Your address history is a key part of your identity-related data footprint. It allows lenders to assess your credit standing, employers to discover criminal records, and potential landlords to carry out background screenings.
Providing inaccurate or incomplete previous address information in any of these instances could put you at a disadvantage.
But many people don’t bother to maintain records of places they’ve lived in the past, especially those that date back decades. Keeping tabs can also get extra difficult if you’ve moved frequently.
So, how can you get an accurate idea of your address history? Keep reading to find out.
Effective Ways to Find My Previous Addresses
Don’t remember where you lived during different periods of your life? Fortunately, various resources can direct you to accurate address records so you can piece together details of your past whereabouts.
Here’s what to do when you want to trace back your address history.
Check on Nuwber
Nuwber is a people search engine that can find not only a person’s current address but past addresses, too.
Its people database contains public records from multiple sources, including online databases maintained by government agencies. This makes it a highly effective online tool for discovering credible address information.
Nuwber’s strict data verification process also makes its search results much more accurate and up-to-date than what you find on regular search engines.
There are several ways you can use Nuwber’s search services. One is searching your name to identify the linked address history. You can also conduct an email or phone number search and retrieve related address information.
When you’re unsure of an address or only have part of it, you can carry out a reverse address search. This will list all present and previous residents linked to a specific property.
If you don’t have much to go by or want to double-check information, search the name of a family member or friend who has lived with you in the past and compare their address history with yours.
Review Personal Accounts
An important way to find a previous address is to review personal accounts you’ve created or held while living in a particular location.
For example, can you recollect the bank account you had at the time? The statements issued for it will likely carry your address.
How about online accounts on e-commerce platforms? If you made purchases at online retailers and service providers, those accounts may still have digital copies of invoices issued for your transactions. These could indicate the delivery or mailing addresses you had provided.
Similarly, consider where else you’ve maintained personal accounts and check your profiles, transaction information, and communications for past address-related records.
Make a note of loyalty cards, subscriptions, and any other products and services you’ve obtained or signed up for over the years, where you’ve created a personal profile, possibly providing residence details.
Jog your memory about forgotten accounts where you haven’t updated your contact data. Check your email and social media accounts, too. These could contain valuable information like past correspondences containing your address.
Go Through Old Documents
There are plenty of documents you receive or deal with on a regular basis that carry your home address.
For example, if you’ve filed tax returns during the time you resided at a specific place, those tax records could reveal the postal address you’re searching for.
Did you pay for electricity, water, and similar services at the old address? Those utility bills will display the relevant property’s street address.
Other documents to check include old credit card statements, credit reports issued by a credit bureau, and legal documents, such as lease agreements you’d signed for a previous residence.
Sometimes, you’ll already have some of these documents. However, to find older ones, you may need to contact family members, roommates, and landlords.
Going through public records could be useful as well. For instance, when obtaining a driver’s license, the state Department of Motor Vehicles requests address information. So, there’s a good chance the DMV database could help locate the relevant details.
Likewise, the local county clerk’s office would have property records, which could disclose homeownership information.
Search on Google
Having around 400 billion documents in its index, Google leads the online search space.
So, if there are gaps in your address history, Google’s search engine is one of the best free tools you can use to discover those missing details.
It can pull records from online directories, social media platforms, online services, such as e-commerce sites, and countless other web sources.
To find address details, type your name in the search bar. Before clicking Search, mention “address” in the keywords, and add the city, town, or area code of the places you’ve lived.
You can also use search filters to set a custom date range and discover content published during that time period.
Keep in mind that the information Google retrieves can vary depending on what’s available and accessible online. For instance, it won’t display gated content or pages that have opted out of indexing.
Despite that, Google is still an indispensable resource for an address search, considering its ability to locate digitized data with impressive ease and speed.
To Recap
Many people find it hard to remember their old addresses. But this can be a problem when you need to officially disclose your address history or want to trace information from a few decades back.
But old personal accounts, bills, statements, credit reports, lease agreements, and similar documents can often help you track your past whereabouts.
You can also turn to Google and check online resources to identify your address timelines. But if you prefer to access location data without spending too much time on it, Nuwber is a more reliable solution.
However, what you can find will depend on address records that are publicly available and the type of search tools and resources you use.
If you want to avoid the hassles of tracing your address history in the future, file important documents and keep them secure. Also, update data in your personal accounts and inform the relevant organizations when you move to a new address.
FAQ
Why would someone need to know their previous address history?
Having an accurate idea of your previous addresses can be useful in various situations.
For example, your address history plays a key role in credit and lending decisions. By looking it up, a lender is able to get a more accurate picture of your credit information.
Similarly, employers often verify potential employees’ identities and search criminal records before making job offers. Landlords also run background checks using address histories before signing lease or rental agreements.
In all these instances, it’s crucial you provide accurate details of previous addresses to allow the other party to make an informed decision.
Is it possible to trace all my previous addresses?
In most cases, the answer is yes.
However, if you’ve moved frequently in the past, discovering each and every address record could be tricky. This is especially so when it comes to places you’ve stayed at during your childhood.
If you’ve lived in several locations, it’s best to gather as much information as possible before starting your address history search.
Speak to your parents, siblings, roommates, and anyone else who could recollect helpful information. Gather documents such as bills, bank statements, mortgage agreements, contracts, and letters that carry your previous addresses. What you find could help discover more information using search engines, government databases, and similar resources.
What’s a reverse address search?
A reverse address lookup or search involves unearthing personal details of an individual using an address.
You can use it to check whether you’ve lived at a certain property or to learn who currently lives there.
How is this possible? An address could get linked to your identity-related data in numerous ways.
For instance, you must provide details of where you live when you open a bank account, obtain mortgages, get your driver’s license, seek employment, or file taxes.
All this data is interconnected and creates a person’s digital footprint, making it easy to find information with an address.
How do I know whether my address history is accurate?
Address histories could include incorrect data due to several factors. Sometimes, it could result from genuine human errors. But it can also indicate criminal activity, such as identity theft.
Therefore, verifying old addresses and confirming that your address history is error-free and up-to-date is crucial from time to time.
To ensure your address details and timelines are correct, verify all the information using several resources.
How can I correct my address history?
If you notice an incorrect address in your address history, immediately notify the relevant organization.
For example, if a lender has recorded a previous address inaccurately, you can reach out to them and request they correct it. They may require proof of address if they don’t have one already. So, be prepared to submit a utility bill, bank statement, or any other valid document to help confirm information.
Moreover, the Fair Credit Reporting Act makes it possible to change or delete incorrect records in your credit report. So, ensure you get any errors there rectified, too.
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