Who owns your website domain? How to make sure it's you

Why this matters more than it seems

Your domain controls your website address and, usually, your email. Whoever controls the registrar account can change where the website points, redirect email, or let the domain expire. Disputes over domains registered by former contractors or staff are common and can be slow to resolve.

Step 1: find out who the registrant is

The registrant is the legal holder of the domain. The registrar is the company it's registered with. Check:

• Your records or invoices for domain renewals.
• A WHOIS / registration data lookup — though many registrars now hide personal details for privacy.
• Your registrar account, if you have one: the registrant contact should be your business.

ICANN publishes a summary of registrant rights and responsibilities and the benefits of being a registrant.

Step 2: get access in the business's name

• A registrar account registered to the business, using an email address the business controls (not one person's personal email).
• The registrant contact shows the business as the organisation.
• Multi-factor authentication turned on for the registrar account.
• At least two people in the business know how to access it.

Step 3: prevent accidental loss

• Auto-renew turned on, with a payment method that won't expire unnoticed.
• Renewal reminders going to a monitored address.
• Registrar lock (transfer lock) enabled, so the domain can't be moved without your action.
• Contact email kept current — expired contact addresses are how renewal notices go unseen.

Step 4: know who manages DNS

DNS settings (where the website and email point) may be at the registrar, at your host or at a DNS service. Record where they're managed and who has access. A designer may manage DNS on your behalf; that's fine as long as you have access too.

If someone else holds it

1. Ask politely and in writing for the domain to be transferred to the business, or for the registrant to be changed to the business.
2. If they agree, follow the registrar's process; transfers between registrars follow ICANN's Transfer Policy, which includes authorisation codes and some time limits.
3. If they refuse or can't be reached, seek legal advice; don't attempt to take control of the account yourself.

Ownership on MendRev sites

Under MendRev's published terms, you own your domain, content and customer data. If you buy a website from anyone, ask the same question in writing before you pay; how to pick a web designer lists other ownership questions.

Questions

Sources and further reading

• registrant rights and responsibilities icann.org
• benefits of being a registrant icann.org
• Transfer Policy icann.org

Official documentation changes. Check the current version before you rely on a rule, limit or setting.