If someone else owns your Google Business Profile, you can request access through Google’s official process at business.google.com.
The current owner has 3 days to respond. If they don’t reply or they reject your request, you can escalate to Google Support with proof that the business is yours.
Most cases get resolved, even if it takes a little patience.
Finding out that someone else controls your Google Business Profile can feel like a nasty surprise. Maybe you searched for your own business, spotted the “Own this business?” link, clicked it, and got a message saying the profile is already claimed.
Before you panic, know this: around 51% of businesses globally still have unclaimed or unverified Google Business Profiles, according to research published by Search Endurance in 2025, so profile access problems are far more common than most owners expect.
In most cases, you can get your profile back.
This guide walks you through exactly what to do, from the first request all the way through to escalating a dispute if things don’t go smoothly.
Table of Contents
Why Is Your Google Business Profile Already Claimed?
There are a few common reasons a profile ends up in the wrong hands. Understanding which one applies to you will help you decide how to handle it.
Could a Previous Owner or Ex-Employee Be Responsible?
This is the most common reason. When a business changes hands, or when a member of staff sets up the profile using their personal Google account, access will be locked to that account. If they’ve since left the business or lost contact with you, the profile is effectively stuck.
If you parted on good terms with the previous owner or employee, it’s worth a quick message to explain the situation. They may be happy to transfer ownership once they understand the issue.
A Web Agency or Freelancer Claimed It on Your Behalf
Agencies and freelancers sometimes set up Google Business Profiles for their clients using the agency’s own Google account rather than the client’s.
If you later parted ways with that agency, you might discover they still hold ownership of your profile.
This is against Google’s own guidelines.
Google’s Business Profile eligibility and ownership policy states that agencies must “always transfer Business Profile ownership to the business owner immediately upon request” and that failure to do so can result in suspension of the profile or the agency’s Google Account.
It happens though, and you have options if it does.
Did Google Create the Profile Without You Knowing?
Google regularly creates Business Profile listings from information it finds across the web: Companies House data, website details, directory listings, and so on. These auto-generated profiles are unclaimed but visible on Google Maps and Search. If someone else spotted it before you did and claimed it, you’ll need to go through the request process.
Could a Scammer Have Claimed Your Profile?
This is less common but it does happen.
Some people deliberately claim business listings that don’t belong to them. They may intend to ransom the profile, redirect customers, or simply cause problems. If you suspect this is the case, move quickly and follow the escalation steps later in this guide.
How Do You Know If Your Profile Is Already Claimed?
If your profile has already been claimed by someone else, you’ll see a specific message when you try to claim it yourself.
Here’s how to check:
- Go to business.google.com/add
- Type in your business name and address
- Select your business from the list that appears
- If it’s already claimed, you’ll see a message along the lines of: “Someone else may manage this Business Profile”
That message is your cue to request access.
If you don’t see your business in the list at all, the profile may not exist yet. In that case, you can create a new one and go through the standard verification process. If the profile is there and showing the claimed message, read on.
What If Your Business Name Isn’t Unique, or Doesn’t Match Exactly?
This is where things get trickier, and it affects more businesses than you might expect.
Google may have created your profile under a trading name rather than your registered legal name.
If your company is registered as “Apex Window Cleaning Solutions Limited” but trades as “Apex Cleaning,” the profile might appear under either version – or a slightly different variation of both.
Similarly, if you search for “Smith & Sons Electrical Limited” and nothing comes up, try searching without the “Limited” or “Ltd” at the end. Google often creates profiles using the name it finds most commonly across the web, which isn’t always your full legal name.
The more common problem is a non-unique name.
If you run “Nemo Fish and Chips” in Greenwich, searching that name at business.google.com/add may return several listings across the country with the same or very similar names.
Requesting access to the wrong one – even by accident – is a real risk, and one that causes unnecessary delays and confusion.
Before you click on any listing from the search results, take a moment to confirm it’s actually yours. Check the address shown against your own business address. Check the phone number if one is listed. Check the business category. Only proceed with a request once you’re certain the listing belongs to your business at your location.
If the name search returns too many results to identify yours clearly, try searching by your postcode or street address instead of your business name. This usually narrows things down quickly, especially for businesses in fixed locations.
If you accidentally submit a request for the wrong listing, contact Google Support to withdraw it before the 3-day window closes.
How to Request Ownership of Your Google Business Profile
Google has a straightforward process for this. You’re not doing anything unusual or aggressive by using it. It’s built exactly for situations like yours.
How Do You Submit an Ownership Request to Google?
- Go to business.google.com/add
- Enter your business name and address and select your business
- When you see the “Someone else may manage this Business Profile” message, click Request Access
- Fill in the form. Google will ask you to confirm your relationship to the business. Be clear and specific: state that you are the business owner (or authorised representative), explain your role, give your business address, and note how long you have operated the business. The more specific you are, the stronger your claim looks to both the current owner and Google.
- Click Submit
Once you submit, Google sends a notification to the current profile owner. They have 3 days to respond.
A few tips for filling out the form:
- Be factual and professional. Stick to the facts: your name, your role, and why you need access
- Don’t leave any fields blank. A complete form looks more credible than a sparse one
- If you know the current owner (a former employee or agency), mention this. It sometimes helps the other party recognise the situation and respond quickly
If your business is a service area business (meaning you travel to customers rather than having a physical premises they visit, for example a plumber, electrician, or mobile cleaner), the process above doesn’t apply.
Go to support.google.com/business/gethelp to contact Google directly. In the “Tell us what we can help with” field, type Transfer ownership of listing. When you submit your request, select Transfer ownership of listing as the issue description.
What Happens After You Submit the Request?
Once your request is in, there are three possible outcomes.
What If the Current Owner Agrees to Transfer Ownership?
If the current owner agrees, Google will send you a link to accept ownership. Follow the link, sign into your Google account, and the profile is yours.
You’ll still need to verify the profile to confirm you’re the legitimate business owner. Google may ask you to do this via a phone call, text, video, or a postcard sent to your business address.
What Happens If the Current Owner Doesn’t Respond?
If the current owner doesn’t reply within 3 days, you may be given the option to claim and verify the profile yourself. You’ll receive an email about your original ownership request.
Open it, click View Request, then Verify, and follow the on-screen steps.
Google may ask you to verify via a phone call to the business number, a text message, a video showing your premises or signage, or a postcard sent to your business address.
This option isn’t always available. It depends on the profile’s history and Google’s assessment of the situation. If it isn’t available in your case, the next step is contacting Google Support directly.
What Should You Do If Your Request Is Rejected?
If the current owner declines your request, you’ll receive a notification. Don’t give up. You can escalate to Google Support, which is covered in the next section.
What to Do If Your Ownership Request Is Rejected
A rejection isn’t the end of the road.
Google has a process for ownership disputes, and if you can prove the business is legitimately yours, you have a strong case.
How Do You Escalate to Google Support?
Go to support.google.com/business/gethelp to contact Google directly. This takes you to the Business Profile contact form where you can select “I have a different issue” and explain your situation.
Explain that your ownership request was rejected and that you are the rightful business owner.
You’ll need to demonstrate that the business belongs to you. Gather as much of the following as you can before you get in touch:
- Your business registration documents (Companies House filing for limited companies, or a UTR letter for sole traders)
- A recent utility bill or business bank statement showing your business name and address
- Your business website URL
- Any correspondence that ties you to the business address (contracts, invoices, lease agreements)
- Photos of your business premises, branded vehicle, or signage
The more evidence you provide, the quicker Google can make a decision.
What Will Google Do After You Submit Evidence?
Google will review your evidence and may contact the current profile owner as part of their investigation. In some cases, they’ll transfer ownership to you without requiring any further action from the current holder.
This process can take a week or more. Keep a note of any case reference numbers Google provides, and follow up if you haven’t heard back within 10 business days.
Once You Have Access: What to Do Next
Getting the profile into your hands is the first win. Once you’re in, take care of a few key things straight away.
Check All the Details Are Correct
Look at the business name, address, phone number, website URL, opening hours, and business category. Any outdated or incorrect information could be sending customers to the wrong place or damaging your local search rankings.
According to Google, businesses with complete and accurate profiles are 2.7 times more likely to be considered reputable by customers.
Update anything that’s out of date before you do anything else.
Remove Anyone Who Shouldn’t Have Access
Go to the profile settings and review the list of managers and owners. Remove any accounts you don’t recognise or that belong to people who no longer work with your business.
Only current, trusted people should have access.
Make Sure You’re the Primary Owner, Not Just a Manager
If you were added as a manager rather than made the primary owner, ask the current primary owner to transfer full ownership to you. As a manager, your access can be removed at any time by the primary owner.
Primary ownership is what you need.
Set Up Two-Step Verification
Go into your Google account security settings and switch on two-step verification. This makes it much harder for anyone to take control of your account (and your profile) without your knowledge.
How to Remove Incorrect Information From Your Google Business Profile
How to Stop This Happening Again
Once your profile is sorted, a few simple steps will protect your access going forward.
Use a business email account rather than a personal one.
If you use your personal Gmail to manage the profile and something happens to that account, you could lose access again. A dedicated Google account for the business is a cleaner and safer setup.
If you work with an agency or freelancer on your Google Business Profile, make sure you remain the primary owner. Add them as a manager instead. That way, if the relationship ends, you can simply remove their access without losing control of the profile.
Keep a record of which Google account is linked to your profile. It sounds obvious, but many business owners find out the hard way that they’ve forgotten which email address was used. Note it down somewhere secure.
Log in and check your profile at least once a month.
Active management signals to Google that the profile is legitimate, and it shows in the data: research from 2025 found that listings with recent posts receive 21% more user interactions than inactive ones, according to content analysis published by Content by Cass.
One final tip that most business owners overlook: add a trusted second person as a manager on your profile as soon as possible.
This could be a business partner, a spouse, a trusted member of staff, or even a personal Google account you control. If you ever lose access to your primary account (a forgotten password, a hacked account, or a suspended Google account), having a second user already on the profile means you’re not locked out completely.
You can use that backup account to manage the profile while you recover the main one. It takes two minutes to set up and can save you a significant amount of stress if things go wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
When you go through the claim process at business.google.com/add, Google will show you a partial clue about the email address linked to the account. You won’t see the full address, but it may be enough to identify a former employee or agency. From there, you can reach out directly before going through the formal request process.
Once you submit, the current owner has 3 days to respond. If they agree quickly, you could have access within hours. Escalating to Google Support typically takes 1 to 2 weeks. Complex disputes can run longer, but most ownership issues are resolved within a month.
They can reject your initial request, but Google has a dispute process for exactly this situation. As long as you can provide evidence that the business is yours, Google can transfer ownership. An ex-employee refusing to cooperate doesn’t mean you’ve lost the profile permanently.
If the current owner is unreachable or unresponsive, the 3-day window without a response may allow you to claim the profile yourself. If that option isn’t available, contact Google Support directly and explain the situation. Google doesn’t require the current owner’s cooperation to make a decision.
The primary owner has full control of the profile, including the ability to add or remove other users, transfer ownership, and delete the profile. Managers can make changes to the profile content but cannot remove the primary owner or transfer ownership. You should always be the primary owner of your own profile.
Agencies can be added as managers, which gives them access to make updates on your behalf. Google’s own guidelines state that profile ownership should sit with the business owner, and that agencies must transfer ownership back to the business owner on request. An agency that claims primary ownership and refuses to hand it back is acting against Google’s policies, which strengthens your case if you need to escalate.
Your reviews stay attached to the profile, not to the Google account that manages it. Your existing reviews remain visible regardless of who controls the account. Once you regain ownership, those reviews are still there.
Yes. Contacting Google Support directly is the next step. You’re not limited to a single attempt. Provide as much evidence as you can to demonstrate that the business is yours, and Google will review the case. You can also post in the Google Business Profile Help Community, where Google Product Experts sometimes advise on complex cases.
Yes. An unclaimed profile that hasn’t been verified can be claimed by following the standard process at business.google.com/add. You’ll then need to verify the profile to confirm you have genuine access to the business address or phone number.
Go into your profile settings and find the Users section. Add the new person as a manager first. Once they’ve accepted, you can change their role to primary owner. At that point you’ll drop to owner or manager status yourself, which you can then remove if you no longer need access.