Requesting Permission to Perform a Paranormal Investigation

Unless you were contacted by someone, you most likely will have to look around for places to carry out your paranormal investigations. This typically includes parks, battlefields, churches, historical sites, old buildings, hotels, landmarks and so on. You must have permission from the owner or proper authorities before you set foot on their property. Negligence to do so could land you in jail, cost you a fine and ruin your reputation as a respectable paranormal investigator.

I strongly suggest that you make a "kit" just for this. Inside it should include your business card, information about yourself or the group, references (if you have any), contact information, website URL (if applicable), a typed letter describing what your investigation will entail and the proper paper work for them to fill out giving you permission. Put all of this in a folder.

It must look very professional. You can get business cards (at least a pack of 250) for under $5 online. Personalize all that you can on your paper (header, custom logo) and on anything else you plan on sending them. You want to present yourself as a professional and you should always respect the decision of the person of you are dealing with. You will be told No many times.

When you find a place you want to research your next step is finding an address, phone number or contact information. You might have to make several calls or even go directly to the site to find the right person. This is preferably done over the phone though. Tell the person who are you and that you would like to do an investigation of their property.

Let them know all about what you do, tell them exactly what you want to do on their property and answer any questions they might have. Ask them to let you send a kit with all of your information in it. If they agree then move on to the next step. However, if they say No, politely thank them for their time and ask them if you can leave your contact information just in case they change their mind.

If they agree to receive the information, you should mail it ASAP or hand it over if you met them in person. Give them at least a couple of days to look it over then follow up with a phone call. If they haven't decided yet then all you can do is wait. Don't be too pushy but make sure you call every couple of weeks until you get an answer. Its up to you when to give up if they don't respond. As mentioned earlier, always respect people even if they say No or are rude to you.

You can look online for pre-made investigation forms. Go here to download a zip file with several paranormal investigation forms.

Go to the Files section and click download the zip file called Paraforms.zip

This is really a must have for any investigator. Its free but you will have to join the yahoo group (for free of course) to download it.

If you need to request a certain time period for an investigation make sure it is when the place is closed. If that is not possible, ensure them that you will have the utmost respect for others and will do your investigation in way as to not arouse the general public. You want to make as little interference as possible. The typical amount of time for an investigation is four hours however this can vary depending on the case or the size of the location. You also need to make sure you include in your kit a list of equipment you plan on using and how you intend to document information (cameras, audio recorders, etc). As a nice gesture for their cooperation, you should give them a free report on your findings.

Some places want you to pay to use their property and honestly if that happens, just say you are no longer interested. If you are completely open to any time they give you, even after closing hours, but they still require money then that would be a red flag to me. You should never have to pay to do an investigation just as you should never charge to do one.

There are plenty of places willing to let you do an investigation so don't be discouraged if you are turned down a few times. It takes practice to pitch your request but you will get the hang of it in time. Churches might be more resilient to accepting these request because this property is sacred to them. Always ensure these types of places that you will respect everything and nothing will be damaged in any way. They do need to know (preferably in writing) that you will not destroy their property.

The best places to start with are the ones that are close to you. If you can, research your counties newspaper and find out about murders, suicides, historical sites and other places of interest. Compile a list of places to go and then just start contacting them one by one. Keep track of everything you do so you don't contact the same place twice by accident. Over time this will get easier and your knowledge in the field will continue to grow. Happy ghost hunting.