Just a few decades back, locating an address was a laborious task. Information was scattered in different places, and retrieving it involved complicated and frustrating processes (that is, if you could get access to them at all). But today, things are a lot more seamless, organised, and accessible. Importantly, much of the data is digitised. As a result, finding out where someone lives no longer requires you to jump through countless hoops. In this article, we discuss proven techniques for you to discover a person’s address when you don’t want to ask them directly (or even to confirm if an address someone has already given you is accurate, up-to-date, or complete). But before we get to that, let’s consider legitimate reasons to look for an address.
Why would you want to know someone’s address?
For many people, an address is a simple piece of data. But it is part of a person’s personally identifiable information (PII), similar to their SSN, bank account number, and tax ID. So, before you look for someone’s location details (whether it’s their home, office, or somewhere else associated with them), you need to ensure you have legitimate reasons to do so.
They can include:
- Confirming an address to courier an invitation or a gift when you want it to be a surprise to the receiver (or don’t want to call them to get their address while they are busy).
- Authenticating an employee’s details before hiring.
- Complying with applicable regulations, say, by meeting Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements in certain industries.
- Minimising risks when approving loans, mortgages, and credit.
- Running background checks on tenants before renting a house.
- Avoiding scams, for example, when buying something on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.
- Sending important communications, such as legal documents and notices.
- Updating customer databases with accurate contact details to provide customised products and experiences.
- Verifying the eligibility to receive certain geography-based services.
Five techniques to find an address
Let’s say you have valid grounds to look for someone’s address. Where and how can you uncover accurate information? Here are five effective methods to use, depending on the circumstances.
1. Search Nuwber’s people directory
When you want to locate an up-to-date address hassle-free, but only know the relevant person’s name, you can run a name search on Nuwber’s people search directory to uncover information quickly. This platform is also excellent for verifying an address you already have. You can simply select the “Address” option and find out who currently owns and lives there. Nuwber allows reverse number and email searches, too. This means you can discover an individual’s address even with their phone number or email address. Plus, the platform can produce various other details, such as a person’s age, social profiles, and criminal history. Note, however, that Nuwber can’t be used to perform a tenant screening or make any employment decisions.
2. Check public records
Addresses can appear in a variety of public records like deeds, business registrations, and court documents. And as the name implies, public records are available to the public (usually, as long as there’s a valid reason to obtain them). To access such documents, however, you often need specific information to identify them correctly. For instance, to find a deed at the local county recorder’s office (or their website), you must know the specific locality where a person lives, their full name, and their property’s parcel number or some other identifiable detail. Note that accessibility of data may depend on the laws applicable to that jurisdiction.
3. Find information on Google
Google’s search bots crawl the internet daily to index billions (if not trillions) of web pages, from which its algorithms pick up relevant content based on keyword searches. It all sounds simple, yet it’s a fairly complex process. The important thing is that Google allows you to search the depths of the internet within a fraction of a second to unearth information (like a person’s address). To begin your search, enter a full name and the term “address” as your primary keywords. If there’s more than one person with the same name, you will need a few more keywords (like a city) to filter content about the right individual.
4. Look for the address on social media
Often, people indicate their location (i.e., a city or town) on networking sites to let others know where they are based. This allows them to connect with locals and explore opportunities closer to home. So, if knowing the city or suburb someone lives in is sufficient for your requirements, then a quick peek into their social profile bio could be enough to discover it. Sometimes, people can also mention their full address on networking sites, for example, when they are selling something or organising an event. So, it makes sense to go through past posts as well to try your luck. Another option is to run a general search using the individual’s name and the word “address” in the search bar to see what turns up.
5. Ask mutual contacts
Do you know anyone associated with the person in question? Perhaps you have met someone in their family or are friends with a coworker. If any of them are aware of an address, they might be willing to share it with you, provided you have a good enough reason to ask for it. But don’t be surprised if they seem disinclined to disclose it. After all, an address is something deeply personal, and not everyone may want to reveal someone else’s address without due permission. In situations like that, asking up front might not be a good idea. Resorting to more tactful methods, like probing with indirect questions, is a better option in such circumstances.
To wrap things up
When you need to find or verify someone’s address, searching public records and asking mutual contacts are effective methods for uncovering accurate information. If you prefer online tools, Nuwber’s people directory, the Google search engine, and social media sites are excellent options. Whichever method you use, make sure you have a legitimate reason to access a person’s address details. Even if you do, respect privacy, be ethical, and avoid sharing what you find with others (by publishing it online, selling it, etc.).
Article edited by Mark Webber