How to Get Back Ownership of Your Google Business Profile (From an Agency or Ex-Employee)

Quick answer: Search your business at business.google.com/add, select it, and choose Request access. Google emails the current owner, who usually has a few days to respond; if they don't, you may be offered a way to verify and claim the profile yourself. Afterwards, make yourself the primary owner and keep at least one other trusted owner — never let an agency or employee be the only owner.

In India it is very common for a profile to have been created by a past employee, a relative, or a marketing agency that has since stopped responding. The business suffers when nobody can reply to reviews or fix hours.

Step 1: Check whether you already have access

1. Sign in to every Google account you or your family use.
2. Open business.google.com. If the profile appears, check Menu → Business Profile settings → People and access.
3. If you are only a manager, ask the primary owner to transfer ownership to you.

Step 2: Request ownership from Google

According to Google's help page (Google):

1. Go to business.google.com/add.
2. Enter your business name and address and select your business.
3. If someone else owns it, you'll see the email (partially hidden). Choose Request access.
4. Fill in the form: your name, contact details, the access level you need, and your relationship to the business.
5. Submit. Google sends the request to the current owner.

Step 3: What happens next

• Owner approves → you get access.
• Owner denies → you can appeal or contact the owner directly.
• Owner doesn't respond → third-party guides report the owner gets about three days; after that, you may see an option to verify and claim the profile yourself.

Service-area businesses (no visible address) may need to contact Google support and request an ownership transfer instead.

Documents to keep ready

• Shop & establishment licence, GST or Udyam registration
• Utility bill or rent agreement for the address
• Photos of permanent signage

Prevent it from happening again

• You should be the primary owner, using an email you control permanently.
• Add a second owner you trust (partner or family member).
• Give agencies and staff manager access only.
• Remove access for people who leave.

Example: getting a profile back from an old agency

A restaurant owner discovered that a marketing agency they had stopped working with two years earlier was still the primary owner of their Google profile. The agency didn't reply to messages.

The owner searched the business on Google, opened the profile, chose Claim this business / Request access, and submitted the request. The current owner had a set number of days to respond; when they didn't, Google offered the option to verify directly. The owner verified by video, showing the signboard, the interior and a utility bill. Within about a week the profile was under the owner's own account, and they removed the agency's access.

Message template to send the current owner

"Hello, I am [name], owner of [business name], [address]. Our Google Business Profile is currently managed through your account. Please transfer primary ownership to [your email] or add it as an owner. Thank you."

Send it on email and WhatsApp, and keep a screenshot of the message in case you need to show Google support that you tried.

Frequently asked questions

My agency won't give me access. What can I do?

Use the request-ownership process. Agencies should never be the sole owner of your profile.

Will I lose my reviews if ownership changes?

No. Reviews belong to the profile, not the owner account.

Can I just create a new profile instead?

No — that creates a duplicate listing, which can cause suspensions. Recover the existing profile.

Sources

• Google: Request ownership of a Business Profile