Bought a Business? What to Do About the Previous Owner’s Reviews

Reviews from the previous owner generally stay on the listing after you buy a business. Google keeps reviews on a Business Profile when ownership or management changes, and Yelp usually keeps the same page when the customer experience stays much the same. You can’t wipe them, but you can take over the listings, reply to old reviews to show things have changed, tell customers about the new ownership, and build a fresh run of reviews that reflects how you run the business.

The good news: this is one of the most fixable reputation problems there is. Old reviews lose weight as new ones arrive, and readers tend to give a new owner a fair hearing when the evidence of change is visible.

Why the old reviews stay with the business

Review platforms attach reviews to the business at a location, not to the person who owns it. From a customer’s point of view, it’s the same restaurant, the same shop or the same practice, so the history is still relevant to them.

• Google: its help pages say reviews stay on the Business Profile when ownership or management changes; replying to existing reviews is how a new owner can explain what has improved. A substantial rebrand can be treated as a new business, but a change of owner alone isn’t a reason for a new profile.
• Yelp: its guidelines on substantial business changes weigh factors such as ownership, location, offerings and ambiance. When a business changes hands but the customer experience stays essentially the same, Yelp suggests telling customers about the change in the “From the Business” section of the page rather than starting a new page.

Most review sites follow a similar logic, which is why “reviews from previous owner” problems are solved by what you add, not by what you remove.

Step 1: Take over every listing properly

Do this as part of the sale if you can. Access to listings is easy to forget in a purchase agreement and slow to sort out afterward.

Google Business Profile

1. Ask the seller to transfer primary ownership. In the Business Profile settings, under people and access, the current primary owner can add you and then make you the primary owner. Only the primary owner can do this, so arrange it before the handover.
2. Expect a short waiting period. Google’s help pages say new owners can’t use some features, such as transferring primary ownership again or removing other users, for the first seven days.
3. If the seller is unreachable, Google has a separate process for requesting ownership of a profile. It takes longer, so a transfer during the sale is much easier.
4. Remove old users who no longer need access, once you are able to.

Then update anything that changed: hours, phone number, website, services, photos and the business description.

Yelp

Claim the page through Yelp for Business, or ask the seller to hand over the existing business account. If the previous owner controls the page and won’t cooperate, contact Yelp’s support team with evidence of the sale. Once you have access, update the details and use the “From the Business” section to say the business is under new ownership and what that means for customers.

Everything else

List every place the business appears: Facebook, Apple Maps, Bing, industry sites such as Tripadvisor or Angi, and delivery or booking apps. Get access to each one, or claim it fresh. Stale details on one platform often get copied to others.

Step 2: Don’t create a new listing to escape the reviews

It’s tempting to start a new Google profile or Yelp page with a clean slate. Don’t.

• Google’s guidance says not to create a new Business Profile because of a change in ownership. A second profile for the same business at the same address is a duplicate, and duplicates can be merged, suspended or removed.
• A duplicate splits your reviews and confuses customers, who may find the old listing with the old phone number.
• If the platform merges the two, the old reviews come back anyway, and you may lose time and history in the process.

If you genuinely have duplicates, for example because the seller created one years ago, our guide on removing a Google business listing covers how to handle them. For Yelp, see whether you can delete a Yelp business page.

Step 3: Reply to the old reviews

Replying to past reviews is the most visible signal of new ownership. Readers scanning your profile see a pattern of calm, current replies under the old complaints.

Prioritize:

1. Negative reviews from the last year or two, especially ones that describe problems you have fixed.
2. Reviews that mention something that still applies, such as a staff member who stayed or a menu item you kept.
3. Recent positive reviews, with a short thank-you.

Keep each reply short. Don’t blame the previous owner by name or criticize their work; readers find that uncomfortable, and it can create problems if the seller is still involved in the handover. State the change, name what’s different, and invite the reviewer back.

Hi Carla, thank you for the detailed review. The business changed ownership in March, and the slow checkout you described was one of the first things we worked on: we now have two registers open on weekends. We’d love a chance to show you the difference. Mark, Owner

Thanks for this, Devon. I took over the practice recently and read every review from the past couple of years. Scheduling was a common complaint, so we’ve moved to online booking with text confirmations. If you’d like to try us again, please call and ask for me directly. Anita, Practice Owner

Our guide on how to respond to negative reviews covers the general structure in more detail.

Step 4: Tell customers about the change

Old reviews matter less when customers know the business is different now. Say it clearly and in several places:

• Your Google Business Profile description and posts: a short note on new ownership and what has changed.
• Yelp’s “From the Business” section: the natural place for an ownership update on Yelp.
• Your website: an “under new ownership” note on the home page and an about page that introduces you.
• In person: signage, receipts and staff who can answer “is this the same place?”.
• Existing customers: an email or letter introducing yourself, if you acquired a customer list and have permission to contact them.

Be specific. “New ownership, same great service” says nothing. “New owners since March: new kitchen equipment, a shorter wait for takeout and a revised menu” gives people a reason to try again.

Step 5: Build new reviews the right way

New reviews are what actually moves your rating and pushes old ones down the page. Ask every customer for a Google review after their visit or job, not only those who seem happy. Offer no incentives for reviews. Skip Yelp requests altogether, because Yelp asks businesses not to solicit reviews.

A steady flow of honest reviews will, over time, reflect the business you run. It is slower than people hope, and how quickly things change depends on your volume of customers, but it is the only approach that holds up.

A worked example

This scenario is illustrative, not a real client. Jenna buys a neighborhood bakery with a 3.4 rating on Google. Most of the one- and two-star reviews from the last two years describe stale bread and rude service at the counter.

1. Before closing: her purchase agreement includes a clause requiring the seller to transfer ownership of the Google profile, Yelp account, Instagram and the website domain.
2. Week one: she becomes primary owner of the Google profile, updates the hours and adds new photos. On Yelp, she updates the page and writes a “From the Business” note about new ownership.
3. Weeks two to four: she replies to every negative review from the last two years, explaining that bread is now baked each morning and that the counter team has changed.
4. Ongoing: staff hand a small card with the Google review link to every customer at the register. She doesn’t ask for Yelp reviews.

Over several months, new reviews mention the fresh bread and friendly staff, and the most recent page of reviews looks very different from the old one. The overall rating recovers gradually rather than overnight, and results depend on the business, but readers can now see the change for themselves.

Common mistakes

• Leaving listing access out of the sale. Chasing a seller for passwords months later is slow and sometimes impossible.
• Reporting old reviews just because they’re about the previous owner. A genuine review of the business isn’t a policy violation, and bulk reporting wastes time.
• Attacking the previous owner in replies. Say what’s changed, not who was to blame.
• Creating a duplicate listing. It breaks platform rules and splits your reviews.
• Doing nothing. Silence under old complaints suggests nothing has changed.

If you are taking over a business with a large volume of reviews or several locations, our Google Business Profile management service can handle the handover, updates and replies.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get the previous owner's reviews removed?

Generally no. Genuine reviews stay with the business when ownership changes. You can report individual reviews that break a platform’s rules, such as fake or abusive reviews, but not reviews simply because they relate to the previous owner.

Should I create a new Google Business Profile after buying a business?

No. Google’s guidance is not to create a new profile because of a change in ownership. Have the seller transfer primary ownership of the existing profile, then update it.

What if the previous owner won't give me access to the listings?

Google has a process for requesting ownership of a Business Profile, and Yelp’s support team can help if you provide evidence of the purchase. It is slower than a transfer, so include listing access in the sale agreement where possible.

Will changing the business name reset the reviews?

Not usually. Minor name changes generally keep the reviews. A substantial rebrand with a different concept may be treated as a new business on some platforms, but platforms look at the whole business, not just the name.

How do I let customers know the business has new owners?

Reply to old reviews mentioning the change, add a note to your Google profile and Yelp’s “From the Business” section, update your website, and use signage and receipts in person. Be specific about what is different.