Google Business Profile Ownership: Get It Back From an Ex-Agency or Ex-Staff

Google Business Profile ownership belongs to whoever holds the primary owner role. A profile can have only 1 primary owner. If an ex-agency, ex-staff member or previous owner holds that role, you have 4 routes back, and Google's ownership request should be your last move, not your first.

That request gives the current holder 3 days to deny you, and if they stay silent, Google says the option to claim the profile "isn't always available".

Updated 24 September 2026. Written by SingRank.

You search your shop's name and there it is on Google Maps: your photos, your reviews, your opening hours. Then you try to change the hours. Google tells you someone else manages the profile.

One business owner described it on Google's own help forum: "an old marketing agency still shows as the primary owner and won't respond to transfer requests. I can see the profile on Maps but can't edit or post updates" (Google Business Profile Community, December 2025).

That lockout costs more than it looks. Hours go stale. An old phone number keeps sending calls you'll never get. Every unanswered review is a lost chance to win back one unhappy customer.

Start with the wrong route and you can lose 3 days waiting on someone who is allowed to refuse you. This guide helps you find who holds the key and which route fits. It also lists what a Singapore business should have ready before asking Google for help.

Key takeaways

• A Business Profile can have many owners but only 1 primary owner, and only the primary owner can hand that role over.
• Google's third-party policy says an agency must give a client exclusive control back within 7 business days of notice.
• An ownership request gives the current holder 3 days to respond; if you're denied, you can appeal or suggest edits.
• If an ex-employee used a company Google Workspace account, your admin can reset the password and transfer the profile without anyone else agreeing.
• Never open a second profile to escape the problem. Google treats it as a duplicate and hides it.

Google Business Profile owner vs manager vs primary owner

Google's Help Center sets out three levels of access. "A Business Profile can have multiple owners but only one primary owner" (Google, owners and managers). Managers can do almost everything, except that "they can't add or remove users or remove the profile".

Role	Edit info, reply to reviews, post	Add or remove users	Transfer primary ownership
Primary owner (1 only)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Owner	Yes	Yes	No
Manager	Yes	No	No

If you're weighing Google Business Profile primary owner vs owner, the last column is the one that matters. "Only the primary owner can transfer primary ownership" (Google, transfer primary ownership). So if a former agency added you as a manager years ago, you can reply to reviews today and still lose the whole profile tomorrow.

Here's our view: the business should always hold primary owner. An agency or staff member should sit one step down, as an owner or a manager, on their own login.

Who holds your Google Business Profile ownership?

Before you touch any form, work out whose account the profile sits in. The answer to how to get ownership of Google Business Profile access back depends on it. There are 4 common situations.

Who holds it	Your first move	Why it's usually fastest
A former agency or freelancer	Written handover request citing Google's third-party policy	Google gives agencies 7 business days to hand back control
Ex-staff on a company Workspace email	Your Workspace admin resets the password	No one else needs to agree
Ex-staff on a personal Gmail	Ask them to transfer, then use Google's request	Only they can hand it over
The previous owner of the business	Handover under the sale, then Google's request	The seller's account is the primary owner

If you can't tell whose account it is, check old invoices, onboarding emails and the email address that receives Google's review alerts. The people who set up your website or ads often set up the profile too.

If a former agency or freelancer holds it

Here you hold the strongest hand. Google's own rules already cover any agency that manages a profile for a client. Google's third-party policy gives agencies a deadline: "Within 7 business days of notice from an end customer", they must let that client "regain exclusive control" of the Google Account behind the profile (Google, Business Profile third-party policies).

The same policy says "all end customers must retain ownership or co-ownership of their Business Profile at all times". Google's ownership guidelines add that authorised representatives must "always transfer Business Profile ownership to the business owner immediately upon request" (Google, eligibility and ownership guidelines).

So skip the polite chasing on WhatsApp and send one clear written notice. Put in it:

1. Your business name, address and UEN, plus the Maps link to the profile.
2. The Google Account email you want made primary owner.
3. A request to make that account primary owner, then to drop the agency to manager or remove it.
4. A reference to the 7-business-day rule in Google's third-party policy, with the link.
5. A date 7 business days out, by which you expect the change.

Ask for the primary owner switch by name. Some transfer guides say to add the new owner, then remove the current one. That skips a step. Google says the primary owner "can't remove yourself until after you transfer primary ownership to someone else" (Google, owners and managers).

A dated written notice also gives you a record to show Google later. If the date passes, Google tells you to "report them through the Business Profile third party violation complaint form" (Google, working with third parties). Run Google's ownership request in parallel (steps below).

Google says third parties can't remove your business or access your profile without your permission. But an agency that holds primary owner already has that permission. It can remove the profile's content and managers, which Google says is permanent, even though the listing and customer reviews may stay on Maps. That is one more reason to send the written notice early.

If your contract with the agency has its own terms about handover or unpaid fees, that is a contract matter. Speak to a lawyer rather than letting it stall the profile.

If an ex-employee's account is the primary owner

A typical version in a small team: the marketing executive set up the profile on their work email, then left. A company on Google's forum found its primary owner was still the account of an employee who had long since left (Google Business Profile Community, September 2026).

If the email is on your company domain (Google Workspace). You probably don't need anyone's permission. A Workspace administrator can reset that user's password from the Google Admin console (Google Workspace Help). Sign in as that user, open the profile, add your own company account as an owner, then make it primary owner.

Google's normal account recovery won't help here, because Google says its recovery steps may not work for work or school accounts (Google Account Help).

Don't delete or suspend that user until the transfer is done. Our rule of thumb: offboarding checklists should list the Google Business Profile next to the laptop and the door pass.

If it's a personal Gmail. You can't reset it and you shouldn't try. Ask the former employee to transfer primary ownership; it's a few taps in People and access. If they won't or can't be reached, use Google's ownership request.

If the previous owner of the business holds it

Buying a going concern and finding the Google listing wasn't part of the handover is painful. A buyer on Google's forum put it plainly: "the old owners purposefully won't give up access to the profile" (Google Business Profile Community, December 2022).

Keep the existing profile if you can. Google says a primary ownership transfer keeps your business info, reviews included. So ask the seller for the transfer first, in writing, and point to the handover terms in your sale agreement. If that fails, file Google's ownership request with proof you now own the business.

A different business at the same address is a separate case. If the unit came from an unrelated company, its reviews aren't yours to inherit. Google Maps Help says that when "there's a new business at this location", you should mark the old place permanently closed. Then add the new business as a missing place (Google Maps Help).

If both businesses really operate there, Google may ask for proof of permanent signage showing both businesses (Google, duplicates and ownership issues).

How do you request ownership through Google?

This is Google's formal route for how to change Google Business Profile ownership without the holder's help. A Google Business Profile ownership request works best as a backstop to the direct routes above, not a replacement for them. The steps below come from Google's request ownership page (Google, request ownership).

1. Sign in with the company Google Account that should own the profile.
2. Go to business.google.com/add and enter your business name and address.
3. Pick your business from the list. You'll see "Someone else may manage this Business Profile."
4. Select Request Access and fill in the form. State your role, your UEN and the proof you hold.
5. Submit, then keep the confirmation email. It holds the link you'll need later.

After you submit, "the current profile owner is then notified by email and has 3 days to respond". You can track the status in your Business Profile or through the link in the confirmation email.

Service-area businesses work differently. If you go to customers and have no shop or office, Google's page says to contact Google instead and enter "Transfer ownership of listing" as the issue. That covers many Singapore trades and home-based businesses.

What happens if the owner says no or stays silent?

There are 3 outcomes, and each has a next step.

• Approved. You get an email and can manage the profile. New owners must wait 7 days before they can remove other users or transfer primary ownership.
• Denied. You get a rejection email. You can still suggest edits to the profile, and Google says you can try an appeal.
• No reply in 3 days. "You may have the option to claim the profile." Open the confirmation email, select View request, then Verify. Google adds that "the option to claim a profile isn't always available".

That last line is why we'd never make the request your only move. It hands the current holder a veto, and a silent holder doesn't always bring up a claim button. A written notice to an agency, or a Workspace password reset, doesn't depend on either.

If you're denied, appeal with your evidence ready. Google's appeals guidance says evidence goes in through a linked form, which you must submit within 60 minutes of the appeal (Google, appeals). Scan every document before you start.

What proof should a Singapore business prepare?

Google's appeals page lists "official business registration", a business licence, tax certificates and utility bills as examples of useful evidence. Its key tip: "check that the business name and address match the profile". In Singapore, most of that proof is quick to gather.

• ACRA Business Profile. Buy it on Bizfile using your "Entity name or unique entity number (UEN)". It costs $5.50 and arrives within 15 minutes (ACRA). Don't confuse it with a Google Business Profile. ACRA's is your registration record.
• A utility bill, invoice or tenancy document with the same name and address as the listing.
• Your trading name. If the listing shows a shop name that differs from your registered name, bring something that links the two, such as signage photos or an invoice header.
• Proof of control. Access to the website domain, or the phone number on the listing, both strengthen your case.
• Your paper trail. Screenshots of the "someone else manages" message, your request confirmation and any written notice to the old holder, with dates.

In our view, the name-and-address match is where most Singapore claims wobble. A profile under a shop brand, backed by a bill under your registered company name, needs the link spelled out.

Verification: what Google may ask you to show

Getting access back and getting verified are two separate hurdles. Google picks your verification methods automatically, and you can't change them (Google, verify your business). The options include phone or text, email, live video call, video recording and postcard.

Google recommends video where you're eligible. A recording must be "at least 30 seconds long", with no breaks. For a service-area business you can show tools, a branded van, or a permit, invoice or utility bill in the same name as your profile (Google, video verification).

Plan for up to 5 business days of review. If Google offers a postcard, most codes arrive within 14 days, carry 5 digits and expire after 30 days, so a postcard left unopened can cost you the code and another wait. Google sometimes verifies a profile instantly, for example when you have verified your website in Google Search Console. That's one more reason to own your Search Console property too.

Why you should not open a new profile instead

When you're locked out, starting fresh feels quicker. It usually backfires. Google allows only one Business Profile per business, and a profile treated as a duplicate "won't show on Google Search or Maps".

You'd lose every review you've earned: the new profile starts at 0 reviews and could simply disappear from Maps. If Google later merges the two, the reviews combine but your replies to them may be lost. Our verdict: keep the old profile and win back the key. Build a new one only when the old place truly belongs to a different business.

The first week after you get it back

Getting access is half the job. Lock it down in this order.

1. Make your company account primary owner. In People and access, select the user, then Edit and Primary owner.
2. Wait out the 7-day limit. New owners can't remove users or transfer primary ownership for 7 days. Put a calendar reminder in.
3. Remove the old holder. After day 7, remove the ex-agency or ex-staff account. Google says their past review replies and posts stay on the profile, so read through them.
4. Check every field. Name, category, hours, phone, website and service areas. Old phone numbers are the silent killer here.
5. Reply to unanswered reviews, newest first.
6. Record who has access in a shared document your successor can find.

Never use "remove profile" to clean up. Google says removing a profile's content and managers is permanent for every owner and manager (Google, remove a Business Profile).

How to stop it happening again

Ownership fights often start on day one, when someone sets up the profile on whatever account is handy. Three habits close that gap.

• Own it on a company account. Google notes you can link a company email address to your Google Account. Use a role address you'll keep, not a staff member's personal Gmail.
• Give helpers their own logins. Google says each user needs their own Google Account, so nobody shares your password.
• Put it in the contract. Your agency agreement should say you stay primary owner and get full access back when the work ends.

Honestly, if an agency insists on being primary owner "for technical reasons", walk away. Google's own policy says the client keeps ownership. For the wider local picture, our guides to Google Business Profile optimisation in Singapore and local SEO in Singapore cover what to do once the profile is yours.

If the profile is also suspended

Access and suspension are different problems. If Google has suspended the listing, fix the suspension through Google's reinstatement process first. For home-based businesses, we explain the usual causes in our guide on why Google suspends HDB home-business profiles.

Leaving an agency? The profile is only one of the keys

If you're changing agencies, the Business Profile is only one of the accounts to take back. Your domain, Google Analytics and Search Console need the same treatment. Our guide on how to switch SEO agency in Singapore covers the full handover. For a check of what you currently control, start with an SEO audit in Singapore.

How SingRank handles profile access

Our view is that the business should hold primary owner and any agency, us included, should work below it. At SingRank, handover is confirmed in the service agreement before work starts (SingRank pricing).

If your Google Business Profile ownership is tangled, send us your Google Maps link and website. We'll review your visibility and tell you which route above fits, before you decide whether to hire us. Our SEO, AEO and GEO programme includes Google Business Profile optimisation and local SEO. We don't guarantee rankings, and nobody honestly can.

FAQ

Can an agency keep my Google Business Profile?

Not under Google's rules. Google's third-party policy says clients must keep ownership or co-ownership at all times. An agency must also hand back exclusive control within 7 business days of notice. If a contract dispute sits behind the refusal, get legal advice, but report policy breaches to Google.

How long do you wait on a Google Business Profile ownership request?

The current owner has 3 days to respond after Google emails them. If they approve, you can manage the profile straight away, though new owners wait 7 days before removing users. Any verification Google then asks for can take up to 5 business days to review.

What if my ownership request is denied?

You'll get a rejection email. You can still suggest edits to the profile on Google Maps, and you can appeal the decision. Prepare your ACRA Business Profile and a bill or invoice with a matching name and address first, because Google gives you 60 minutes to attach evidence after appealing.

Can I just create a new Google Business Profile?

Not for the same business. Google allows one profile per business, and a duplicate won't show on Search or Maps. A new profile also starts with zero reviews. Create a new one only when the old listing belongs to a different business that used your address before.

What is the difference between owner and primary owner?

Both can add and remove users and edit everything. The primary owner is the only account that can transfer primary ownership, and there's just one per profile. That's why the business itself should hold primary owner, with agencies and staff added as owners or managers.

Will I lose my reviews in a Google Business Profile ownership transfer?

No, not if the existing profile is transferred. Google says transferring primary ownership keeps business info such as reviews. The real risks are starting a new profile, or a merge, where Google says reviews combine but replies to reviews may be lost.

What if the ex-employee used a personal Gmail?

Then only they can hand it over, so ask them first. It's a few taps for them in People and access. If they refuse or can't be reached, file Google's ownership request from your company account, with your ACRA record and matching documents ready.

This guide to Google Business Profile ownership reflects Google's Help Center pages as of 24 September 2026 and ACRA's Bizfile guidance. Google changes its processes without notice, so check the linked pages before you act. It isn't legal advice. Forum quotes are from Google's public community and name no one.