Short answer: a website is really three things: the domain name, the hosting account and the site’s files and code. Whoever controls each one controls what happens if you stop paying. Check who the domain is registered to, whether you can log in to the hosting, and what your contract says about the code.

Most owners only ask this question when something goes wrong: the web designer stops answering, the agency raises its price, or the business wants to move. By then the answer is already fixed by decisions made years earlier. This guide shows how to check where you stand today and what to look for before you sign anything new. It isn’t legal advice; for a specific contract, ask a lawyer where you are.

The three parts of a website

Part	What it is	Why it matters
Domain	Your address, such as yourbusiness.com, rented yearly from a registrar	Your email usually runs on it. Lose the domain and you lose the website address and the email.
Hosting	The server account where the site’s files live	Whoever holds it can switch the site off or refuse to hand over the files.
Files, code and content	The design, the code, your texts, photos and logo	This is what you’d need to move the site somewhere else.

They can all belong to different people. A common setup is a domain registered by the business owner years ago, hosting in the web designer’s account, and a site built on a theme the designer licensed. Each one is a separate question.

How to check where you stand today

You can do this in about fifteen minutes.

Look up the domain. ICANN’s free registration data lookup shows the registrar and, for many domains, the registrant organisation. Personal details are often hidden for privacy, so the real test is the next step.
Try to log in to the registrar. If you have your own login and the domain appears in your account, you control it. If only your designer can log in, you don’t, whatever the invoice says.
Check the renewal date and the email on file. Renewal notices go to the contact email. If that’s an old address or your designer’s, the domain can expire without you knowing.
Try to log in to the hosting. Can you download a backup yourself? If not, ask who can, and how long it would take.
Find your contract or terms. Look for the words “ownership”, “intellectual property”, “copyright”, “licence” and “termination”.

If any answer is “I don’t know”, that’s the thing to fix first.

Who owns the code and the design?

This is where people get surprised. In many countries, including the UK and the US, copyright in work made by an outside contractor starts with the person who made it, unless a written agreement says otherwise. Paying for a website doesn’t automatically make you the copyright owner of its code and design. The contract decides.

So the clause that matters is the one that says what you get, and when:

Assignment means the rights are transferred to you.
Licence means you’re allowed to use the site, sometimes only while you keep paying.
Third-party parts such as WordPress, themes, plugins, fonts and stock photos stay under their own licences in every case. You can use them, but nobody “owns” WordPress.

Your own texts, photos and logo should always remain yours. If a contract says otherwise, ask why.

Subscriptions, leases and one-off builds compared

The way you pay usually decides who owns what.

Model	During the contract	When it ends
Website subscription (rent)	Provider holds the site and often the domain	Often you keep nothing but your content; some providers let you buy the site out
Lease to own	Provider holds the site and domain while you pay	The files and domain are handed over at the end of the term
One-off build	You pay once	Usually yours on full payment, but check the copyright clause
Hosted builder (Wix, Squarespace)	You rent the platform	Your content is yours, but the site can’t be moved to another host as it is

None of these is wrong. Renting can be good value if you never want the hassle. The problem is not knowing which one you have. Our guides to whether a website subscription is worth it and how website leasing works go into each model, and the monthly plan vs a one-time build runs the numbers.

What happens if you stop paying?

It depends on the model, and the contract should say it plainly:

Pure subscription: the site goes offline. You may be able to export your text and images; the design usually stays with the provider.
Lease to own, before the end of the term: typically you pay an exit fee set out in the contract, after which the site is handed over. Without that, the site is suspended and stays with the provider.
Your own hosting, unpaid: the host suspends the account and, after a while, deletes it. Keep your own backup.
Your own domain, unrenewed: the website and email stop working. After the registrar’s grace and redemption periods, someone else can register it.

Clauses to check before you sign

Who is the domain registered to during the contract, and when is it transferred?
When do the files and code become yours: on payment, at the end of the term, or never?
Is there a fee to hand the site over, or to leave early? Is it capped?
Can you get a full backup (files and database) on request?
What happens to the site if the provider closes down?
Are your texts, photos and logo explicitly yours?
Is the site built on standard technology another developer can work with?

A good provider answers all of these in writing without hesitation.

How B63 handles ownership

Here is how our own terms answer those questions, so you can compare.

Monthly plan: €0 upfront, then €150 per month excl. VAT for 24 months. During the plan, B63 hosts the site and holds the files and the domain, and the plan covers hosting, renewals, updates, backups and changes. When the 24 months are complete and paid, the website files, the content and the domain are transferred to you at no extra cost, whenever you ask, and we help you move them. You can also simply renew.
Leaving early: you can end the plan with written notice; email is enough. You pay the remaining monthly fees, capped at 12 months’ fees, and then the files and domain are handed over just as at the end of the term.
One-time build: from €550 incl. VAT. Ownership of the site files passes to you on full payment, and you host it yourself.
Always: the texts, images and logo you give us remain yours. Sites are built on standard, open technology, so any competent developer or host can take over.

That’s the lease-to-own model in practice: you rent it while it’s being looked after, and it becomes yours at the end.

Moving a site you own

Once you control the domain and have the files, moving is routine. The part people forget is email: if your email runs on the same domain, the switch needs planning so messages keep arriving. Our guide to moving a website without losing email walks through it.

FAQ

Does my web designer own my website?

They may own the copyright in the code and design unless your contract transfers it to you. Your own content stays yours. Check the contract, then check who can log in to the domain and the hosting, because control matters as much as legal ownership.

Can I get my domain back from my web designer?

Usually, yes. Ask them to move it into an account in your name, or to give you the transfer code so you can move it to a registrar you choose. If the domain is listed under your business, the registrar can help too.

Is it bad if my provider holds the domain during the contract?

Not in itself. Many monthly plans, including ours, work that way, because the provider is the one handling the renewals. What matters is that the contract says when and how the domain becomes yours.

What should I keep a copy of?

Your contract, the registrar and hosting logins (or who holds them), the renewal dates, and a recent full backup if you host the site yourself.

Questions about a contract you’ve been offered, or about our plan? See the pricing page or ask us directly.

Who owns your website? The domain, the hosting and the code, explained