How To Remove the only Admin From a Facebook Account

High Tide is currently working with a client who had one admin on their Facebook Business page. Sadly the admin account belonged to someone who had passed away, and there was no way to access the account. No one could add managers or admins, no one could track the profile, and unless a new business page is created, the current one had to remain stagnant. As a marketing firm, we knew that this was not acceptable and had to be fixed. The firm before us had also tried to remove the admin but was not successful, we knew with enough persistence, we could figure it out. We then did what we do best, we rolled up our sleeves and figured out how to solve the problem.

One would think that a simple google search or Facebook request would alleviate this problem, but that was not the case. Our firm submitted over 10 requests to have the admin removed with no response. Each request went unanswered. 

We combed through different marketing forums asking questions and trying various suggestions. Most people said that it was close to impossible to remove an admin and that it would be easier to just start a new business page, some people offered suggestions, but it seemed that no one had solved the problem easily.

I decided to document my process and help others that might be in the same situation. So if you've been worried about how to go about removing a sole admin from a business account or you've been trying to remove an admin for months/years, your search ends here.

We wrote out a list in chronological order followed by three key takeaways that you can implement today. Sit down, take a deep breath, and read slowly. You aren’t going to believe what Facebook hoops you have to jump through to remove an admin:

1. Before you reach out to Facebook to submit a request, you need a list of notarized documents. They will not submit a request without the following information:

• A copy of a valid government-issued photo ID, such as a current driver's license or a passport, of the individual signing the statement. 
• A notarized and signed (banks will do this for free by the way, you just have to go in and ask) statement from a person with sufficient knowledge and authority over this matter that includes all of the following: 

a) A description of your relationship to the Page (including your authority to request a change in the person(s) who manage the Page, as applicable); 

b) The name of the current person(s) who manage the Page, as applicable; 

c) The Facebook account or email address associated with the Facebook account that you wish to have added as the new admin of the Page; 

d) A declaration under penalty of perjury that the information you have provided is true and accurate

e) All documentation supporting your request including a death certificate or any documentation that you have to prove the claims (In our case, the admin was deceased so we had to print out and notarize a death certificate OR a printed out obituary.) This needs to be printed and notarized on separate pages. 

• A photocopy of the Articles of Incorporation for your business or your business license. This proves that you aren’t an outside party trying to ‘steal the business page’.

1. Once you have all of your documents notarized and organized, upload them to your computer. 
2. Go to https://www.facebook.com/business/help, click "get support," pick a category, then select "Need more help? Contact support" and you will be able to have a live chat with FB business support. You don’t have to put in the business page you are requesting help with. Just fill out the form as best you can and explain your issue in depth when you get a representative. 
3. Once you are connected with a representative, let them know that you are requesting to remove a page from the owning Business Manager and that you are also requesting admin privileges for the account. 
4. They will then ask you for the paperwork above (don’t be surprised if there is additional information tacked on last minute). Send it to them over Facebook but make sure that they verify the quality. Our request took an extra two days because they looked at each form individually and requested higher quality versions one after the other. 
5. From there, they will give you a case ID to track your progress. They will submit a request with all of the paperwork to their Internal Team so that you can claim admin access. 
6. They noted that you can not remove a current admin however once they add you, you are able to delete the other admin. 

Key Takeaways:

1. Set up a successor for your social media accounts. Add your passwords to a password bank and give the one password to your successor. That way, in case of an emergency, someone else can access your account.
2. Always have two admins on the account. If you are hiring an outside marketing firm, make sure that someone reliable inhouse is also an admin. This will protect you against any company that might try to hold your social media accounts hostage.
3. As we progress into this new digital age, we need to be cautious about our online footprint and how we pass it on to the next generation. 
4. Hire a firm to take care of this. It is an incredibly drawn out, dehumanizing, and painful process. 

Our company name, High Tide comes from the belief that a High Tide raises all ships. We took the information we discovered and compiled it so that you won’t have to go through as many obstacles as we did. We believe we rise together. If you are interested in receiving support with removing an admin we are happy to consult. Check out our website for more information: www.surfthehightide.com