An agency owns your Google Business Profile. Here's how to claim it back.

Understand the roles first

A Business Profile has owners and managers. There is exactly one primary owner, who is the only person able to hand primary ownership to someone else. Owners can add and remove users; managers can edit business information but not control who has access.

Your goal is simple to state: an account your company controls must end up as primary owner. The agency can keep manager access if you still work with them — that's the correct arrangement from day one.

The friendly path: have them transfer primary ownership

1. 1
   You get added as an owner first

   The agency adds your company Google account as an owner of the profile.
2. 2
   They promote you to primary owner

   In the profile's user management, next to your access they select Edit → Primary owner and save. The transfer takes effect immediately — no confirmation from you is needed.
3. 3
   Mind the 7-day rule

   Newly added owners and managers must wait 7 days before they can use all profile features (like deleting the profile or removing other owners). Plan handovers around it.
4. 4
   Demote or remove the agency

   Once you're primary owner, set the agency to manager — or remove them entirely.

The locked-out path: request ownership

1. 1
   Find the profile while signed in to your company account

   Search for your business on Google. If someone else has verified the profile, you'll be able to request access to it.
2. 2
   Submit the request-access form

   Fill in who you are and the access you need. Google notifies the current owner by email.
3. 3
   Wait for the response window

   The current owner has 3 days to respond. If they approve, you're in. If they refuse or ignore it, Google may let you verify your affiliation with the business and claim the profile — follow the options the flow offers you.
4. 4
   Service-area businesses go through support

   If the business has no storefront address, the flow differs: contact Google Business Profile support and ask for an ownership transfer of the listing.

Make sure this never happens again

• Primary ownership lives on a company Google account (e.g. profiles@yourbusiness.com) — never on an agency's or an employee's personal account.
• Agencies and freelancers get manager access. It's enough to do their whole job.
• Add a second owner from the business, so one departure never orphans the profile.
• Put the profile in your asset register with the rest of your Google estate.