The contractor disappeared, no access — we regain control of the website
The website works, but it is not yours: the domain is registered to the developer, nobody remembers the admin password, a third party pays for hosting. We start with an audit — who owns what according to documents — and then return the domain, hosting and code to your accounts. Situation audit €190.
and access inventory
for domain recovery
DNS, hosting, admin panel
registry dispute, court
What clients come with when the site is left without an owner
It is enough to send the website address: public data shows who the domain is registered to, where the hosting is located and what the site is built with. No access credentials are needed for this.
The developer does not respond
Emails go unanswered, the phone is unavailable, the company has closed. The site is still running, but nothing on it can be updated.
The domain is not registered to you
The whois record shows the contractor or their agency. While the domain belongs to someone else, the site can be switched off with a single action — and that is the main risk.
No admin password
There is no one to make text and price edits. Usually resolved through database or hosting access — if available; if not, we start with the domain.
Unclear where the site is hosted
Hosting is paid from someone else's card or included in a "package". We identify the platform by DNS and IP and determine in whose name the account is registered.
Domain is about to expire
Renewal notices go to the contractor's email. This is an urgent case: once released, the domain may be taken over, and recovering it will be much more expensive.
No source code
The repository is with the former team or does not exist at all. We take what is on the server and restore the build — or we honestly say that rebuilding is cheaper.
Returning control step by step: first documents, then files
We determine who owns what
We check the domain whois, DNS, hosting platform, CMS and email. Separately, we review what you have on hand: contract, invoices, correspondence. This determines which path is shorter.
We send a written breakdown
Who is the documented owner of each element, what can be returned without the contractor, what only with them, and what through the registrar or court. With estimated timelines and cost for each path.
We return the domain and hosting
We prepare a request to the registrar and hosting provider on your behalf and help gather evidence of domain ownership. In parallel, we make a full copy of the site while access is available.
We transfer to your accounts
Registrar, hosting, email, analytics and advertising accounts are registered in your name. We provide a list of access credentials and a short instruction on what to do at the next contractor change.
How much it costs to get your site back
The price is fixed after the audit, before work begins. Registrar fees and domain renewal costs are paid separately and by invoice.
Pricing does not depend on the platform: WordPress, Bitrix, Tilda, custom PHP. Payment is for the whole scope, not hourly — the amount is stated before work starts.
What you get besides a working website
Ownership map
Who legally owns the domain, hosting, code, email and advertising accounts — and what is needed to transfer each item to you.
Access register
Logins and passwords as a list, with notes on what each is for and who else has access. Stored with you, not in correspondence with the contractor.
Full site copy
Files and database on your storage. Even if negotiations with the contractor reach a dead end, the site can be restored on new hosting.
Checklist for the future
What to include in the contract with the next contractor and in whose name to open accounts so the situation does not repeat.
When the site cannot be recovered
Some cases are resolved not by the contractor's work but by a lawyer — or not resolved at all. We say this during the review, not after the invoice:
- The domain is registered to the contractor, and there are no documents on your side — no contract, no invoices, no correspondence acknowledging it. Then the registrar will side with the current owner in a dispute, and there is only one path — buyout negotiations or a new domain.
- The site lives inside the contractor's account on a website builder — in Tilda or Wix, the project belongs to the account owner. Export gives markup without an admin panel, so it is usually more reasonable to rebuild the site on your own.
- The trademark and brand are registered to the contractor — this is not our work: an intellectual property lawyer is needed here. We will recover the technical part, but the brand dispute is handled separately.
- The site is over ten years old and runs on an unsupported engine — control can be restored, but after that every edit will cost more than the previous one. In that case, domain recovery is a mandatory step, and the site is better rebuilt.
If the case is from this list, during the audit we will show two invoices side by side: recovery and rebuilding from scratch. The decision is yours.
Frequent questions about a site without a contractor
What should be done first if the developer disappears?
Can a domain be returned if it is registered to the contractor?
How long does the return take?
Will you communicate with the former contractor on my behalf?
Can the website be copied if there is no server access?
What if there is hosting access but no domain access?
What should be done after the return to prevent this from happening again?
Will you take it on if the site needs repairs after a handover?
Send the site address — we will come back with an ownership map
We need the site address and one line about what is known: who made it, when it went down, what access credentials you have. We respond within 60 minutes during business hours (GMT+3).
Request sent
Thank you! We will contact you within an hour. If the domain expires within days, write to us on Telegram and we will take it into work today.
A website owned by someone else is a risk, not an asset.
Send the address. We will come back with an ownership map: what can be recovered without the contractor, what through the registrar, how much it costs and how long it will take.