property condition reports, extensive photograph reports and if needed, meth testing, supervised access, fencing, security and more. Our property team has the experience to confidently take care of any matter.

Case file:

Polo CPI acted on behalf of the lender for a court ordered Eviction at a semi-rural property consisting of a residential house, outbuildings, and surrounding acreage. The current occupants (borrowers) were known to local police and have made threats to the lender in past communications around actively resisting the process.

Our property team prepare for the eviction by assessing the potential challenges and risks and liaising with the client to put measures in place to mitigate any potential risks. It was agreed to schedule a removalist to attend the eviction to pack and store the property on the day of the eviction minimising the risk of the evicted occupants trespassing onto the property to re-occupy or access items within the property.

On the day of the eviction, it was revealed there were a large number of domestic and farm animals at the property. There was evidence of drug use and visible infectious used sharps requiring urgent hazardous cleaning to ensure the removalists can safely proceed with the pack and store of all items at the property and the attending agent can safely access the property to obtain detailed photographs prior to the pack and store and complete a property condition report.

Result:

After the Sherrif enforced the writ/warrant of possession and observed the occupants vacating the property arrests were made by attending police as the departing occupants committed aggressive and criminal acts towards our agent while departing. A hazardous cleaning crew urgently attended the property and removed all hazardous and infectious items.

Within the dwelling it was revealed that seventeen cats were housed there and further patrols of the property revealed a herd of alpacas, three horses and seven chickens. The occupants had departed the property with three dogs. Our team liaised with the RSPCA to immediately collect and treat the seventeen cats and arrangements were put in place to re-attend the property regularly feed and check on the welfare of the remaining animals until they were safely re-homed.

The removalists estimated another two full days were required to pack and store all items within the property. Security guards were placed at the property prior to all parties leaving the property at the end of eviction day.

Over the course of the next two days, the evicted occupants returned to the property multiple times with other persons of the public and their dogs. Criminal acts were perpetrated against the attending security guards and their vehicles. Police assisted where possible and further arrests were made.

The property was further secured with temporary fencing and security patrols continued around the clock until all items belonging to the occupants were packed and stored. The lender is now in a position to ready the repossessed property for sale and close out the defaulted mortgage.

Skip Tracing – Location of Persons

Skip Tracing is a service for locating a current address (work or home) for a subject or the current service address for businesses and/or their directors. There are many reasons to seek skip tracing such as; location of persons prior to commencing legal action, location of debtors, location of individuals in order to serve legal documents, location of missing family members or location of beneficiaries of deceased estates to name a few. At times, skip tracing may be completed in a matter of hours or a day, while in other cases it may take weeks or months to locate an individual.

When Skip Tracing in Australia a strict legal and ethical framework must be followed. It is important to note that Skip Tracing is not an exact science and based on the data available on the subject it is not always possible to locate a subject or to obtain accurate and up-to-date contact information or information about their whereabouts.

At Polo CPI we have a dedicated in-house Skip Tracing team who intuitively follow the data revealed on each individual search. Many providers simply populate a report after running a set of standard database and open-source searches rather than going the extra mile to actively uncover and verify leads by cross checking data uncovered on more in-depth searches.

Skip Tracing typically starts with the collection of known information even if it is no longer current. This information could be anything from a middle name, last known employment, known relationships, birth date or just about anything that might link the subject to their current details. This information is then utilised to commence searches and we believe it is not what databases are searched, but how they are searched that will contribute to returning a successful report.

Case File:

We acted for a Law Firm seeking to personally serve a Defendant in a Supreme Court matter. The available data on the subject ceased at an address that was found to be no longer current by more than two years.

Result:

Extensive searches of the defendant’s social media revealed that the subject posted recently to their page from a fitness/running app which included run time, run distance and a map of where the subject had run outlining an area within a suburb not far from the last known address. A deep dive into the subject’s social media page revealed more running posts in the same area and several photographs of the subject running depicting the same houses and street scape visible in the background. Google maps searches in the area located a street showing the dwellings matched those depicted in the social media posts and photographs. Older social media posts revealed selfies of the subject at the front door of a house and showed an unusual slate paving on the external front entryway. The property was located and further property searches revealed the house, front entryway and driveway matched multiple recent photographs of the subject posted to social media as well as noting the property was last listed for rent around the time the subject reportedly vacated the prior known address. It also appeared that the photographs of the subject running were taken from a position within the garage of the property with dwellings across the street visible in the background. The Skip Tracing Team utilised discreet means to verify the address and return a successful report. Based on that report a Process Server attended the property and successfully served the defendant.

Process Serving – Service of Legal Documents Australia Wide

Our detail orientated team focus on interpreting client instructions and supporting our agents to serve your documents according to your requirements and any relevant legislation. You can rely on us for timely communication, report updates and our expertise and capability to assist with difficult services, immediate same day services and surveillance to effect service of legal documents. Our operations team provide a high quality of support to our field agents and timely management of our client matters with excellent attention to detail from the receipt of your instructions through to the provision of Affidavits of service.

We have built a reputation around our ability to effectively carry out urgent and difficult services. Based on our client’s specific matters we can make recommendations for services such as surveillance to serve or provide detailed Affidavits of attempted service for the purpose of applying for substituted service.

Case File:

We acted for a government agency and were instructed to personally serve a defendant who was actively avoiding service at a residential address.

Result:

Our large network of Licensed Agents are often required to act and think quickly on their feet if faced with a difficult service or subject known to be actively avoiding service. By providing our agents with tools to assist in identifying these types of subjects (ideally a photograph) they are well placed to successfully effect service during a chance encounter with the subject or despite the subject denying their identity.

Our agent attended the given address and spoke with the subject who denied they were the person named in the documents. With their knowledge of the service rules relating to the documents being served our agent was able to effect service by quickly identifying the respondent and placing the documents in their presence advising they had been identified and served prior to the subject retreating back inside their residence.

Surveillance

Our surveillance operatives utilise professional experience and current technology to carry out covert surveillance nationally. Surveillance can be pivotal in gathering evidence relating to:

• Claims including but not limited to workers compensation, Insurance, motor vehicle;
• Process serving of documents;
• Theft and/or Risk assessment;
• Private and Family Law matters;
• Asset discovery and or location

Case file:

Our client was a Law Firm who had been unsuccessfully attempted to personally serve a defendant at multiple addresses without success. To date the defendant had actively and successfully avoided service at their alleged residence, the residences of family and their workplace. Family and co-workers were assisting the defendant in their efforts to avoid service by covering for them and denying their connection with the defendant.

Result:

A covert surveillance operative was provided with the documents for service, a detailed description of the defendant and a photograph of the defendant taken some 7 years prior. Utilising professional experience and current technology our surveillance operative commenced surveillance on the property. The subject was observed departing the property in a vehicle which appeared from within a secured attached garage with apparent internal access to the residence. Our surveillance operative commenced covertly following the subject until they arrived at their destination and parked their vehicle. Acting swiftly our surveillance operative approached the subject’s vehicle, identified the subject who denied they were the named person in the documents and personally served the subject by placing the documents on the windscreen of the subject’s vehicle in their presence.

Investigations

We believe that investigation services play an important role in claims for insurance and compensation and when used judiciously, positively contribute to the management of claims. For over 25 years our Investigations team has delivered services in collaboration with clients and their customers. These services have been delivered in a proper, timely and cost-effective manner. Our factual investigators have extensive experience ensuring our reports deliver facts and statements built from seeking specific information relating to the matter.