Guide / comparison

Know who owns the website and how to take it with you.

Accounts, commissioned work, licensed components and access roles are different things. Put each in the scope and handover record.

Guidance by Happy to Handle. Updated 21 October 2026. Added or revised the decision artifacts and local worksheets described in this guide.

01 / Guide / comparison

List the assets and their owners

Domain and hosting: The registered owner, account owner, renewal payer and recovery route.
Code, copy and design: The agreed rights for commissioned work, source files and export formats.
Third-party components: Fonts, plugins, images and services may carry licenses or subscriptions rather than exclusive ownership.
Business systems: Advertising, analytics, CRM and booking accounts need their own ownership and access record.

02 / Guide / comparison

Keep an owner–access–renewal–export ledger

Use a separate row for each account, licensed component and export. The example rows are hypothetical. Blank rows are editable locally; download or print the record without submitting it. Do not enter passwords, recovery codes or private account IDs.

Use non-sensitive roles and fictional examples only. Fields remain in this page until you deliberately download or print them.

Account and asset control register — hypothetical example followed by blank entries
Record	Asset / provider	Business owner role	Access / recovery check	Renewal / billing owner	Exit evidence
Hypothetical example	Hypothetical domain / registrar	Business owner	Owner invitation and recovery route checked by the business	Billing role / renewal date to confirm	Business can locate the registration and initiate its authorized transfer process
Entry 1	Account and asset control register: entry 1, Asset / provider	Account and asset control register: entry 1, Business owner role	Account and asset control register: entry 1, Access / recovery check	Account and asset control register: entry 1, Renewal / billing owner	Account and asset control register: entry 1, Exit evidence
Entry 2	Account and asset control register: entry 2, Asset / provider	Account and asset control register: entry 2, Business owner role	Account and asset control register: entry 2, Access / recovery check	Account and asset control register: entry 2, Renewal / billing owner	Account and asset control register: entry 2, Exit evidence
Entry 3	Account and asset control register: entry 3, Asset / provider	Account and asset control register: entry 3, Business owner role	Account and asset control register: entry 3, Access / recovery check	Account and asset control register: entry 3, Renewal / billing owner	Account and asset control register: entry 3, Exit evidence

License and rights register — hypothetical example followed by blank entries
Record	Component / source	License holder / permitted use	Terms link / evidence	Renewal responsibility	Portability / replacement
Hypothetical example	Hypothetical licensed font	Business license holder / agreed website use	Read the actual supplier terms; no transfer assumed	Design owner checks renewal or perpetual status	Source font files may require a separate license; record replacement if unavailable
Entry 1	License and rights register: entry 1, Component / source	License and rights register: entry 1, License holder / permitted use	License and rights register: entry 1, Terms link / evidence	License and rights register: entry 1, Renewal responsibility	License and rights register: entry 1, Portability / replacement
Entry 2	License and rights register: entry 2, Component / source	License and rights register: entry 2, License holder / permitted use	License and rights register: entry 2, Terms link / evidence	License and rights register: entry 2, Renewal responsibility	License and rights register: entry 2, Portability / replacement

Export and recovery register — hypothetical example followed by blank entries
Record	Artifact / format	Included assets	Known limitations	Test date / responsible role	Acceptance / recovery evidence
Hypothetical example	Hypothetical content export / documented format	Agreed pages and media inventory	Custom behavior or licensed components may need separate handling	Date and recovery role not yet supplied	Open the files and rehearse restoration in an authorized safe environment; file possession alone is insufficient
Entry 1	Export and recovery register: entry 1, Artifact / format	Export and recovery register: entry 1, Included assets	Export and recovery register: entry 1, Known limitations	Export and recovery register: entry 1, Test date / responsible role	Export and recovery register: entry 1, Acceptance / recovery evidence
Entry 2	Export and recovery register: entry 2, Artifact / format	Export and recovery register: entry 2, Included assets	Export and recovery register: entry 2, Known limitations	Export and recovery register: entry 2, Test date / responsible role	Export and recovery register: entry 2, Acceptance / recovery evidence
Entry 3	Export and recovery register: entry 3, Artifact / format	Export and recovery register: entry 3, Included assets	Export and recovery register: entry 3, Known limitations	Export and recovery register: entry 3, Test date / responsible role	Export and recovery register: entry 3, Acceptance / recovery evidence

Handover acceptance, unresolved items, responsible role and date

List what the business could actually locate, open, edit and restore; record exceptions rather than assuming every account or right transfers.

If recurring tasks need a supported owner after handover: Define ongoing recovery and upkeep

How it works

03 / Guide / comparison

Use access roles instead of blurred ownership

Use an appropriate invited role where supported, limited to the agreed task. Keep a business-controlled owner and recovery method. Do not put credentials in a public brief, handover PDF or shared project note.

04 / Guide / comparison

Ask what can be exported

Portability depends on the platform, licenses and data model. Identify what can be exported, what format it uses and which behavior needs rebuilding. Do not assume a backup file is a complete migration plan.

05 / Guide / comparison

Make the handover demonstrate the routine tasks

Find the accounts, owners and renewal responsibilities
Locate the agreed source and export files
Make a routine content edit using the intended role
Understand backups and the recovery owner if included
See known limitations, third-party dependencies and support boundaries

06 / Guide / comparison

Agree the exit before the recurring work starts

Define cancellation, final exports, open work, documentation and access removal. Any correction period or continuing service should be explicit in the agreement, not inferred from a friendly handover.

07 / Guide / comparison

Use the inventory in your project scope

Ownership and handover questions belong before work starts and should be reconciled again at delivery.

If a different decision is blocking you: Choose another question in this topic

How it works