In a home-grown system, “ownership” means two different things, and you need both of them.
- Control: whose login could change it, delete it or lock everyone else out?
- Legal rights: who owns the code and the data, and on what terms?
Control: the question that bites first
A home-grown system is usually a stack of separate accounts, and each one has its own owner. You may find they were all set up with whichever email address was handy on the day.
| Part | Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| App builder or code host | Whose account owns the project? | They can change or delete the app. |
| Database | Whose account is it in? | That’s where your customers and orders live. |
| Web address | Who is the registered owner? | Without it, your customers can’t reach you. |
| Email account behind it all | Is it personal or the company’s? | Password resets for everything else go there. |
| Connectors and spreadsheets | Who set them up? | They often stop if that person leaves. |
| Billing | Whose card pays? | If it’s theirs and they leave, the service can simply stop. |
That email account is the one to look at first. If a personal Gmail address owns everything, whoever controls that address effectively owns your system.
Legal rights: the code and the data
Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the author owns the copyright, except that work made by an employee in the course of their job belongs to the employer. A transfer of copyright has to be in writing and signed. So a freelancer or outside agency usually keeps the copyright, even after being paid in full, unless they signed it over, and you may have only a licence to use it. Directors, family members and friends helping out can be a less clear case.
Who owns code written largely by an AI tool is a newer question, and we wouldn’t assume the answer. There’s also what the tool’s own terms say about the code it produces, and what happens to your data if you stop paying. Each tool is different, and our tool pages set out what we found for each.
This is general information and not legal advice. If there’s real money at stake, or you’re selling the business, ask a solicitor. A short written assignment of rights is usually a straightforward thing to arrange, and it’s much easier while everybody’s still on good terms.
How to find out, in an afternoon
- Make a list of every service the system uses. Ask the builder, and look at the card statements for the clues.
- Against each, write down the account that owns it, who else can sign in, and who pays.
- Mark anything in a personal name, or with nobody else able to get in.
- Move those into a company account, starting with the email address and the web address.
Our audit does this for you and gives you an access register to keep, but there’s nothing to stop you starting today. It’s the most useful afternoon you can spend on your system.
Questions
The builder has left and won’t hand it over. What can I do?
First, gather what you can: invoices, messages, any agreement and who paid for what. Then take legal advice, since it may depend on the contract. We can help with the practical side, and this guide covers what to do first.
Should we move everything before doing an audit?
If something’s in the personal name of someone who’s on their way out, move it now. Otherwise the audit will show you what to move and in what order.
By Selwyn Doling, VibeTend. Last updated 6 November 2026.
