Address Search - Reverse Address Lookup (2024)

What Is a Reverse Address Search?

Most people are familiar with running a people search by name and potentially finding information, such as addresses, social media profiles, criminal records and more, associated with theperson. But what if all you have is an address and nothing else? That's where a reverse address search comes in.

Reverse address lookups are similar to other searches, except you're trying to find more information associated with an address, which may include current and former residents and theircorresponding information.

How a property owner search can help you?

At first, the advantages of searching by address versus name might not be obvious. But once you realize the information an address may unlock (including the people associated with it, past andpresent), its power becomes clear. Potential uses for a reverse address search include:

Getting to know new neighbors

Before introducing yourself to the new neighbors in your community, a reverse address search may reveal information, such as where they lived previously, what they do for a living and anycriminal records they may have.

Checking up on old haunts

According to the U.S. Census, the average person moves nearly 12 times in their lifetime, and eventually that statistic may include you. Once you move somewhere new, it's natural to want to seewho's moved into your old place, whether for contact purposes or just to see how the neighborhood changes.

Locating lost relatives

Maybe you want to invite a long-lost aunt to a bridal shower. The problem is that Aunt Lisa moved, but you don't know where, and there are a lot of Lisa Smiths in the country. But if you haveher prior address handy, you can plug that information into a reverse address search to potentially locate her new address.

Zeroing in on home values

Looking to buy or rent a home, but aren't sure if you're getting a fair deal? Search both your prospective home and similar ones in the neighborhood to potentially reveal home value and pastsale reports.

Making safer online transactions

Before agreeing to meet in person to make an exchange, an address search may give you greater confidence in whether to move forward with an in-person meeting.

Getting a feel for neighborhood safety

Running a reverse address lookup on your (or any nearby) property may return valuable safety information, such as crime reports associated with the neighborhood and any potential sex offendersregistered nearby.

Why use a reverse address lookup?

The wealth of information that may be associated with an address is vast. If you can imagine it, a reverse address search can probably help you find the answer.

• Worried about rental fraud and property scams? Short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO are popular vacation options, but according to an Apartment List survey 43% ofshoppers encountered fraudulent listings in their searches. An address search may help confirm that the property belongs to the right people.

• Concerned about meeting up with a date? Online dating often turns into real-life dating, but visiting a stranger's home carries risk. Running a reverse address lookup mayreveal information about your date, as well as the neighborhood in which they live.

• Looking to move? According to the U.S. Census, roughly 10% of the population moves each year. If you have a destination in mind, address lookups for a few potential landingspots may help you narrow down your neighborhood search.

• Concerned about renters next door? If you have loud, destructive or inconsiderate neighbors, you may have little recourse if you don't know who owns the property. A reverseaddress search can reveal the owner, as well as a variety of contact information.

• Trying to connect with an old friend or classmate? Phone numbers come and go these days, but if you still have an old address in your contacts, you may be able to find theperson’s most up-to-date number, email address and social media profiles.

Similar to people, email and phone number searches, a PeopleLooker reverse address lookup may help uncover the information you need and more.

What information can an address lookup reveal?

A lot, because in addition to the people associated with the address, you can find information about the property itself, such as:

• Home values, sales histories and property tax assessments.

• Contact information for current and past owners, including email addresses and possible social media profiles.

• Property details that may include home and lot size, building history and the number of rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms.

• Personal data for potential non-owner residents, including address histories and criminal records.

• General neighborhood data, including criminal reports, registered sex offenders and demographic information.

How to run a reverse address search?

If you've used an online search engine, you can do a reverse address lookup. The same way you'd use an email address for an email search or a phone number for a reverse phone lookup, you enteran address to try to discover the information associated with it. Sometimes, an address search can reveal even more—while phone numbers are typically only associated with one person, severalpeople may have lived at the same address.

As with any search, the more information you provide, the more accurate it will be. For search purposes, most U.S. addresses appear in this format: house number, street name, city, state and ZIPcode. Typically, as long as the address you're searching for still exists, it will appear automatically for selection in the dropdown box. In minutes, PeopleLooker searches across millions ofpublicly available data points to return a report.

Note that a physical address may not always be the same as a mailing address, especially in rural areas where residents may receive their mail at the post office. However, a reverse addresslookup may reveal other addresses for current and past residents, including post office boxes.