Domain registered in an old employee's name

If a former employee registered your business domain in their own name or their own account, the registrar treats them as the owner until the record is changed. The quickest fix is nearly always a polite request: ask them to move the domain into an account you control, which takes them about ten minutes. If they cannot be reached or will not help, the registrar may still move it to you when you can show the business paid for and used the domain, and as a last resort there are legal routes. Start now, before the next renewal date, because a domain that expires in someone else's account is much harder to get back.

Why this happens so often

It is rarely sinister. Years ago the office manager, a tech-minded sales rep or the owner's nephew set up the website. They opened an account at a registrar using their own email, typed their own name in the owner field and paid with the company card. Everything worked, so nobody looked again. Then the person left, the email address they used was closed, and the renewal notices started going nowhere.

First, find out what you are dealing with

There are two separate things a registrar keeps, and they can be different people:

The account holder: whoever can sign into the registrar account where the domain sits.
The registrant: the person or organization listed as the domain's legal owner.

Look up your domain at lookup.icann.org. It shows the registrar's name and the expiry date. The owner's name is often hidden behind a privacy service, which is normal. How to find where your domain is registered explains the result line by line.

Write down the expiry date. If it is within three months, put it at the top of your to-do list.

Step 1: Ask the former employee, and make it easy

Most former employees will help if you ask nicely and make it simple. Send a short, friendly message, for example:

"Hi Sam, I hope the new job is going well. When you set up our website you registered harrisonhvac.com in your account at [registrar]. We would like to move it into the company's account so renewals come to us. If you are willing, the registrar has a 'move to another account' option, or you can send me the transfer code. I am happy to jump on a call if that helps. Thank you."

What they need to do depends on the registrar:

Account-to-account move. Most large registrars let one customer push a domain into another customer's account at the same company. You open your own account there first and send them your account email or customer number. This is the cleanest option: no transfer fees and no downtime.
Transfer code. They switch off the transfer lock and send you its authorization code (also called an EPP code), and you transfer it to a registrar of your choice. More on that code in what an EPP or authorization code is.
Change the registrant. They update the owner name and email to your business. Some registrars then block transfers to another registrar for up to 60 days after an owner change; ask whether that lock can be waived if you plan to move it.

Step 2: If they will not help or cannot be found

Collect proof that the domain belongs to the business. Useful items:

Card or bank statements showing the business paid the registration and renewals.
Invoices or receipts from the registrar, from old email or the accounting software.
Your business formation papers or DBA filing, with a business name that matches the domain.
Evidence the domain has been used for the business: the website itself, business cards, invoices with your email address on it.
Any written agreement with the employee about company property, or an employee handbook that covers it.

Then call the registrar's support line and explain that the domain was registered on behalf of your business by an employee who has left. Ask what their process is for an ownership dispute. Registrars differ widely. Some will move a domain on strong proof that the business paid for it, especially if the card on file was the company's. Others will only act on the registrant's say-so or on a court order. Ask them to put their requirements in writing.

Step 3: If the registrar will not act

This is where you need an attorney, and the right path depends on the details. Options owners commonly hear about:

A demand letter from an attorney to the former employee. Often enough on its own.
A domain dispute under ICANN's UDRP (the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy), which is designed for cases where someone holds a domain matching your trademark in bad faith. It has filing fees and rules about trademarks, so get advice before using it; it is described at icann.org.
A court claim for the return of company property.

None of this is quick or cheap, which is why Step 1 is worth real effort, including a phone call if a message gets no answer.

Meanwhile: protect your business

Keep the domain from expiring. Ask the registrar whether you can pay the renewal even without account access. Some allow a payment on any domain.
Keep email working. If your business email runs on this domain, make sure the mailboxes are in an account you control (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and so on). If the mail account is also in the former employee's name, sort that out with the mail provider in parallel.
Know your plan B. If the domain cannot be recovered, a new domain plus a clear redirect from every place you control (Google Business Profile, social pages, printed material over time) is painful but survivable. Do not wait until you are forced into it.

How to stop it happening again

Register every domain in the business's name, with a company email address that is not tied to one person, such as admin@ or accounts@.
Use an account at the registrar that belongs to the business, with the owner holding the password and two-step sign-in.
Give staff and contractors their own logins if the registrar allows it, rather than sharing or using theirs.
Turn on auto-renew with a company card, and put the expiry date in your calendar.
Keep a one-page list of every domain, where it is registered and who can log in. Keeping website and domain logins safe shows a simple way.

This week

Look up the domain and note the registrar and expiry date.
Open your own account at that registrar.
Send the former employee a friendly request with your account details.
Gather payment records and business documents in one folder.
If you hear nothing in a week, call the registrar's support.

Once the domain is safely in your hands, it is a good moment to look at the website it points to. If that site was also built by the person who left and nobody can edit it, you can see your site rebuilt first and decide with the new version in front of you.