NEZDEK · Website access recovery

Locked out of your own website?

Developer gone quiet. Nobody will hand over the login. You are paying for something you cannot touch. This happens to a lot of businesses, it is rarely as hopeless as it feels, and there are four things you can check yourself in the next ten minutes.

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The situations we see most

If one of these is yours, there is a normal path out of it. None of these mean you did something stupid.

◌

They stopped replying

Emails go unanswered, the phone number is dead, and the company may not even be trading any more. Your site is still live and you cannot reach anyone.

⌧

They will not hand it over

You have asked for the login and been given excuses, delays, or a flat no. Sometimes there is a reason. Often there is not.

◈

The domain is in their name

You paid for it, but it was registered under their account, so on paper it is not yours. This is the most common version of the problem.

✎

You cannot change anything

Every small edit means an email, a wait, and a bill. You have no admin access to a website your business depends on.

▤

Someone left with the passwords

A staff member, a contractor or a family friend set it all up and moved on. Nobody documented anything and nobody knows where the accounts are.

◔

Held over an invoice

There is money in dispute and your website is the leverage. This one needs an honest look at both sides before anyone does anything.

First, the basics

Your website is four separate things

Almost everyone thinks of it as one item. It is not, and that matters, because you can be locked out of one piece while fully owning another.

Usually recoverable1. The domain name

Your address on the internet. It sits with a registrar such as GoDaddy or Namecheap. Whoever is listed as the registrant controls it, and that is the single most important thing to establish.

Usually recoverable2. The hosting

The server your site actually runs on. A separate account, often with a separate company, and often paid for separately.

Usually recoverable3. The admin login

Access to the dashboard where content is edited. If you can receive email at the address on the account, a password reset sometimes solves this on its own.

Depends on your agreement4. The design and code

The custom work itself. Unless a written agreement transferred ownership to you, this can legally remain the creator's property even after you paid for it. This is the piece people are most surprised by.

Ten minutes, no cost

Find out where you stand yourself

Do these before you contact anyone, including us. They cost nothing and they tell you most of what you need to know.

1

Look up your domain

Go to lookup.icann.org and enter it. Personal details are usually hidden for privacy now, but the registrar is always shown, and that is the company that matters.

2

Check your card statements

Go back twelve months. If you are paying a registrar or host directly, there is an account in your name. If everything goes to your developer, they hold the accounts.

3

Search your email

Search your inbox for your domain name, plus words like welcome, receipt and verify. Registrars email the registrant when a domain is created. Finding that email in your inbox is strong evidence.

4

Try a password reset

Visit yoursite.com/wp-admin and use the lost password link. If the account uses your email address, you may be back in without needing anyone.

Whatever you find, send it over and we will tell you what it means. That part is free and you are under no obligation afterwards.

The part most companies will not tell you

Sometimes the developer is in the right. If there is an unpaid invoice, or the agreement genuinely said the site stays on their hosting, they may be entitled to hold it. In that case the fastest and cheapest resolution is usually to settle the bill, not to fight.

We will tell you if that is what we think is happening. Taking your side automatically would be easier to sell and would waste your money.

We are not lawyers and none of this is legal advice. Ownership depends on your agreement and your province. Most of these situations are resolved without anyone going near a lawyer.

What we do

We take the awkward part off your hands

Most people stall here because the next step means a difficult conversation with someone who has already let them down, or a support ticket with a company that does not answer quickly.

We do that part. We work out who holds what, we make the request in writing, we deal with the registrar or host directly, and we tell you honestly what is realistic. If recovery is going to be slower and dearer than rebuilding, we say so.

You do not have to speak to them again.

Included in a recovery

Ownership assessmentRegistrar correspondenceHosting handoverAdmin access restoredContent recoveryEverything moved into your name
What it costs

Free assessment. Fixed price after.

Two outcomes, and we tell you which one you are looking at before you spend anything.

Recover it

Quoted after assessment

Fixed price, agreed upfront.

  • ✓We establish who holds what
  • ✓We handle all correspondence
  • ✓Domain and hosting moved to you
  • ✓Admin access restored
Book the free assessment
Often the faster route

Rebuild, monthly

$150/month

$0 down. Nothing upfront.

  • ✓New site, domain in your name
  • ✓Content recovered where possible
  • ✓Hosting, updates and support
  • ✓No contract, leave whenever
Start a rebuild

Rebuild, own it

$3,800 one-time

+ $50/month hosting

  • ✓Yours outright from day one
  • ✓Domain and accounts in your name
  • ✓Full admin access, no gatekeeper
  • ✓Take it elsewhere any time
Own it outright

If you have just been locked out of a website you paid for, wanting to own the next one outright is a fair reaction, so both routes are on the table. Where a domain is genuinely unrecoverable, rebuilding is often faster and cheaper than a drawn out dispute, and we will give you the honest comparison rather than the one that bills more.

Never again

How we set it up so this cannot repeat

Your domain is registered in your name. Your hosting account is yours. You get administrator access to your own website on the day it launches.

There is no contract, so you can leave any month you want, and if you do we hand everything over properly instead of making it difficult.

We would rather keep clients because the work is good than because we are holding their login.

FAQ

Questions people ask us first

Can my web designer legally keep my website?+
It depends on what you agreed and whether anything is owed. If your domain is registered in your name and your invoices are paid, you are usually in a strong position. If the domain was registered by the developer, or the arrangement was that the site lives on their hosting, it can be more complicated. Custom design and code can also remain the creator's property unless a written agreement transferred it. This is not legal advice and it varies by province, but in practice most of these situations are resolved without lawyers.
How do I find out who holds my domain?+
Go to lookup.icann.org and enter your domain. Personal details are usually hidden now for privacy reasons, but the registrar is always visible, and that is the piece that matters because the registrar is the company you would deal with. If you also find registrar receipts in your own email or on your own card statement, that is strong evidence the account is yours.
What if my developer has disappeared completely?+
This is common and it is usually recoverable. Registrars and hosting companies have processes for exactly this situation, and proof of payment plus original signup emails carries real weight. We handle that correspondence for you. Where a domain genuinely cannot be recovered, we tell you early rather than letting it drag on.
What if I actually owe them money?+
Then pay it if the invoice is fair. A developer withholding access over an unpaid bill is often within their rights, and it is usually the fastest and cheapest way to resolve the whole thing. We will tell you honestly if that is what we think is happening rather than taking your side automatically.
How long does it take?+
The assessment takes a day or two. Straightforward handovers often resolve within a week. Registrar disputes and unresponsive developers take longer because the timelines belong to the registrar, not to us. You get a realistic estimate before you commit to anything.
What does it cost?+
The assessment is free and it is genuinely diagnostic, meaning we tell you where you stand whether or not you hire us. Recovery work is quoted at a fixed price once we know what is involved. If rebuilding turns out to be faster and cheaper, we say so, and our normal pricing applies.
What if the site cannot be recovered?+
We rebuild it. In most cases we can recover your content from what is publicly visible on the live site and from archived copies, so you are not starting from nothing. The rebuild goes on your own domain, your own hosting and your own accounts, so this cannot happen to you twice.
How do you stop this happening again?+
Your domain stays registered in your name. You get administrator access to your own website from day one. There is no contract, so you can leave whenever you want, and if you do leave we hand everything over properly. We would rather you stay because the work is good, not because we are holding your login.

Tell us what happened.
We will tell you where you stand.

The assessment is free and genuinely diagnostic. You will know your position whether or not you hire us.

Book a free 30-min assessment Email hello@nezdek.com

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