Need to Get Your Domain Back? Here’s How to Submit a Domain Dispute

It can be frustrating when you own a domain name but don't have direct access because it is managed through someone else's Heart account. This can often be the case where you have a developer, designer or agency who handles this aspect of your business.

If you are the official domain registrant (the person or entity listed as the owner in our records), you have the option to submit a Domain Dispute with us to transfer the domain name into your own Heart account, putting it under your direct control.

Important Things to Understand About Domain Ownership

Before starting the process, please note these key points:

• Official Ownership is Key: The official owner of the domain is the person, company, school, charity, or other entity listed as the domain registrant in our registry records.
• Account vs. Domain Ownership: The person who owns the Heart account where the domain is held is not always the same as the domain registrant. An account owner can register a domain in your name, but they still control the account it's in.
• Domain vs. Data Ownership: A successful domain dispute will only get the domain name transferred to you. Hosting package data (your website and emails) is different. That data belongs to the Heart account owner who holds the hosting package. To move your website and emails, we must have the consent of the account owner who holds the hosting package.
• Special Circumstances: We have specific policies for domain disputes that arise after the death of a Heart account owner or when a company is dissolved. Please clarify when such a situation applies to your case and we will verify and advise accordingly.

Our Recommended First Step: Contact the Account Owner

The quickest and easiest way to get your domain is to ask the person who originally registered it for you to transfer it to your own Heart account.

1. Ask Them to Transfer It: Please contact the person who registered the domain and ask them to move it to you.
2. They Can Get Our Help: If they need assistance, they can contact us directly by raising a ticket or using our chat service.
3. Mutual Consent Transfer: If we receive written consent (via support tickets) from both you and the account holder agreeing to the transfer, we can process it right away.
4. Include Hosting: If your website and emails are hosted with us, please clarify from the beginning if you also need the hosting package migrated. With mutual consent, we can often process the hosting migration along with the domain transfer.

If Contacting Them Doesn't Work

If you've tried to contact the account holder but haven't received a reply, we can help:

• We Can Reach Out: You can ask us to contact them on your behalf. We will open a ticket inside their Heart account and pass your preferred contact details to them.
• Their Discretion: Please remember that it is entirely at their discretion whether they choose to respond to our ticket or agree to the transfer.

Submitting a Formal Domain Dispute

You can also choose to raise a formal domain dispute at any time. This is a straightforward process designed to help us verify your ownership quickly.

Here are the steps:

1 - Create Your Free Heart Account: If you don't already have one, please create a free account on our login page: https://customer.heartinternet.uk/register-free

2 - Open a Support Ticket: From the Customer Service section of your new account, open a new support ticket.

• Title: "Domain dispute for the [insert domain name here] domain."
• Details: Provide your preferred contact details and give us your consent to share these details with the current account owner.

3 - We Contact the Account Owner: We will open a ticket inside the account that holds the domain to ask if they agree to the transfer. We'll give them your contact details and 3 days to respond via that ticket.

4 - Send Us Your Documents: In the meantime, you must attach two or three documents, one by one, to your domain dispute ticket to prove your identity and address as the official domain registrant. The required documents depend on the registrant type:

• Individual: Typically requires a photo ID (proof of name) and a utility bill or bank statement (proof of address).
• Company: Typically requires a council tax bill or HMRC letter (proof of name) and a utility bill or bank statement (proof of address).
• School: Typically requires a document from the Department for Education, or the Education Funding Agency that has both the school’s name and DfE number present. We also accept NCTL numbers from the National College for Teaching and Leadership. Alongside this, please provide a standard utility bill as proof of address.
• Charity: Typically requires the photo ID of a trustee, a letter from the Charity Commission as proof of appointment as a trustee, and a bank statement or utility bill as proof of address of the charity.

Next Steps

Once we have verified documents and attempted to contact the account holder the next steps will be discussed with you through the support ticket.

One Final Note: If the Heart account owner registered the domain in their own name (not yours) and is listed as the official domain registrant, we cannot transfer the domain to you without their prior consent, as they are the rightful owner in our records.