How to Find My Previous (Old) Addresses Free – 9 Methods
Katherine Young
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Many of us have difficulty recalling our previous address. We only bother to worry about it when any official work is coming up. Some of the lucky ones may have it imprinted on their mind or saved it on their phone, etc. Others may only remember the city, and the rest of the info may be blank. You could need your previous address for financial and legal documents, employment, housing, admission to institutes, or to claim government benefits. It is crucial information since it can affect your background check or even make you susceptible to identity theft.
Spokeo is an online platform that public information about people, including addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and other available data. It is often used to find current and past addresses of individuals by inputting their name, phone number, or email address.
Therefore, I have gathered some of the best methods to help you find your previous address. You can go through every method and find out the one that suits your requirements.
Methods to Find Previous Address Free
Here are the best 9 methods that I have identified and found reliable based on my experience.
Method 1: Using People Search Tools
The first method is using people search tools. However, sometimes these tools may generate incomplete data. They might also produce incorrect address reports, and if you use a non-reputable tool, it may share your data with third parties. Hence, verify the reports and use only reputable sites.
Note: I shall be doing a reverse name search since I am assuming you do not remember your previous address. However, if you have some idea of the previous address but are unsure, you can also do a direct reverse address search to verify it with these tools.
1) Spokeo
Spokeo is a people lookup tool that can gather complete details about a person, including address/location history. I tested it by simply entering my relative’s name on its search bar after going through 3 results with similar names, I found her with several important details.
Reverse Address Search: Yes
Accurate Result: Yes
Supported Platforms: Android, Windows & iOS
Free Trial: 7 Day Trial at $0.95
It generated her contact information, social media accounts, and current and previous residency with full street address and complete background information.
Here’s a step-by-step demonstration of how you can look up your previous address on Spokeo:
Step 1) Visit https://www.spokeo.com/, enter your full name, and tap on Search Now.
Step 2) Enter City and State details to narrow down the results and hit Continue. If you are confused, you can enter your current city and state, or you can tap on Not Sure and allow Spokeo to scan. Once done, hit Continue.
Step 3) Now, choose Location History among the data options and tap Continue. You may have to enter further details, such as if you are married, etc., for more accurate results.
Step 4) Now, you will be prompted to enter your full name and email ID. Follow the rest of the instructions as they are straightforward from here.
Step 5) Finally, pay a mere amount of $0.95 and get your one-time report.
7 Day Trial at $0.95
2) Intelius
Intelius gathers data from specialized sources such as public records. It includes all documents that the government agency files. I observed its reports and understood that it also scours social media, the internet database, and different authoritative websites. Its people lookup service can provide both current and past addresses. Therefore, I found the full details of the past two addresses that I lived in when I was studying in Georgia.
Reverse Address Search: Yes
Accurate Result: Yes
Supported Platforms: Android and iOS
Free Trial: 5-Days Trial at $0.95
Note: Although it offers impressive results, Intelius’ search process is much slower compared to Spokeo and doesn’t offer one-time reports. Hence, you need to subscribe to it for a month to see how well it serves your purpose.
Here’s a guide on how to use Intelius to find your previous address:
Step 1) Visit https://www.intelius.com/, go to the People Search option at the top, and type your name, current city, and state. You can also choose All States if you are confused.
Step 2) You may be asked further questions; do answer them to generate the best results and allow it to search.
Step 3) Now select from the list of results, and the best results that match your match will be displayed on top. I like the fact that the basic information is offered so you can choose the right report. You can click on OPEN REPORT for the full results.
Step 4) Give the tool some time, as it shall gather more detailed data such as social media and complete addresses. Once the previous address lookup is complete, provide your email ID and get the report by paying $25.11, which is a one-month plan.
5-Days Trial at $0.95
3) Social Catfish
Social Catfish is a people search engine that has one of the largest databases. If you have doubts, you can also reverse-check your previous address and find out who owns the property, what the list of tenants that stayed there is, etc. I used it to look up my colleague’s old address with his consent.
He already knew what his previous address was, but I wanted to check if Social Catfish delivers accuracy. It provides better information if you can narrow the search just like any other tool. After a few minutes, I received the exact address he had told me, leading me to add Social Catfish to this article.
Follow the steps below to find your previous address with Social Catfish:
Step 1) Go to https://socialcatfish.com/, enter your name and state in the search bar, and tap on Search. It will prompt you to select the state, city, and other details.
Step 2) Allow it to perform the search and wait for it to complete.
Step 3) Once the search is complete, you can enter your email address and get the report for $5.73. This plan is applicable for 3 days, so make sure to cancel it within these 3 days since the monthly charges will be incurred beyond this period.
3-Days Trial for $5.73 – Unlimited Searches
PeopleSmart is a trusted online resource for tracking down your previous addresses quickly and accurately. By entering your name or other details, you can access a comprehensive history of your past residences, making it easy to verify your address records.
Method 2: Look Through Your Old Documents
This method, in my opinion, has to be one of the most direct ways to find previous addresses for free. If you rented a place or held a lease, the documents will guide you back to your old address. Search your files for your rental agreement, court orders, legal papers, company contracts, business partnership documents, etc.
However, as simple as it may sound, I faced a few challenges since it is common to pile up papers and forget about them. Looking for those documents among several files was quite exasperating. To add to this pain, you may come across damaged or incomplete documents, and some may even go missing. Hence, I suggest you organize the papers first, then look for them, find their digital formats, and give yourself a full day or two to do it. You can also reach out to institutions that might have copies.
Method 3: Go Through Your Credit Reports
Credit reports can also lead you to the path to your previous address. These reports contain your previous address history and can be used to find your old residency. Although using this method, I found way too many addresses; hence I had to look through the dates carefully. The formatting also seemed quite confusing to me, but getting help from a financial advisor helped me interpret it better.
Here’s how to check your credit report:
Step 1) First request for a free credit report from all the credit reporting agencies. If they do not offer it for free, you can purchase it.
Step 2) Reports will contain addresses from 10 years ago; hence, review them carefully.
Step 3) Check if the address listed on your credit report is accurate. It’s best to get a financial advisor to assist you cause this may seem like a maze.
Method 4: Dig Up Your Tax and Financial Records
Tax returns and financial statements contain address information. Therefore, if you keep your past tax returns, you can find your address in these files. Worry not if you have failed to do it. You can request copies from the IRS, but they will charge you $57 per copy. There are free tax transcripts as well, but those reports may only show the first six characters for privacy reasons.
I went through my loan/ mortgage account statements, and it helped me look up my past addresses. You can also view your previous employer’s address on W-2 forms or 1099s, just in case it’s required.
Method 5: Look for Your Public Records
Going through your public records is also a great way to find your previous address. I suggest looking through your state Department of Motor Vehicles— they may charge you some fee to provide the records. Researching further, I found several online services as well that offer free public record searches. However, understand their privacy policies before using them.
If it gets confusing, you can use search filters on public record databases. I did not want to go through this hassle, so I consulted public records office staff, and they assisted in acquiring the right files. It may not be a cakewalk for some; therefore, it’s best you visit government offices that include public records and request a copy— they will charge a fee. I recommend going through records such as property, driver’s license, voter registration, census (Nation Archives), and even criminal, if any.
Method 6: Find Your Online Accounts
In today’s day and age, we have online accounts on multiple sites. There are shopping, food delivery, commuting, banking apps, and more where you can check your previous address. It’s common to not delete your previous address from these apps immediately. I personally still have my old address listed on Amazon and Uber Eats as one of the locations. Even social media may help you recall if you tagged your residency in previous posts.
You can also check messages on WhatsApp or other platforms where you may have shared your location with someone.
If all else fails, let me tell you from my experience— I saved my friend’s old location as well in Uber Eats since I would frequently visit her and order snacks. Now, given my habit, I just never deleted it, and this turned out to be quite helpful for her. Hence, why not check with friends if they had previously used delivery or pickup apps at your old address—you might just get lucky.
Method 7: Try Contacting Your Old Landlord
Another trick that could work out for you is contacting your landlord or property manager. If you still have your landlord’s number or know which company or professional managed your previous residency, contacting them will solve your problem.
My landlord was very easy to talk to; however, in some cases, it might have been ages, so they may not respond to your call or text. It is also possible that they now use a different number. In such circumstances, try other ways to contact them, such as their family member or friends on social media. You can also track them down by asking your friends who live in or near that area. If you have their email ID, it could also be fruitful. However, make sure to approach them politely because addresses are sensitive information.
Method 8: Check Your Memberships and Clubs
Have you tried checking your membership to track your old address? If not, try to contact the club or organizations that you are or were a part of. I contacted my gym and library membership, which provided details of my previous address.
You can also look into magazine subscriptions, physical mail records, marathons (and other participation), and registration clubs, if any. The issue with this method is that multiple addresses might have been listed in different memberships. Therefore, checking the payment receipts against the dates on them can help you verify the address. In case the membership is no longer active, you can request that the organization check its archives for past address lookups.
Method 9: Utility Providers
Are you still wondering how to find previous addresses for free? Utility services such as water, gas, Wi-Fi, electricity, newspaper, milk, etc., can help you locate your previous address. These services often keep a record of your addresses. Thus, contacting them or logging into their online portals can help you get your old residency details. Most of them offer “transfer services to a new location”; if you are using one of those providers, then you may have higher chances.
However, some of them may not hold old records. You can ask them which services store address history and contact them instead or visit their office and acquire it.
What Should I Do if My Previous Address Is Incorrect?
Incorrect previous address is not an uncommon issue. Therefore, you can relax; I shall tell you what you can do:
- Get Help From Authorities: Contact the relevant authorities of the records where your previous address appears incorrectly.
- Update Financial and Govt Address: Visit or reach out to your bank, credit card company, and other financial institutes you are associated with to update your address. If it’s govt agencies such as the IRS, contact them via official channels (file change-of-address) to update it since this proof is reflected everywhere.
- File Dispute: In case of an error in the credit report, file a dispute. You can offer supporting documents such as your rental agreement and utility bills.
- Check For Identity Theft: If you see an address that you have never resided in, it may mean that your identity has been stolen. Monitor your accounts and file for fraud alerts on the credit report.
- Correct Employment Records: Employment address records may also show incorrect addresses at times. Inform your employer to update your address instantly.
Now that you know— even if it is not too difficult to obtain, it is certainly an unnecessary headache when you forget your previous address. Hence, I recommend keeping a record of your addresses for the future.
Why is it important to have accurate records of your previous addresses?
Here are the main reasons why you must maintain your previous address record accurately:
- In many official works, you are required to verify your identity. Such accurate records help with a smooth background check
- Any inaccurate information in financial history can lead to credit errors and may affect your ability to take loans or credit cards.
- Legal documents need accurate previous addresses, such as when applying for government benefits. Inaccuracies can deprive you of such privileges and even lead to complications.
- Tracking services and subscriptions need accurate past addresses so you do not face any risk of missed payments or services.
- When you monitor your address history, it helps you detect identity theft. Any incorrect entries or unauthorized activities tied to your address can be prevented.
- Renting and real estate-related work requires a correct past address. Any issue in your address can result in rejection and delays.
- Companies and employers may need your previous address record to do background checks when hiring. If you provide inaccurate information, it can result in misunderstanding.
- Insurers calculate the premiums based on your addresses. Providing accurate addresses will ensure proper coverage of bills and avoid claiming issues.
FAQs
Conclusion
All of the methods above can help you find your previous address. There are 9 methods; hence, one of them must work out for you. Remember to verify your address when you find them on people lookup sites, although I found Spokeo, Intelius, and Social Catfish quite reliable. If losing your past residency information feels frustrating right now, I’d say it’s a lesson learned for all of us. Therefore, keep a record of your addresses from now on to avoid a sore head in the future.
Spokeo is an online platform that public information about people, including addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and other available data. It is often used to find current and past addresses of individuals by inputting their name, phone number, or email address.