Someone else owns your Google Business Profile: how to request ownership

If you own the business but a verified profile for it is owned by someone else, Google lets you request ownership from the current owner. First, check you're not already an owner on a different Google Account (Google notes that a missing 'Claim this business' button can mean you already own it).

Step by step

  1. Try every Google Account you or your staff might have used and search 'my business'. Ask former staff or your old agency first: the simplest fix is them adding you as an owner.
  2. Storefront or hybrid business: go to business.google.com/add, enter your business name and address, choose your business, and when you see 'Someone else may manage this Business Profile', select Request access, fill in the form and submit.
  3. Service-area business (no customer address): Google says to contact support and choose Transfer ownership of listing as the issue.
  4. Wait 3 days. Google emails the current owner, who has 3 days to respond. You'll get a confirmation email to track the request.
  5. No response after 3 days? You may get the option to claim and verify the profile from the link in your confirmation email (Google notes this isn't always available). Denied? Google says you can still suggest edits and try to appeal the decision.

What not to do

Google's official help on this

Common questions

How long does the owner have to respond?

Google says 3 days.

I'm a service-area business with no address. How do I request ownership?

Google's help page says to contact support and use 'Transfer ownership of listing'.

Honest note: This page summarises Google's own public help articles (linked above) plus common-sense checks. We are not Google and can't see inside your account, so we can't promise any outcome: Google alone decides suspensions, appeals, verification and rankings. Google changes its tools and wording often, so if anything here differs from what you see, follow Google's current help page.

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