Verify Place Ownership
Verify a business you own or manage using phone or business-domain email one-time passcodes, and what to do if neither is available.
Why verification matters
Ownership verification is how Stitch confirms you control a public point of contact already associated with a business before giving you edit access to its listing. It's separate from creating a Places Business Account — you need an active account first, then you verify the specific place you're claiming.
Verification demonstrates control over the business's existing public phone number or website domain. It's a strong practical signal, but it isn't the same as a legal determination of ownership — see our Places Business Terms for the full picture.
Verify with phone one-time passcode (OTP)
If the place has a public phone number listed, you can verify by receiving a 6-digit code at that exact number.
- From the place profile, tap Verify Ownership, then choose phone verification.
- Stitch sends a 6-digit code by SMS text, or offers an automated voice call, to the phone number already listed for the place — not a number you type in separately.
- Enter the 6-digit code in the app to complete verification.
- Once verified, you'll see an owner badge on the place profile and gain access to edit its details.
Verify with business-domain email OTP
If the place has a website, you can verify using an email address at that website's domain — for example, name@yourbusiness.com rather than a personal email at a generic provider like Gmail.
- From the place profile, tap Verify Ownership, then choose email verification.
- Enter an email address at the business's own domain.
- Stitch sends a 6-digit code to that address — check your inbox (and spam folder).
- Enter the code in the app to complete verification.
If no public phone number or website is available
If a place has no listed phone number, phone verification won't be offered for it. If it has no website, domain email verification won't be available either. In that case, your claim may go to manual review — you may be asked to provide supporting information so Stitch can evaluate it. This can take longer than an instant OTP verification.
If someone else already verified the business
If a place already shows a verified owner and you attempt to claim it, your attempt is treated as a takeover request and gets extra scrutiny rather than instantly transferring ownership. If you believe you're the rightful owner or manager and someone else wrongly verified themselves, contact support@stitchmessaging.com with details supporting your claim (such as your relationship to the business and how to independently confirm it) so the case can be reviewed.
How disputes and manual review work
When two people dispute a claim, a suggested edit, or the accuracy of a place's details and can't resolve it themselves, Stitch reviews the available evidence — verification status, account history, and the substance of the dispute — and makes a determination. That may mean reverting an edit, removing a verified status, or asking either party for more information. A Stitch decision in a dispute isn't a legal ruling on ownership and doesn't stop either party from pursuing the matter elsewhere.
To prevent abuse, verification attempts are rate-limited — sending too many OTP requests in a short time may temporarily block further attempts. Never try to trigger verification for a business you're not authorized to manage; doing so can result in your Places Business Account being suspended.