You paid for a website, and now the person who built it has stopped replying, or will not give you the logins. This is more common than it should be, and it is stressful because your business depends on the site. Here is a calm way to work through it.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. If a large amount of money or a signed contract is involved, speak to a lawyer.
Step 1: Work out what you actually have
A website is not one thing. It is several separate pieces, and each may be owned by a different person. Find out who holds each one.
- The domain name (yourbusiness.com). It is registered with a company called a registrar. You can look up the registered owner with a public “WHOIS” or domain lookup tool. If your developer’s name or email is listed as the owner, the domain is theirs on paper, even if you paid for it.
- The hosting. This is the server where the site lives. Check who receives the hosting invoice and whose email is on the account.
- The website itself. The files, the database and the admin login. On many sites this is a WordPress admin page, but it could be custom code stored in a code repository.
- Other accounts. Google Analytics, Google Search Console, your Google Business Profile, business email, and any payment gateway or WhatsApp account connected to the site.
Write this down as a simple list with a column for “who holds it” and “do I have a login”.
Step 2: Ask in writing, once, clearly
Phone calls are easy to ignore and impossible to prove. Send one email that says:
- Which items you are asking for (use your list from step 1).
- That you are asking for the logins and a full backup of the site and database.
- A reasonable date to reply by, for example seven days.
- That you are happy to pay any genuinely outstanding invoice that is agreed in writing.
Keep the email polite and factual. Keep copies of every message, invoice and payment receipt. If it ever becomes a dispute, this record matters.
Step 3: Go to the source where you can
Some pieces you can recover without your developer.
- Domain. If you are the registered owner, you can reset the account password through the registrar. If your developer is the owner, ask for a transfer to an account in your name. The registrar can explain its process, and it usually needs an authorisation code from the current owner.
- Hosting. If you pay the hosting company directly, contact their support with proof of payment and ask for access to be given to you.
- Google accounts. Analytics and Search Console let the owner add new users. If your developer is the only owner, you will need them, or Google’s own recovery process, to change that.
Step 4: Check your contract and invoices
Look for words about who owns the finished work. Some agreements say the client owns everything once paid in full. Others say the developer keeps ownership of the code and grants a licence. If nothing was written down, ownership can be unclear, which is one more reason to get advice before the situation escalates.
Step 5: If nothing works
You still have options.
- Keep the domain and rebuild. If you control the domain, you can build a new site and point the domain at it. You lose the old files, but you keep your address, your search history and your email.
- Get a second opinion. A different developer can often tell you quickly what exists, what can be recovered and what is cheaper to rebuild.
- Take advice on a formal notice. A lawyer can send a letter that changes how seriously the request is taken.
How to make sure this never happens again
Before you start any website project, agree these in writing:
- The domain is registered in your name, with your email as the owner.
- The hosting account is in your name, and your developer is added as a user.
- The code lives in a repository you own, and the developer is a member.
- At the end of the project you receive the logins, a full backup and short handover notes.
- Ownership of the finished work passes to you when you have paid.
A good developer will say yes to all of these without any argument. If someone resists, that tells you something before you have spent a rupee.