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Skip tracing

Skip tracing uses: who uses it, and for what

Skip tracing means finding how to reach a person. Different users start from different records and work under different rules. This hub explains each use and links the detailed guides.

Updated October 22, 2026Sources checked October 22, 2026About 3 minutes

The short answerSkip tracing is used to find current contact details for a person you have a specific reason to reach. Real estate teams use it to reach property owners, surplus recovery teams to reach former owners, debt collectors to locate consumers, and process servers and investigators to find people involved in legal matters. Each use has its own starting record and its own rules.

1. Real estate owner outreach

Investors, wholesalers and agents start from the owner of record and look for a way to reach that owner about the property. Guides by use:

This is the use the live pages describe. The home page says: “Upload your list, see the maximum cost first, and export only the people you choose.”

2. Surplus funds recovery

Recovery teams start from a county or court case list and look for the former owner of a property sold at a foreclosure or tax sale. State law decides who can claim and how. See skip tracing for surplus funds recovery, finding a former owner and surplus funds rules by state. Locate Next “does not file claims, hold funds or decide who’s owed money.”

3. Debt collection

Collectors look for a consumer’s current location. 15 U.S.C. 1692b says a debt collector communicating with any person other than the consumer for the purpose of acquiring location information shall identify himself, state that he is confirming or correcting location information concerning the consumer, identify his employer only if expressly requested, and not state that the consumer owes any debt. 12 CFR 1006.10 restates location-information limits for debt collectors, including how the collector identifies the call. The live pages describe Locate Next as skip tracing software for real estate teams. They do not describe a collections product. This section only explains the statute.

Process servers need to find a party to deliver court papers, and investigators look for witnesses or parties in a legal matter. The Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, 18 U.S.C. 2721(b)(4), permits disclosure of personal information from a motor vehicle record for use in connection with a civil, criminal, administrative or arbitral proceeding, including the service of process, investigation in anticipation of litigation, and the execution or enforcement of judgments and orders. Investigator licensing is set by each state, and this page does not survey those statutes. The live pages describe Locate Next as skip tracing software for real estate teams. They do not describe a process-service or investigation product.

5. Estates and probate

When an owner has died, who has authority over the property is a question for a court or the estate’s records. A skip trace can return contact candidates, but it does not establish who is an heir. The live Locate Next surplus page says: “We don’t research heirs.” Contact the court handling the estate for who has authority. The longer note is heirs versus owners.

6. What skip tracing is not for

A skip trace is not a background check. Decisions on hiring, renting, credit or insurance go through consumer reports under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. See skip trace vs background check.

Common questions

What is skip tracing used for?

Finding current contact details for a person you have a specific reason to reach: property owners, former owners in surplus cases, consumers in collections, and parties in legal matters.

Who uses skip tracing?

Real estate investors and agents, surplus recovery teams, debt collectors, process servers and investigators. Each works under its own rules.

Can skip tracing be used for tenant screening?

The skip trace vs background check guide quotes the FTC page that calls tenant background reports consumer reports, and the security page says not to use results to decide housing.

Does skip tracing find heirs?

A skip trace can return contact candidates but does not establish who is an heir. A court or the estate’s records decide that.

Which uses is Locate Next built for?

The live pages describe Locate Next as skip tracing software for real estate teams working owner lists, including the surplus recovery page. They do not describe a collections, process-service, or investigation product.

Sources

  1. 15 U.S.C. 1692b, acquisition of location information. Checked October 22, 2026.
  2. 12 CFR 1006.10, acquisition of location information. Checked October 22, 2026.
  3. 18 U.S.C. 2721, Driver's Privacy Protection Act. Checked October 22, 2026.
  4. FTC, using consumer reports: what employers need to know. Checked October 22, 2026.

This page is general information, not legal advice.

What is skip tracing

From an owner list to a reviewed contact, and what to check before you reach out.

For surplus recovery teams

Former owners from a county case list, case numbers kept.

Skip trace vs background check

A skip trace looks for a contact. The FTC treats hiring and tenant reports as consumer reports.

Skip tracing and the law

Federal rules that touch skip tracing, linked to the statute or agency page: consumer reports, Do Not Call, autodialers, texts, and commercial email.

Skip trace your property lists with Locate Next.

Upload your list, see the maximum cost first, and export only the people you choose.

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