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RoPey
24-04-12, 12:42 PM
Hi there
I'm a newbie here so please go easy :)

I'm a web designer and have registered quite a few domain names but the nitty gritty that I'm getting into now raises a question that I'm unsure of the answer to.

I have a new customer, a local club, that has an existing .co.uk domain and website that they want redesigned and transfered to my reseller hosting. However, the domain is registered to the original designer, not the club and there is also a second designer in the mix that has all the current hosting details which he has passed on.

The chap to whom the domain is registered has been contacted and although he has responded, he seems reluctant to help saying that the second designer has all the details. The second designer will now not respond to emails so whether he actually does have the log info for the domain on Nominet I don't know.

So the situation as I see it is that since we have all the hosting details, we can transfer the domain to our host and continue to renew it, just with the undesirable situation where the domain is registered to someone else. Can someone help me understand what the upshot of this could be for the club?

Obviously it would be better that the domain is registered to the club and not an individual, but if the situation were left as it is, what pitfalls might lie ahead?

I have suggested to the club that they register a new domain since a .co.uk is usually for a company not a club and that we simply forward the co.uk domain to the new site for a while until everyone is used to the change and they are going to consider it.

Thanks in advance for any help on this, it's very much appreciated.

RoPey

wb
24-04-12, 10:34 PM
When you say you have all the hosting details, is the domain name currently registered using the same hosting company account?

If so, and assuming you have the permission of the designer to update the registrant name, it's possible to transfer the domain to yourself through Nominet to update the details.

Danny B
25-04-12, 12:03 AM
Hi Mate,

I had a situation like this recently but a lot worse...but the above is correct, if you are able to login to the domain to move it to your reseller hosting (ie : you are able to change the TAG to move it) then you will be able to change the admin contact details and the email address. So you'll get the info then when or if Nominet can send out the login details for their online service...or just request it from the "I'm having problems logging in" bit...or summat like that :p

RoPey
25-04-12, 03:49 PM
Thank you both for your replies. The Nominet login was not available to us and Nominet themselves told me that the correct login would have to be used to transfer the domain. The 'owner' said he did not know the login details, not even which email address he'd used.

Fortunately, the people who have tasked me with this have today made the decision to register a new domain and redirect the old one for a while. Once the users of the site have got used to going to the new domain, we'll let the 'owner' do what he will with it.

Thanks again for your information - it may well come in useful in the future :-)

Regards
RoPey

Danny B
25-04-12, 04:47 PM
What access DO you have to the domain? How are you forwarding the domain? Are you forwarding the old domain to the new domain using a website redirect from your web hosting? If you want to PM me the domain I can have a look for you.

RoPey
25-04-12, 05:12 PM
What access DO you have to the domain? How are you forwarding the domain? Are you forwarding the old domain to the new domain using a website redirect from your web hosting? If you want to PM me the domain I can have a look for you.

I haven't got that far yet Danny B. I do have full access to the current hosting account for the current domain and yes, I was thinking of setting web forwarding on the existing hosting account until it expires? That shouldn't be a problem should it?

The only access we do not have is to Nominet to transfer the domain from one registrant to another and Nominet told me very firmly that the only person that could do that was the current owner and they would have to log in using the email address that it was registered under and obviously the password - he says he can't remember what email he registered it under. Nominet said that he could go through some sort of re-establishment of ID process. Given the responses we have had so far from him, I can't see that he's going to be willing to go through all that. I don't think it's sensible for the club to continue to run their website that has a domain owned by someone who doesn't want anything more to do with them, so I suggested that an option was to register a different domain - well actually the same name, but a different and, as it happens, more sensible extension - they are a non-profit organisation and had a .co.uk.

I've never had to get this far into the nitty gritty of domain ownership, so I very much appreciate your offer of help.

wb
25-04-12, 05:32 PM
If you have access to the registrar the domain is held with, it should be very simple to update the address on Nominet's records. It all really depends on which company is currently managing the domain. :)

Danny B
25-04-12, 05:32 PM
OK well the offer is there if you want it....you seem to have it sorted out then,....if the customer is happy then no need to stress I guess....good luck