What to require when leaving a provider
Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia
When leaving a website, email, software, or advertising provider, require four things in writing: administrator access to everything created for your business, a copy of data in a format another provider can use, ownership transfer for accounts held in the provider’s name, and a shutdown period during which nothing is deleted. Without these, the end of a contract becomes the start of a problem.
This is not distrust. A serious provider delivers everything without being asked because they know customers own what they paid for. The list below is for checking and for inclusion in the contract before work even begins.
Which access credentials do you need to receive?
Administrator access, not user access. The difference: administrators can create, delete, and transfer; users only view. The minimum list:
- Domain: ownership at Registro.br or the registrar, with the contact email changed to yours. The guide on whose name the domain is in explains why this comes first: https://avilaops.com/guias/dominio-no-nome-de-quem-erro-que-custa-caro/.
- DNS: access to the dashboard where records are edited, if separate from the domain.
- Hosting: account dashboard and access to files and database.
- Website: an administrator user on the platform (WordPress, store, or another).
- Email: an administrator account for the email service, with permission to create and delete mailboxes.
- Google: ownership of Business Profile, Search Console, Analytics, and the tag. You must be the primary owner; the provider should be a manager at most.
- Meta: administrator access to the business portfolio (formerly Business Manager), ad account, page, and pixel. Instagram linked to your account, not theirs.
- Paid tools in your name: CRM, automation, email platform, with billing already on your card.
Test access to each item while the provider is still available. Access that “will arrive by email” does not count.
Which copies and documents should you request?
A complete website backup (files and database), email messages, the CRM contact database, and any customer data held in the provider’s system. In an open format: compressed file, spreadsheet, standard export. “It is all on their platform” is not a copy; it is dependency.
Documents: a list of current DNS records, a list of everything contracted in your business’s name (services, renewals, due dates), and integration credentials (payment gateway, invoicing, carrier). If the provider created third-party accounts with their email, require the primary email to be changed before shutdown.
If artwork, logos, or brand materials were produced under the contract, request editable files. The final PDF is for printing, not editing.
What shutdown timeline and rules should you agree on?
A period when the old service stays live while the new one comes online. Thirty days is reasonable for websites and email; less makes migration tight. During this period, nothing is deleted and no password changes without notice.
Also agree on what happens to data afterward: the provider deletes anything they retained, confirming it in writing and complying with the LGPD. Define who answers questions during the first few days after the switch; an emergency contact prevents a small problem from turning into a day offline.
| Requirement | How to verify |
|---|---|
| Administrator access to everything | You can create, delete, and transfer without the provider |
| Data copy in an open format | The file opens elsewhere |
| Ownership transferred | Registro.br and account checks show your email |
| Shutdown deadline | Written date, nothing deleted before it |
| Emergency contact | Name and channel for the first few days |
The previous guide shows the practical order for switching: switching technology providers without losing your domain, email, or website. The comparison with a traditional agency shows how Avila Ops handles these conditions from the beginning of the contract: avilaops.com/comparativos/avila-ops-vs-agencia-tradicional.
What to do now
Use the table as a checklist before announcing your departure. Each failed row is an issue to resolve while the relationship is still open. At Avila Ops, everything is in your name from day one; leaving is simple because joining was handled correctly. A domain in your name, automatic renewal, no surprises: avilaops.com/dominio-e-hospedagem or contact us on WhatsApp: wa.me/5517997811471.
Frequently asked questions
Is the provider required to hand over website access?
If the contract says the website is yours, yes. If the contract is silent, it becomes a dispute. That is why the contract should state from the beginning that the domain, website, email, and accounts belong to your business and will be handed over upon termination.
What if the provider disappeared and will not hand anything over?
Start with the domain: if it is registered under your CNPJ, recover control by changing DNS. If it is in their name, SACI-Adm is a .br domain dispute procedure, but it requires proof of rights to the name and bad faith by the registrant, and it does not resolve things overnight. In parallel, rebuild the website and email with the new provider using whatever you have.
Should I pay the final invoice before receiving access?
Pay what is due and require delivery at the same time. Ideally, agree in writing: access and copies delivered, final invoice paid, accounts closed. Those who refuse delivery before payment will usually accept simultaneous delivery.
Turn what you learned into your next step.
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