What to do right now, even if you hire nobody
You can do most of the early work yourself in an afternoon. The aim is to stop the situation getting worse: protect the accounts you already own, preserve evidence of what you paid for, and put a clear, polite request in writing. None of these steps needs a developer, and all of them make every later option cheaper and faster.
List every service the product uses
Write down the code repository, hosting, database, domain registrar, email sending, payment provider, analytics, app store accounts and any AI or third-party APIs. Next to each one, note whose name and email it is registered under, if you know.
Log in to everything you already own
For each account in your own or the company's name, sign in, turn on two-factor authentication and check the list of users. Remove nobody yet; just record who has which role.
Collect your paperwork
Gather the contract or statement of work, invoices, payment receipts, messages that describe the deliverables, and any earlier messages where the developer shared repository links or credentials.
Send one written handover request
Email a short, specific list: transfer of the repository to your organisation, ownership of hosting and database projects, the domain, and app store listings, with a reasonable date. Avoid accusations; keep it a business request you could show to a third party later.
Do not touch production
Avoid changing DNS, deleting users or rotating keys on systems you do not fully control yet. A careless change can take the live product down while you still need the developer's cooperation.
Decide when you will escalate
Pick a date. If there is no real progress by then, the next conversation is with a lawyer, not another round of messages.
What you can usually recover without the developer
Accounts opened in the company's name, or paid with the company's card, can usually be recovered through the provider's own owner or billing process. That is the legitimate route: the provider checks that you are the customer and restores access. It is slow but reliable, and it never involves getting around anyone's security or using credentials you were not given.
- Domain: if the registrar account is yours, you control DNS and can request a transfer code; if the domain was registered in the developer's own account, it needs their cooperation or a formal dispute with the registrar.
- Payment provider: the business that signed up and receives the payouts is normally the account owner; contact the provider's support from the business email on file.
- Hosting and database billed to your card: the provider's billing owner process can often restore access to the team or project.
- App store listings in your own developer account: you control them already, even if the developer did the uploads.
- Repository in your own organisation: you are the owner and can remove outside collaborators whenever you choose.
What needs the developer's cooperation
Anything that lives inside the developer's personal accounts needs them to act, because providers will not hand someone else's account to you. That typically includes a repository in their own account, hosting projects under their personal team, and apps published from their own app store developer account. Here the written request and, if needed, a lawyer are the tools.
- Repository transfer: the developer starts the transfer to your organisation and you accept it, which keeps the full commit history.
- Hosting projects: most platforms let the owner move a project to another team; environment variables may need to be re-entered afterwards.
- App store apps: Apple and Google both have an app transfer process that the current account holder starts and the receiving account accepts.
- Secrets and configuration: ask for the list of environment variable names and where each is used; you will replace the values anyway once you have control.
Scenarios and the likely path
The right next step depends on what you hold today. Use the table to find the situation closest to yours, see what access you still need, and pick the path that fits. Most real cases are a mix of two rows, so start with the row that blocks you most and work through the rest in order.
| Situation | Access you need | Likely path |
|---|---|---|
| You hold only a repository link | Owner role on the repository, plus the hosting and database | Ask for a repository transfer; meanwhile check whether hosting is billed to you |
| Live product with no documentation | Hosting, database, domain and the deployment setup | Recover the accounts first, then have an engineer rebuild it from the code in a separate environment |
| Deployment broken and the developer is not responding | Repository, hosting and the list of secrets | Recover the repository, then rebuild the deployment in accounts you own instead of repairing theirs |
| Previous developer still holds the accounts | Transfer of each account or project to the company | One written list with a date; if refused, legal advice before anything else |
| Developer is holding the code until an invoice is paid | A clear statement of what the payment releases | Agree in writing what is handed over on payment; take legal advice if the invoice is disputed |
| Developer says the code belongs to them | Your contract and any IP or work-for-hire terms | This is a legal question; speak to a lawyer before negotiating further |
When the dispute is about ownership, talk to a lawyer
If the developer argues that they own the code, or that you have no right to it yet, this is a legal dispute, not a technical one. Who owns code you paid for depends on your contract and the law that applies to it. We do not give legal advice, and neither should your next developer.
- Bring the contract, invoices and the written handover request to the first meeting with a lawyer.
- Keep communication with the developer polite and in writing while you get advice.
- Do not threaten, publish accusations, or copy code from systems you are not authorised to access.
- Ask the lawyer whether an escrow or a staged handover could settle the issue faster than a dispute.
Once you have the code: check it before you plan
Getting a copy of the code is not the same as having a working product. Before you decide how to continue, a senior engineer should build the app from that copy in a separate environment and compare it with what runs in production. Gaps between the two are common after a difficult handover, and cheaper to find now.
- Does the repository build and start with the documented steps, or with steps the engineer can reconstruct?
- Does the database schema in the code match the production database?
- Are there features in production that are missing from the repository?
- Which keys and passwords did the previous developer see, and have they all been replaced?
- Is there a deployment process anyone other than the previous developer can run?
What you receive from Servify Labs, and what is out of scope
When Servify Labs takes over after a handover, senior engineers work from accounts you own, so access never depends on one person again. We list what was recovered, build and run the code, compare it with production, rotate secrets with you, and write down how to deploy. Then we agree the next sprint of work in a written proposal.
- Included: an inventory of accounts and who owns each one, a check that the code builds and matches production, a written list of gaps and risks, help moving deployment into your accounts, and a plan for the next sprint.
- Out of scope: legal advice, negotiating with the previous developer on your behalf, debt collection, and any attempt to get into accounts you do not legitimately own.
- You keep ownership of the code, the designs and the infrastructure from day one of the engagement.
When Servify Labs is not a fit
We are the wrong choice if you need someone to pressure or confront the previous developer, if ownership of the code is still in dispute, or if you only need a quick patch to get through a demo. We are also not a fit when the budget is below our offer or there is no plan to keep building.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get the source code if the developer refuses to send it?
Sometimes, without their help: if the repository sits in your own organisation, or the hosting provider recognises you as the account owner. If the code lives only in the developer's personal accounts, you need their cooperation or a legal route. Never try to access their accounts yourself.
Do I own the code I paid for?
It depends on your contract and the law that applies to it, so a lawyer is the right person to answer. Bring the contract, the invoices and the messages that describe the deliverables. A developer can tell you what is in the code, but not who legally owns it.
What should a handover include?
The repository with full commit history, ownership of hosting, database and domain, app store listings, the list of environment variables and third-party services, database backups, and the steps to build and deploy. Ask for all of it in one written list with a date.
Is it safe to keep running the app while the handover is unresolved?
Usually yes, if you leave production alone. Avoid changing DNS or rotating keys on systems you do not control yet. Once you have ownership, replace every secret the previous developer could see and remove their access.
Can a new team work with only part of the code?
Often, yes. An engineer can build what you have in a separate environment, compare it with the live product, and tell you what is missing. That shows whether to finish the existing code or rebuild specific parts, as described in the project takeover service.
How does Servify Labs start, and what does it cost?
With a free intro call. After it you receive a quote and a written proposal within about 20 minutes, a second call takes place the next day, and work starts the day after the agreement is signed and the first sprint is paid. The price depends on what was recovered and what the check finds, so it is quoted individually in that proposal.
What happens after the handover is done?
Most teams move to a planned sprint: fix the risks found in the check, finish the missing features, and set up a deployment anyone on your side can run. If the developer simply disappeared rather than refusing, the guide on what to do when a developer abandons your app covers that case.
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