If you’ve got an address in hand, there are several ways to find the person who lives there. We’ve divided these up in order of convenience and, well, cost: online, offline, and professional services. Each of these is fit for a different type (and urgency) of search, but all can be used to get the information you need.
Things like reverse address lookup tools, Google (yes, it can be that simple), phonebooks, private investigators, and background check companies are some of the ways you can carry out your search.
In this article, we’re going to cover each of these methods in detail and help you find the right one.
Searching the Right Way
When attempting to find out who lives at a particular address, you need to be aware of and comply with privacy laws that protect people’s personal information. This protects not only the people you’re searching for but you as well.
In the United States, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) are the two main pieces of legislation you need to be familiar with. The GLBA restricts financial firms from disclosing nonpublic personal information, and the FCRA governs the collection, dissemination, and use of consumer information, looking specifically at whether the information is used for permissible purposes.
The European Union (EU) has similar privacy laws. We recommend reading up on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which defines the rules for handling personal information for individuals within the EU. The GDPR requires that personal data be processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently.
Through it, people also get rights over their own data, including the right to access, correct, and delete their information if they want.
If your search involves EU residents, make sure it doesn’t violate the GDPR. Generally, violations of these regulations will result in hefty fines or further punishment for the offending individual. With that in mind, it’s incredibly important to be familiar with these laws before searching for who lives at a certain address.
Searching for Who Lives at an Address Online
There are lots of options for you to choose from when searching online–reverse address lookup tools, search engines, social media, and more. The best one among them depends on your exact needs and the importance of the information you’re seeking. Let’s look at them in more detail.
Reverse Address Lookup Tools
Reverse address lookup tools are specifically designed to find out who lives at a given address by entering the location into their search fields. Using these tools is the easiest way to find out who lives there.
You can find information such as the names of current and past residents, phone numbers, and additional contact information (your mileage may vary). Most of these are free, but some paid ones require a subscription or a fee to access detailed reports. If the data you’re looking for is important, these may be worth it.
Search Engines
Alternatively, you can just Google the address (or Bing, if that’s more your preference). If used correctly, you’ll be able to find a surprising amount of information just through them. Enter the address and press search, and you’ll likely come across links to social media profiles, public records, or even news articles (if it’s a popular place of business) mentioning the address.
The trick here is to use quotation marks around the address alongside keywords like “resident” or “property owner.” These will help tell the search engine what exactly it is you’re looking for and give you specific results. Be ready for a lot of sifting though, since these search engines are designed to return anything and everything that it considers ‘relevant.’
Social Media
Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram will show you any public posts about a specific address if you search using location tags, check-ins, or public posts. You’ll need to enter the address into the search bar on your platform of choice and, like search engines, sift through the results to find the one you’re looking for.
Online Property Records (Government)
Local government websites usually have property records uploaded online, and these can be absolutely invaluable in your search. Many municipalities allow public visitors access to property tax records, which will also show you the name of the property owner and sometimes additional details about the property.
You’ll usually get this info for free– through city or county websites. If you get any leads from social media, search engines, or reverse address lookup tools, you can cross-reference them with the name(s) you get here and get a complete picture of who lives at the address.
Searching Offline
If the person you’re looking for happens to be the real-life equivalent of Ron Swanson, you’ll be hard-pressed to find them online. If the previous methods don’t help, you’ll have to put on your detective gloves and physically search for the resident of the address.
Approach Neighbors
You’ll have to get involved in the local community where the address is located. Primarily, you’ll be taking part in neighborhood associations or local events. If the individual you’re looking for has been a resident for a long time, it’s likely that the neighborhood association has a record that could tell you the name of the person or connect you with them directly.
Within the local neighborhood, you’ll also come across bulletin boards, local libraries, and municipal buildings that have information about the residents through newsletters, announcements, or community directories. Each of these can be a possible source of information to get you closer to the answer.
Physical Directories and Archives
They may be a relic of the previous generation, but when looking for who lives at a certain address, you can’t sleep on traditional directories and archives. Physical phone books, though less common today, still exist and will likely have listings of residents and their contact information.
Local libraries also maintain archives of old directories, newspapers, and public records that may include the names of past and present residents of an address. That’s not all–libraries usually have access to historical census records and other documents that can help out in your search. If nothing else, at the very least, you’ll be able to generate a lot of good leads about the actual resident at the address you’ve got.
Hiring Professionals
If nothing else works, then you may have to hire a professional. You can either hire a private investigator (PI) or a background check company.
Private Investigator (PI)
PIs have databases and resources at their disposal that the public simply doesn’t, and they also have a lifetime of experience using these resources to find information discreetly and quickly. Things like background checks, surveillance, and verification of the accuracy of information are all routine tasks for them–with an address in hand, they can easily find information about the person who lives there.
Private investigators are expensive, though, so we’d advise you to only go with them if the information you need is absolutely critical.
Background Check Companies
These companies will do all the searching for you and provide the information (for a fee, of course). Suppose you need data about the current and past residents, including names, contact information, and even criminal records or financial history. In that case, these companies are your best bet at getting them, often at a cheaper rate than a private investigator.
The only thing to note with both PI’s and background check companies is to make sure they’re reputable. If they’re not claiming to be compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) up front, it’s likely that they’re not doing it, period.
This can create not just ethical, but legal consequences for you, so make sure you pick a trustworthy source for your information.
Before You Go Out on Your Search
In this age of information, there are few things that remain anonymous about us, especially if they’ve been uploaded online. If you’ve got an address, finding the name of the person that lives there isn’t going to be too difficult.
One way or another, through online, offline, or professional ways of searching, you’ll come across the information you need to identify the owner or resident of that address.
Just don’t forget the importance of respecting the law and the privacy of everyone involved in the process. Boundaries can often get blurred in the process of searches like these, so always keep local and international regulations in mind as you go about your business.
