Have you ever been in the situation that someone has asked you to just do a little something on their website, and you have to ask the dreaded question "what are the login details?". Chances are they don't know. Some bloke years ago set it up for them, they've got an email from 2006 with something on it, but really, shouldn't you be able to just fix it?

I can't recall the number of times I've had this conversation, and it is always the same. There has to be some way of being able to protect web site owners from these sorts of issues. Websites where the tech contact or worse the billing contact is not the actual owner, websites where the access details are unknown by the site owner, websites where the owner has no idea where they are hosted, or even the fact that they are about to expire.

So what is the problem? Think of it this way, when you bought your house, did you give the builder the title, the keys and set them up as the contact address for rates notices? I'd rather think not, but that is exactly what website owners do every day. In that situation, imagine trying to get a quote to get some extensions done, or get some redress over that rising damp if the builder has gone out of business. The same thing goes with your website. Try getting some additions, or changes done if you don't have access to your site.

In the house analogy there is some protection - a builder has a formal handover to the owner and the title remains with the owner (or the bank, but lets not get too specific about analogies). It is this formal handover that seems to be lacking in the web development sphere. The situation isn't helped by web hosting companies that insist on having different logins for the user account, the website management account and even the support system - how many usernames and passwords does a person need to remember?

Unfortunately I don't have any solutions, but as a web community we need to think about this so that rights are not trampled upon and site owners are not left in the lurch. Some of it may be solved by education, but I think there is a more fundamental problem. Anyone can set themselves up as a website developer, and many do. Setting up a website is simple - but it is just the start of an ongoing relationship with your client. The professional will ensure that the client has all of the details required to ensure that their property remains securely in their hands, while the gifted amateur may produce a fantastic website, but are you going to be able to do anything with it when they move on?