Services · Pack 03
For cases where the bottleneck is evidence. Currently available case-by-case rather than as a productised pack — engaged when the matter justifies it.
Most RTB cases that fail at adjudication don't fail because the law was against the landlord. They fail because the landlord couldn't prove what they knew. The tenant's late-night gatherings happened — but there's no log. The damage to the kitchen happened — but no dated photographs. The threats by text were sent — but the screenshots weren't preserved with chain of custody. Running a property and running an evidence operation at the same time is genuinely difficult. The Documentation & Evidence Service is the productised version of having someone else run the evidence operation while you run the property.
This pack is rarely sold standalone. It's almost always run alongside the RTB Acceleration Pack — Acceleration handles the formal RTB route, Documentation & Evidence handles the evidence underneath it.
This is the most regulatorily-careful part of our service. We don't run surveillance ourselves. The PSA-licensed PI partner does, under their licence and their professional indemnity. We project-manage and produce the polished deliverable.
This section exists because the line between "evidence service" and "unlicensed PI work" is one we take seriously and one a hostile journalist would test.
The Private Security Services Act 2004 regulates private investigators in Ireland. PSA-licensed Private Investigators are the only legal route to surveillance work in this jurisdiction. Shelter.ie does not hold a PSA licence and does not perform surveillance work directly. What we do:
Currently engaged on a case-by-case basis. Typical engagement structure when active:
Most cases run this retainer for 4–9 months, so total Shelter cost is typically €1,750–€3,000. Surveillance budget varies; some cases need none, others run €1,000–€3,000 in PI fees. We agree the scope before any surveillance billing starts.
Yes, when the PI is PSA-licensed, when the surveillance is for a lawful purpose (evidence in tenancy proceedings is well-established), and when the methods used comply with the Data Protection Acts and Article 8 ECHR privacy rights. Listening devices in the property and hacking communications are out of scope, illegal, and not on offer.
Yes — the RTB regularly accepts evidence from PSA-licensed PI surveillance, photographic evidence, and witness statements. There are evidentiary standards (relevance, proper preservation, authentication) but PI-gathered evidence isn't categorically excluded.
The legal basis for processing tenant data in this context is Article 6(1)(f) GDPR — legitimate interests of the landlord client. We document the balancing test in our DPIA. Tenants whose data we hold can exercise their data subject rights via privacy@shelter.ie; see our Privacy Notice.
Because evidence is rarely complete the first time you look at it. The first audit reveals gaps. New incidents happen. The tenant adapts. A retainer model keeps the evidence pack live and tribunal-ready as the case evolves.
Documentation & Evidence is the most expensive of our packs over the life of an engagement, and it's the one most often used in support of another (RTB Acceleration). For straightforward overholding-with-clear-arrears cases, this pack is overkill. We tell you that in the consult — about 15% of consult callers initially ask about evidence services and end up only on Acceleration.
Free 15-minute consult. We'll tell you whether this pack is genuinely needed, or whether RTB Acceleration alone covers it.
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