Private Investigator Reutlingen, Germany | Private Detective in Reutlingen – Kurtz Detective Agency Germany*

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IHK-certified Swabian investigation specialists for professional and transparent corporate and private investigations in Reutlingen: +49 711 7153 0028.

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Case Study: Rental Fraud in a Reutlingen Hotel | Illegal Subletting Despite Fire Damage

In this case, Kurtz Detective Agency was commissioned by a private client who owned a large commercial property rented out to a hotel operator. After a fire occurred on the top floor of the building, the landlord prohibited the subletting of rooms on that floor to guests or other individuals. The hotel understandably claimed a rent reduction from our client, which was granted without objection. However, a few weeks later, the landlord received concrete indications that the affected floor was still being rented out to guests – while the hotel continued to benefit from the rent reduction.

To verify this suspicion and, if confirmed, to provide court-admissible evidence of rental fraud, the property owner called in our corporate investigation team in Reutlingen.

Undercover Entry via Room Booking

During the preliminary observation of the hotel, our detectives assessed the surveillance conditions and checked for any visible signs of activity on the fire-damaged floor, such as open windows or lights. None were evident. Afterward, our private investigator for Reutlingen entered the hotel under the cover story of being a guest and inquired about rooms for the upcoming night. He insisted on a room located just below the affected floor, as this position would most likely allow him to hear any noise from above. To make this possible – and hoping he might even be offered a room on the prohibited floor – he asked to view three different rooms on various floors before making his choice.

Back at reception, the investigator noticed a notepad listing several room numbers with handwritten names beside them, too small to decipher. Four to six of these names were next to rooms located on the fire-damaged floor. When he asked whether there was a room with a view of the Achalm hill, the receptionist replied that such rooms were only available on the top floor, but that none were currently vacant. At that moment, the receptionist covered the list of names and room numbers with a sheet of paper.

Clear Evidence of Continued Guest Occupancy

Within seconds of entering his room, the private investigator unmistakably heard coughing and creaking footstepscoming from the floor above. He quickly noted that the hotel’s walls and doors were very thin, so to avoid being overheard during calls with the operations team or the client, he left the hotel for phone conversations. Throughout the day, he repeatedly heard noises suggesting ongoing occupation of the restricted floor.

In the evening, a van with a company logo arrived in the parking lot. Four young men in dirty work clothes exited, carrying sports and travel bags. Speaking Polish, they entered the hotel and went up to the top floor, splitting into two pairs and entering separate rooms on the forbidden level. Our corporate detective in Reutlingen then moved about the hotel under various pretexts, collecting further evidence. He clearly identified TV sounds in three rooms and voices in another. Later that night, he noted light under three door gaps and observed from outside that three rooms were illuminated, while in a fourth, a middle-aged man was smoking at an open window – a clear breach of house rules and fire safety regulations. The smoker conversed loudly with someone else inside the room. All relevant findings were photographically documented.

At Least Eight Overnight Guests on the Closed Floor

The next morning, the undercover investigator positioned himself at 5:30 a.m. to observe the staircase and document anyone descending from the top floor. This is one of the most physically demanding surveillance tasks, as prolonged standing strains the feet and back, causes fatigue, and reduces concentration. Nevertheless, the detective endured it, expecting heavy traffic as guests went to breakfast. Soon, the same four Polish workers from the previous night came down from the upper floor, confirming they had spent the night there. Shortly afterward, another man in different company workwear and three other guests (two in plain clothes, one tradesman) followed.

When movement from above ceased, the investigator checked the breakfast room and identified the same workers and two of the plainclothes guests from the top floor. Their conversation in German made it clear they planned to stay another night.

A Cleaner for an “Empty” Floor?

Later that morning, a cleaning lady entered the supposedly vacant floor and began tidying rooms. The investigator managed to glimpse into one of the rooms, finding clear signs of overnight use. He also struck up a casual conversation with the cleaner, who revealed that the rooms on the closed floor were in fact bookable, mainly reserved long-term by companies housing their workers. When he asked to see a room “with a view of the Achalm,” she obligingly opened two rooms, both recently vacated (or not yet vacated, judging by the smell and unmade beds).

Over the following weeks, our detective agency in Reutlingen continued the documentation through two additional overnight investigations carried out by other detectives. Ultimately, the illegal subletting and rental fraud by the hotel operator were proven beyond doubt.

Note

To protect the confidentiality and personal rights of clients and all parties involved, all names and locations have been altered beyond recognition.

Examples of Our Operational Areas in the Reutlingen District:

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• Detective Agency for Bad Urach

• Detective Agency for Dettingen an der Ems

• Detective Agency for Eningen unter Achalm

• Detective Agency for Lichtenstein

• Detective Agency for Metzingen

• Detective Agency for Münsingen

• Detective Agency for Pfullingen

• Detective Agency for Pliezhausen

• Detective Agency for Reutlingen

• Detective Agency for Sonnenbühl

• Detective Agency for Wannweil

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