Who owns what in a client project: domain, hosting, email and numbers
Should your AI agency or the client own each account? A plain rule, account by account, for domains, hosting, email, phone numbers and the tools in between.
Every client project comes with accounts: a domain, a hosting plan, an email inbox, maybe a phone number and a booking tool. Each one raises the same question. Is this yours or the client's?
For a one-person AI agency, deciding at the start saves an awkward conversation at the end. This article gives a plain rule and applies it, account by account. It is general practice, not legal advice.
Should the agency or the client own the accounts?
Use one rule: the client owns what the business can't run without, and you own the tools you use to do the work.
A business can't run without its web address, the email its customers write to, the phone number its customers call, or its listing on Google Maps. Those belong to the client, even when you set them up and look after them.
Your design tools, your AI subscription, your project notes and your own accounts belong to you. The client doesn't need them to keep trading.
Hosting, the paid space where the website lives, sits in between. Either way can work, as long as you both agree.
Who should own each account?
| Account | Usually owned by | Why | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain name | Client | It is the business's web address; losing it takes the site and email with it | Access to manage its settings and renewals |
| Domain settings (DNS) | Client, through the domain or hosting company | They decide where the web address sends visitors and email | Access to add and change settings |
| Hosting | Either, by agreement | Hosting it yourself can be part of a care plan | Admin access, or ownership with a written plan for leaving |
| Business email | Client | Past emails belong to the business | Usually none |
| Phone and text message numbers | Client | Customers know the business by its number | Access if you handle calls or messages for them |
| Map listing (Google Business Profile) | Client | It is the business's public profile | Manager access |
| Google Search Console and visitor stats | Client | Search and visitor figures about their site | Full user or owner access |
| Booking, forms, payments | Client | Customers and money go through them | Access to set up and keep running |
| Design files and code | Agreed in the offer | Depends on what the client paid for | Keep your own copy |
| Your tools and AI accounts | You | You use them for every client | Not needed |
Why should the client own the domain?
Because the domain is the one thing that is hard to replace. A new website can be made; a web address that customers, printed menus and old emails point to can't be swapped without cost.
You can move a domain from one domain company (registrar) to another, but there are rules. For common endings such as .com, the Transfer Policy from ICANN, the body that oversees web addresses, says when a registrar may refuse a move, for example within 60 days of the domain being set up. Country endings follow their own rules. Registering the domain in the client's name from day one means it never has to move.
Can I host client sites in my own account?
Yes, if you say so plainly. Many small agencies host client sites together as part of a care plan, and it can be simpler for everyone. Put three things in writing:
- who pays for hosting, and whether it is included in your fee;
- what the client gets if the arrangement ends: a copy of the site, and in what form;
- how long you will keep the site running while they move.
Who owns the phone number and the name on text messages?
The client, whenever customers will call or text that number. If you set up a number with a phone company in your own account, it may be hard to move later, and the rules for moving numbers vary by company and country. Check before you set it up, and choose an account the client controls where you can.
How can I get access without owning the account?
Most services have roles for exactly this. A Google Business Profile can have several owners and managers; Google's help page says managers can do almost everything owners can, except add or remove people or delete the profile. Google Search Console, Google's free tool that shows how a site appears in search, has owners, full users and limited users, and every site in it must have at least one confirmed owner.
Ask the client to own, and give yourself the role you need. If you set an account up for them, make them an owner before handover and decide which role you keep.
Where should the ownership decision be written down?
In the offer or agreement, before work starts, and again in the handover notes at the end. One list per client: each account, who owns it, who has access and what it is for. Update it when something changes, and put each renewal date on your weekly list of what renews or ends soon. The short definition of owner-held accounts is a useful line to paste into an offer.
The same rule applies to the software you run your agency on. In Volant, your phone numbers, bots and accounts stay yours, and so do their bills. Volant's ownership page explains what that covers.