A background check is a verification exercise. The question is never simply what someone says about themselves, it is what can be independently confirmed and what the gaps mean. Employers, landlords, business partners and people entering relationships all reach the same point eventually, where trust needs something behind it.
We provide background checks in Sydney and throughout New South Wales, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run background checks in Sydney
We verify identity first, because almost everything else depends on it. From there the scope is driven by the decision you are actually making. An employer hiring for a role with financial authority needs different assurance from a landlord assessing a tenancy application or a person checking someone they met online. We work from lawful sources, we document where each piece of information came from, and we distinguish clearly between what is confirmed, what is unconfirmed and what could not be checked.
What New South Wales law means for this work
Investigation work in New South Wales requires a Class 2E licence under the Security Industry Act 1997, administered by NSW Police through the Security Licensing and Enforcement Directorate. The old Commercial Agents and Private Inquiry Agents Act 2004 was repealed on 1 July 2022, so a licence issued under that Act is no longer the relevant authority. Ask any operator what they hold and when it was issued.
Section 11 makes it a separate offence to publish or communicate a private conversation, or a record or report of an activity, obtained in contravention of the Act. Sections 14A to 14C, which commenced on 3 July 2026, added public interest exceptions covering material given to a law enforcement agency and material already published to the public.
None of that is a formality. The rules differ genuinely between Australian jurisdictions, and evidence gathered outside them is frequently inadmissible and can expose the person who gathered it. Working inside the NSW framework is what makes the result usable.
The federal statutory tort of serious invasion of privacy, which commenced on 10 June 2025 under Schedule 2 of the Privacy Act 1988, applies on top of NSW law and contains no exemption for private investigators.
This is general information about how we operate, not legal advice. For advice on your circumstances, speak with your lawyer.
What you receive
You receive a written report that separates verified fact from inference. Where something could not be established we say that rather than filling the gap with a guess, because an overstated background report is worse than no report at all when a hiring or tenancy decision is challenged later.
Where we work in New South Wales
Sydney divides operationally into the CBD and inner south, the inner west, the eastern suburbs, the lower and upper north shore, the northern beaches, the Hills district, Parramatta and the greater west through Blacktown and Penrith, the south west through Liverpool and Macarthur, and the south through St George and the Sutherland Shire. Beyond the metropolitan area we work Newcastle and the Hunter, Wollongong and the Illawarra, the Central Coast, the mid north coast, the northern rivers, New England, the central west and the Riverina.
Where the evidence ends up
- Local Court of New South Wales. Summary crime, apprehended violence orders and civil claims to $100,000.
- District Court of New South Wales. Indictable crime other than murder and treason, civil claims to $1.25 million, and unlimited jurisdiction for motor accident claims.
- Supreme Court of New South Wales. Unlimited civil jurisdiction and the most serious criminal matters.
- NCAT. Tenancy, consumer and commercial disputes, guardianship and occupational discipline.
- Personal Injury Commission. Motor accidents and workers compensation, where most insurer commissioned evidence in this state is tested.
- Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. Family law is federal, so a family matter runs under Commonwealth law even though the conduct investigated is governed by NSW rules.
Frequently asked questions
Is a background check legal without the person knowing?
It depends what is being checked and why. Verification from lawful and publicly available sources is one thing. Employment screening generally requires consent, and there are express restrictions around credit and criminal history information. We scope this at the outset so the result is usable.
Can you check a criminal record?
Access to formal criminal history is controlled and generally requires the person’s consent through the proper channel. Anyone offering to obtain a criminal record without consent is describing something you should not want attached to your decision.
Do you cover regional New South Wales as well as Sydney?
Yes. Sydney work can generally be mobilised faster and at lower cost. Regional work carries travel time and expense, and we will tell you honestly whether the likely result justifies it before you commit.
Talk to us about a NSW matter
Every enquiry starts with a confidential conversation about what you actually need, and sometimes that conversation ends with us saying an investigation is not warranted. Call 1300 792 283 or get in touch for a free consultation and a written quote before any work begins.
See also Background Checks in Melbourne, our New South Wales coverage and our Sydney page.