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Your business should retain clear ownership and recovery access for the accounts on which its website depends. A developer can manage technical work without becoming the only person who can renew the domain or recover the hosting account. Arrange this before the build starts.
List the accounts that matter
Include the domain registrar, hosting, business email, content management system, payment provider and any important third-party service. Record the account owner, recovery method, renewal date and person responsible for payment. Store this information securely rather than in a public project document.
Use business-controlled contact details where practical. Shared passwords create avoidable confusion. Where a service supports separate roles, give collaborators their own access and only the permissions required for the agreed work.
Agree what handover includes
Ask for the finished content, agreed source code or export, documentation and a description of recurring charges. Confirm whether any theme, plugin or software licence is transferable. Ownership and licensing are separate questions, so the proposal should address both.
Imagine a site built years ago under a former contractor's email address. The homepage may still work, but renewal or recovery becomes difficult when that person is unavailable. Keeping the business in control of the account avoids that dependency.
Keep recovery practical
Enable strong authentication where available and retain recovery codes in a secure place. Remove access that is no longer needed after a project or support arrangement ends. Test that an authorised business owner can reach the relevant dashboard without depending on one person's device.
My project process includes discussing handover responsibilities. Explore my portfolio and send your current setup, without passwords or recovery codes. Read What ongoing costs should I budget for after launching a website? for renewal planning and How do I know whether my website backup actually works? for recovery testing.
An attractive website is still a business asset that needs ownership, maintenance and a way back in when something goes wrong. Make those arrangements part of the project scope.