Due diligence is the work of confirming that a person or business is what they claim to be before you commit money or risk. Whether you are hiring a contractor, buying a business, signing a lease, or extending credit, most of the groundwork can be done for free using official government records — and Searchadex links directly to every portal you need.
Last Updated: June 2026 · Reviewed quarterly by the Searchadex editorial team.
For individuals, due diligence usually means verifying a person or company before a transaction — checking a landlord, a contractor, a seller, or a small business you are about to buy from. For businesses, it means confirming an entity's status, debts, licenses, and litigation history before a deal, a loan, or a partnership. The categories overlap, and almost all of them start with public records.
These official government sources cost nothing and answer most due diligence questions. Work through them in order before you ever pay for anything.
Confirm an entity exists, is active and in good standing, and identify its registered agent and formation date.
Reveal whether a business's assets are already pledged to a lender and how leveraged it is before you buy or lend.
Verify that a contractor, advisor, or provider holds an active, unexpired license in good standing.
Search federal (PACER), state, and county courts for litigation, judgments, and case history.
Official portals establish the facts of record. When you need a compiled, multi-source report — combining contact history, associated people and businesses, and background information into one place — a paid lookup tool can save time. These are paid services, not government sources, and their results are not FCRA-compliant for employment, tenant, housing, or credit decisions.
Compiled people search and background reports.
Reverse phone, email, and people lookup.
Background checks and public-records reports.
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If your due diligence is about keeping your own business compliant — registered agent, annual reports, and state license renewals across multiple states — a professional service is worth it. Harbor Compliance manages registered agent service and ongoing compliance in all 50 states.
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