A handover file for your business sale: every login, ready for the buyer.
When you sell your business, the buyer needs its website, domain, email, Google listing and every online account to keep working the day after. We find each one, tidy up who controls it, and write it all down in one clear handover file, so the handover is calm and well prepared.
In one sentence: a handover file is a complete, checked record of every online asset your business uses, who owns it, how to log in safely and how it all fits together, prepared so a buyer can take over without guesswork.
What is a handover file?
Think of it as the manual for your business's online life. It lists every account and asset, from the domain name to the booking system, and for each one it says: what it is, whose name it's in, what it costs, when it renews, who can log in, and what depends on it. It also explains how things work together, like "the contact form sends to the front desk inbox, which forwards to the manager's phone".
It does not contain passwords written in a document. Logins move through a password manager or a secure handover on the day, never by email.
Why does a buyer care about my website and logins?
Because they're buying a business that works, and today much of that work happens online. New customers find it on Google, enquiries come through the website, bookings run through software, and the team's email sits on the business domain. If any of that breaks in the first week, the buyer feels it straight away, and so can the goodwill they paid for.
Buyers and their advisers often ask about these assets during their checks before the sale. A clear file answers those questions quickly, shows the business is well run, and removes a reason for delays or awkward last-minute surprises.
What usually goes wrong when a small business is sold?
In our experience taking over websites, the same tangles come up again and again. Most owners don't know they have them until someone asks:
- The domain is in the wrong name. It's registered to you personally, to a former partner, or to a web designer from years ago, not to the business being sold.
- The Google listing belongs to a personal account. Often an old personal Gmail address that only you, or a former employee, can get into.
- Two-step login codes go to your phone. After the sale, the buyer can't log in without texting you every time.
- Renewals are on your personal card. When you cancel the card, the domain or hosting quietly expires a few months later.
- Old staff and agencies still have access. Nobody ever removed them, and nobody knows how many there are.
- Nobody knows how it all connects. Which inbox gets the form, what the website depends on, which paid tools are tied to which account.
None of these is hard to fix. They're just slow to discover under deadline pressure. The handover file finds them early.
Everything a buyer needs to keep the lights on.
Each section says what it is, whose name it's in, what it costs, when it renews and who can get in. Written in simple words, for someone who's never seen your business before.
Domain and its settings
Where the domain is registered, who holds it, when it renews, and a record of the settings that point it to your website and email.
Website and hosting
The hosting account, the website's admin logins, paid themes or plugins and whose account their licences sit in, plus where backups are kept.
Every mailbox and shared address, who uses each one, where form alerts go, and the settings that stop your email landing in spam.
Google and listings
Your Google Business Profile and its owners, plus listings on Apple, Bing, Yelp and trade or booking sites, and who can log in to each.
Booking, phones and tools
Booking software, online forms, phone numbers and call forwarding, chat or text tools, and how each connects to the website.
Visitor stats and Google tools
Who administers your visitor counting and Google's site tools, and recent history so the buyer can see how the site performs.
Who has access
Every person and company with a login today, what they can do, and which access ends on the day of the sale.
Costs and renewals
A calendar of every renewal and subscription, what it costs, and which card or account pays for it now.
How it all works
Short, plain notes: what happens when someone fills in the form, books online or calls, and what to do if something stops.
Find it, tidy it, hand it over.
Ideally we start well before you sign, so nothing is rushed. We work alongside your broker, lawyer and accountant, not instead of them.
We find and check everything
We look at your business from the outside, the way a buyer's adviser would, and from the inside with you: every account, every login, every renewal. We confirm whose name each one is in and who can get in today.
Nothing assumedWe tidy up and write it down
Accounts moved into the business's name where they belong, two-step logins set up so they don't rely on your personal phone, old access removed with your OK, and every piece documented in your handover file.
You check each sectionWe hand it over on the day
On the agreed date, we work through the handover with you and the buyer: ownership changed, buyer access added, passwords changed, your personal access removed after any agreed overlap. Then we check that everything still works.
Tested after the handoverWhat happens on the day, in order?
The exact order depends on your sale, and your lawyer decides when ownership passes. This is the order we usually follow once you give the go-ahead:
- Buyer accounts ready. The buyer's email addresses and password manager are set up before the day, so access can be added instantly.
- Add the buyer, before removing anyone. The buyer becomes an owner or administrator on each account first. Nobody gets locked out in between.
- Move the Google listing. The buyer is added as an owner, then made primary owner. Google makes a new primary owner wait 7 days before they can manage everything, so we plan for that (Google Business Profile Help, 2026).
- Update the domain's owner details. Changing the registered owner can lock the domain against moving to another company for 60 days (ICANN, 2026). The site keeps working. It just can't change domain company during that time.
- Change passwords and two-step logins. Every shared password is changed, and login codes move to the buyer's devices.
- Swap the payment details. Renewals and subscriptions move to the buyer's card or account, so renewals don't lapse later.
- Remove your access. After any overlap you've agreed, we remove your personal logins and record it in the file.
- Test everything. A test enquiry through every form, email both ways, booking links, and a check that the site is online.
Who it suits best.
The earlier you start, the more it helps. But it's useful even with a sale date close.
A good fit if...
- You're selling, or thinking about selling in the next year or two.
- You're retiring and handing over to a family member or a key employee.
- Your online accounts grew over the years and nobody has the full picture.
- Your broker or buyer has asked for a list of digital assets.
Something simpler may do if...
- You need a business valuation, a sale contract or tax advice. That's your broker, lawyer and accountant.
- You need office computers, phones or networks documented. That's office IT, which we don't do.
- You're on Full Care and selling soon. Your handover file already exists. Ask us what a sale adds.
Monday, 8:00
Hi Alan, the handover file is 80% done. Two things need you.
- Domain moved from your personal account to the company's on Tuesday
- Removed 3 logins belonging to former staff, with your OK
- Needs you: the booking system's owner email is an old address. Can you check you still get mail there?
- Needs you: hosting renews on your personal card in May. Which card should it move to?
- Send the draft file to your broker on Friday, as agreed
Price on request, quoted after your first fix. Works with any plan.
The price depends on how many accounts and tools your business uses, how tangled their ownership is, and whether we take part on handover day. You get a clear quote first. Nothing starts until you say yes.
It works best with a plan, because a handover file only helps if it's still true on the day you sell. Passwords change, staff come and go, tools get added. On a plan we keep an eye on your accounts and tell you about changes in your weekly note.
- Renewals watched, so one doesn't lapse mid-sale
- Access changes recorded as they happen
- On Full Care, a handover file is already kept up to date
- Leave any month, including the month after you sell
Names and numbers changed for illustration.
How is it set up, and what do you need from me?
We confirm timing in your quote. It depends mostly on how many accounts there are and how quickly old providers respond, so the earlier you tell us your sale timeline, the better.
What we need from you
- A list of what you know about, however rough: website, email, booking, phones, social accounts. We find the rest.
- Access to your email inbox search, or your help searching it. Old invoices and renewal emails reveal accounts nobody remembers.
- The online subscriptions you pay for, just their names from your card statements, so we can spot paid tools nobody remembers. We never need your bank details.
- Who your broker and lawyer are, if you'd like us to send them the file or answer their questions directly.
- Your sale timeline, including the expected completion date and any agreed overlap where you help the buyer.
- Decisions on what goes with the sale, such as social accounts in your own name, or a personal email you also used for the business.
How does this compare with doing it yourself?
You can absolutely build a list yourself. The hard part is finding what you've forgotten, fixing what's in the wrong name, and keeping it right until the day.
| What matters | Your own spreadsheet | Penguina handover file |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts you remember | Yes | Yes |
| Accounts you've forgotten | Usually missed | Found from invoices, settings and records |
| Wrong-name accounts fixed | If you know how | Moved into the business's name |
| Two-step logins and old access | Often overlooked | Checked on every account |
| "How it works" notes | Rarely written | Written in simple words |
| Help on handover day | On your own | If you want it, with tests after |
| Passwords kept out of documents | Depends | Always |
| Cost | Free, plus your time | Price on request, plus your plan from $100 a month |
What should I know about online assets in a sale?
This is general information, not legal advice. Your lawyer and broker decide what's included in the sale and when ownership passes. We make sure the online side matches what they agree.
Read the details
- How you sell changes what moves. Broadly, if the buyer buys your company itself, accounts already in the company's name stay where they are. If they buy the business's assets instead, each asset may need to be transferred one by one. Either way, anything in your personal name needs attention.
- Customer details come with rules. Customer lists, email subscribers and patient or client records are covered by data protection and, for some businesses, professional rules. Whether and how they pass to a buyer is a question for your lawyer. We document where that data lives and who can reach it.
- Google listings take a week to settle. A new primary owner must wait 7 days before they can manage every feature (Google Business Profile Help, 2026). Plan for an overlap.
- Domain locks are normal. A change of registered owner can stop the domain moving to another domain company for 60 days (ICANN, 2026). It doesn't stop the website or email working.
- Some things can't be transferred. Personal social media profiles, some software licences and some phone contracts belong to a person, not a business. We flag these early so you can decide what to do.
Never email a list of passwords
Not to the buyer, not to your broker, not to us. Emails get forwarded, stored and searched for years. Logins move through a password manager or are set up fresh for the buyer on the day.
Questions about a handover file for a sale.
Something else? Ask in the chat, email hello@penguina.website or WhatsApp us.
How early should I start?
As early as you can, ideally before you put the business on the market. Some fixes, like moving a domain into the right name or getting an old Google account back, depend on other companies and can take a while. Starting early means nothing is rushed when the sale date is set.
Will the buyer see my passwords?
No. The handover file describes every account but never contains passwords. On the day, the buyer gets their own owner access, shared passwords are changed, and your personal logins are removed after any agreed overlap.
Can you talk to my broker or the buyer's adviser?
Yes, with your OK. We can send them the file and answer their questions about the online side. We don't give legal, tax or valuation advice, and we don't take part in negotiations.
Does a tidy handover file raise my sale price?
It removes a common source of questions, delays and last-minute problems, and shows the buyer the business is well looked after.
Can the buyer keep using Penguina after the sale?
If they want to. They'd start their own plan, month to month, in their own name. They're under no obligation, and the file is written so any competent web person could take over.
What if I can't get into an old account?
That's common. We work through the provider's own recovery process with you, using invoices, company records and your ID where needed. If an account truly can't be recovered, we say so in the file and plan a replacement.
I'm on Full Care. Do I need this add-on?
Full Care already keeps a handover file up to date, so you're most of the way there. A sale can add extras, such as working with your advisers or joining on handover day. Ask us, and we'll tell you whether anything extra is needed.
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