Yes. Taking over Umbraco sites built elsewhere is a large part of our work, whether the previous agency has closed, moved away from Umbraco, or the relationship has simply run its course. The process is straightforward: we get access to the code, database and hosting, review what is actually there, fix anything urgent such as missing security patches, and then look after the site on a normal retainer. Two things we do not do: we do not need the old agency's cooperation, helpful as it is when offered, and we do not open with a pitch to rebuild everything. Most inherited sites are better than their owners fear. Having worked on more than 200 Umbraco sites since 2011, there is very little we have not seen before.
If you are asking this question, something has already gone wrong: an agency has closed, gone quiet, or the trust has gone. What you need to know is whether the handover is going to be painful. Done properly, it is not.
First, access: code repository, database, hosting, domain and the Umbraco backoffice. If the old agency is cooperative this takes a day; if they have vanished, there are recovery routes for almost every situation, and we have used most of them. Second, review: we read the code and configuration to understand what was built, note anything dangerous, and check the things that silently lapse during a handover period, security patches first among them. Third, stabilise: urgent issues get fixed, backups get verified, monitoring goes on. From there the site is simply looked after, usually on a retainer from £500 a month, with the typical first fix inside 18 hours.
We will not tell you the previous agency's work is terrible in order to sell you a rebuild. Inherited code is like an inherited house: rarely how you would have done it, usually perfectly liveable, occasionally in need of specific repairs which we will name precisely and price honestly. The everything-must-go rebuild pitch is a sales tactic, not an engineering judgement, and buyers who have been burned once deserve better the second time.
The review and stabilisation is scoped once we can see what exists, and ongoing care is the standard retainer pricing: £500, £950 or £1,800 a month depending on how much attention the site needs. If the site is also stuck on an old version, we will lay out the upgrade path at the same time; for Umbraco 13 sites the fixed price upgrade is £8,999 plus VAT. If you are mid-crisis with no access and no responses, contact us and we will help you work out what you have and what you need.
Tell us what you're working on and we'll come back within one working day.
An Umbraco Silver Partner agency in Llandudno, North Wales and the Isle of Man, building and looking after Umbraco and .NET websites for businesses and agencies across the UK and beyond. Simon Antony is a brand of Simplepage Ltd.
Maesgwyn, 3 Claremont rd,
Llandudno, North Wales, LL30 2UF