is website hosting out of scope?
Yes — hosting and managing a live site is an ongoing operational service, distinct from the one-time build you contracted for. The exception is a contract that included a maintenance or hosting plan, or a deal that bundled managed hosting from the start.
Why this answer
Building a site and running it are fundamentally different commitments. The build is a project with an endpoint: you design, develop, and hand over a finished site. Hosting and managing it is an open-ended operational responsibility — keeping servers running, applying updates and security patches, renewing certificates and domains, monitoring uptime, taking backups, and being on call when something breaks at an inconvenient hour. That's ongoing labor and real cost (server bills, tooling), and it carries liability: if the site goes down on your infrastructure, that's now your problem to fix. A fixed-fee build doesn't price any of that in, because it ends at delivery. When a client assumes you'll 'just keep it running,' they're assuming a service with no end date and recurring cost, attached to a project that was supposed to conclude. Hosting under your account also ties their business to you in a way that can become a liability for both sides.
When the answer flips
It flips to In Scope when your contract included a maintenance retainer, a managed-hosting plan, or a stated support window after launch. It also flips, partially, during a short post-launch warranty period — many builds include a few weeks of bug fixes, though that's distinct from indefinite hosting. If you sold a fully managed product where hosting was always part of the offer, then it's in scope by your own model. The cleaner the contract is about what happens after handoff — who hosts, who maintains, for how long, at what cost — the less this drifts. The sharp Out-of-Scope case is indefinite, unpaid responsibility for keeping infrastructure alive after a project that was scoped to end at delivery.
What to do next
Separate the handoff from ongoing operations: 'The build covered designing and developing the site; hosting and maintaining it live is an ongoing service.' Then offer clear paths. Option one: set the client up on their own hosting under their own account, hand over access, and walk away clean — often the healthiest outcome. Option two: a managed-hosting and maintenance retainer at a monthly rate covering uptime, updates, backups, and support. Be explicit about what the retainer includes and excludes so 'maintenance' doesn't quietly become 'unlimited free changes.' Avoid hosting client sites under your personal accounts without a paid agreement — it ties their business to you and makes you liable. Add a post-launch clause to your next contract defining hosting, maintenance, and any warranty window.
Frequently asked questions
Doesn't building the site mean you'll keep it running?
No — those are separate commitments. The build is a project that ends at delivery; hosting and maintenance is an ongoing operational service with recurring cost and labor. A fixed build fee covers creating the site, not running it indefinitely. Keeping a live site healthy is a service in its own right, typically sold as a retainer or handled by the client's own hosting.
What does hosting and maintenance actually involve?
Far more than storage. It includes server uptime, software and security updates, certificate and domain renewals, backups, monitoring, and being available when something breaks. Each carries real cost and liability — if the site goes down on infrastructure you manage, fixing it is your responsibility. That ongoing burden is why it's priced separately from a one-time build.
Should I host the client's site under my own account?
Generally avoid it without a paid managed-hosting agreement. Hosting their business on your personal accounts ties them to you, makes you liable for outages, and creates a messy dependency if the relationship ends. The cleaner approach is to set them up on their own hosting under their own account, or to offer formal managed hosting as a priced service.
How should I price ongoing maintenance?
As a monthly retainer with a defined scope: uptime, updates, backups, security, and a set amount of support. State clearly what's included and what's not, so 'maintenance' doesn't slide into unlimited free changes. The rate should cover your time, your tooling and server costs, and the liability of being responsible for a live site.
Isn't there usually some free support after launch?
A short warranty window for fixing build bugs is common and reasonable — a few weeks where you correct defects in what you delivered. That's distinct from indefinite hosting and maintenance. Fixing your own bugs is part of delivering correctly; keeping the infrastructure alive forever is an ongoing service that should be paid.
How do I handle this cleanly in the contract?
Add a post-launch clause that defines what happens after handoff: who hosts the site, who maintains it, any warranty window for bug fixes, and the cost of ongoing maintenance if the client wants it. Naming this upfront prevents the common assumption that the builder silently becomes the unpaid, permanent operator of the live site.
Related reading
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Answer scope creep from your actual contract — not a template.
Settled reads your contract and the client's request, gives you a verdict (In Scope / Out of Scope / Ambiguous), and drafts the email grounded in your specific clause.