Handing over a website means more than sending a link to a working page. The owner needs clear access rights, information about the services used and a procedure for ongoing maintenance.

Create a register of components

Write down where the domain, hosting, email, forms and other connected services are located. For each, state the owner and how it is administered. Do not keep passwords in an open shared spreadsheet together with the technical description.

Check that the owner can work independently

Make sure the designated people can log in to the necessary accounts and know how to handle routine tasks. Agree on updates, fixes and ending the contractor's access. Support terms are set out separately from the handover itself.

How to build a register of ownership and maintenance

For the domain, hosting, email, forms and connected services, record the account owner, purpose, the person responsible for maintenance and any recurring payments. Do not include passwords and secret keys in an open shared spreadsheet. Check who receives renewal and error notifications. If a component stays with the contractor, find out on what basis and on what terms work will continue. The fact that the website runs on your domain does not prove that you control every part its operation depends on.

How to sign off the handover by actions completed

The designated owner must actually test logging in to the necessary accounts and carrying out typical tasks. Clarify how access is recovered, whether you have the source materials and how updates are handled. Agree on support and the end of the contractor's involvement separately. Do not remove the contractor's access before checking that the agreed actions are complete, but do not leave indefinite permissions in place out of habit either. The outcome of the handover is clear control of the website by the company and a documented procedure for future tasks, not just an email with a link to the finished page.

What to check

  • Check who owns the domain and accounts.
  • Get a list of recurring payments.
  • Keep the instructions and source materials.
  • Clarify how access can be recovered.

Example situation

A form may run through a service belonging to the contractor. Before the project ends, you need to know who manages that connection and what happens once support ends.

Next step

A good handover makes the website a manageable company asset rather than a dependency on a single contractor.

Official information on this topic

Checklists and examples are organisational recommendations. Requirements depend on the procedure, the city and your situation; check them with the relevant office before you act. Please discuss legal and tax questions with an authorised professional.

This article was prepared with the help of AI. The example illustrates the approach and does not describe a client case.