Checking out a Scottsdale business partner before you sign

Two people shaking hands outside a north Scottsdale office before a background check on a business partner

Scottsdale is a city where a lot of deals start over lunch. Someone you met through a golf group or a networking breakfast has a company up near the Airpark, a growth plan and a spot on the cap table with your name on it. Maybe it is a franchise, a medical spa, a real estate fund, a software startup. The pitch is good, the office is nice, and everyone seems to know everyone.

That is exactly when it pays to check. Not because Scottsdale people are less honest than anyone else, but because a polished setting makes it easy to skip the boring part.

What you can check yourself in an afternoon

Start with the free records. They will not tell you everything, but they will tell you whether the basic story holds together.

The company's state filing

The Arizona Corporation Commission keeps records of Arizona corporations and LLCs. Its old eCorp system was switched off in January 2026, and business searches now run through the Commission's Arizona Business Center portal. Look up the company and check:

the date it was formed, and whether that matches what you were told
its status (active, or administratively dissolved for missing filings)
the statutory agent and the people listed as managers, members, officers or directors

If the "ten-year-old firm" was formed last spring, ask why.

Lawsuits

Arizona court records are spread over several systems. Superior Court handles larger civil cases; the justice courts handle civil claims of $10,000 or less. The Arizona Judicial Branch's public access site covers many courts, and Maricopa County courts have their own lookups. Search the company and every principal by name, including spelling variations and maiden names.

A single lawsuit means little; businesses get sued. A pattern means a lot: repeat claims from investors, contractors who were never paid, landlords chasing back rent.

Property and recorded documents

The Maricopa County Recorder and Assessor will show whether the person owns the property they mention, and whether there are liens or judgments recorded against them.

What a private investigator adds

Public records are a starting point. Private investigators in Arizona are licensed by the Department of Public Safety, and the state's definition of their work explicitly includes investigating a person's background, conduct, associations and reputation. On a business deal, that usually means a few things the casual search will not reach.

Courts outside Arizona

People who move to Scottsdale often had a business life somewhere else first. A private investigator can search court records in the states and counties where the principals lived before, which is where the important history often sits.

Prior companies

Many people who have left a trail of failed ventures simply start new LLCs. Tracing the principals through earlier entities, including ones that dissolved, can show a pattern no single filing reveals.

Licensing and regulatory history

If the business needs a license (medical, real estate, securities, contracting), a private investigator can check the right boards for discipline, both in Arizona and elsewhere.

Talking to people

Former partners, employees and landlords are often willing to talk. A private investigator can find them and interview them properly, with notes you can rely on later.

A written report

You get findings in a form your lawyer or accountant can actually use.

What they will not do

A licensed private investigator will not get you someone's bank statements, tax returns or credit report without proper legal authority. Federal law (15 U.S.C. 6821) makes it illegal to obtain a person's financial information from a bank by pretending to be someone else, and no reputable private investigator will try. If anyone offers you that, walk away from them as well as the deal.

They also will not tell you whether to invest. That is your call, ideally with a lawyer or adviser who has read the documents.

How much checking is enough?

It depends on how much you are putting in. For a small personal stake, your own record search plus a few phone calls may be enough. For a six-figure investment, a seat on a board, or a personal guarantee on a lease, a professional background investigation costs a small fraction of what you are risking. Ask for a scope and a quote in writing before work starts, and ask what the deliverable will look like.

You can browse private investigators in Scottsdale, including American Special Investigative Group. Every private investigator listed in Arizona on Served & Found is a member of the Arizona Association of Licensed Private Investigators (AALPI). Our guide to what a private investigator does covers the legal limits in more detail, and the Scottsdale page has the rest of our local coverage.

If the person across the table resists any of this, bristles at the idea of a background check, or pushes you to wire money before you have finished looking, take that seriously. Legitimate partners expect to be checked out.

See the board: everyone in Scottsdale · private investigators only.