Domain and account transfer
A domain and account transfer is moving a business’s website domain, hosting, email, social media and software subscriptions into the buyer’s ownership and control at closing, not just the login credentials, but the actual registered ownership of each account. A buyer who only gets passwords, and not ownership, can lose the account entirely if the seller later changes accounts or simply forgets.
Digital assets are easy to overlook in a purchase agreement built around inventory, equipment and leases, but for many small businesses the domain, the online listing and the email list are worth more than the equipment on the floor. Ownership of these accounts is often registered to the seller personally, using the seller’s own email and payment method, which means a password handover is not the same thing as a transfer.
What to specifically identify and move
- The domain name registration itself, moved to a registrar account the buyer controls
- Website hosting, email hosting and any e-commerce platform account
- Social media accounts and business listing profiles
- Software subscriptions tied to business operations — point of sale, scheduling, accounting
Why ownership, not just access, is the goal
An account still registered in the seller’s name, on the seller’s card, can be closed, recovered or disputed by the seller regardless of what was verbally agreed. The purchase agreement should specifically list the digital assets being transferred and require actual ownership changes at the registrar or platform level, not just a handoff of usernames and passwords.
Sources
This definition is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Treadstone LawLegal commentaryConfirming Who Owns the Trademarks and Domain Names Before Buying a Business in Ontario
- 02Treadstone LawLegal commentaryCybersecurity and Data Privacy Due Diligence When Buying a Business in Ontario
- 03Office of the Privacy Commissioner of CanadaGovernmentThe Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
Deavo is an advertising and listings platform, not a brokerage, law firm or valuation firm. This page is general information, not legal, tax, accounting or valuation advice, and rules differ by province. Confirm anything you rely on with a qualified professional before you act on it.