This schedule (S6) applies when you buy domain name services from us. It forms part of your Contract with our Customer Agreement. If you are buying as an individual for personal use, our Consumer Terms also apply and take priority.
Key points
- You are the Registrant of every domain we register for you. This gives you the right to use it for as long as it stays registered.
- We register domains through GoDaddy or Namecheap. Their registration agreements, the registry's rules and ICANN policies also apply.
- Domains renew automatically unless you turn renewal off at least 30 days before expiry. We remind you at least 45 days before a domain expires.
- You must keep your contact details accurate and respond to verification emails, or the domain can be suspended.
- You can move a domain away from us at any time once it is paid for, subject to registry transfer rules.
1. The domain services
1.1 Our domain services include searching for, registering, renewing and transferring domain names, managing DNS records, domain privacy and changing who a domain is registered to. Your Order or account shows which services you have bought.
1.2 In this schedule:
- Domain means a domain name we register, renew, transfer or manage for you,
- ICANN means the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which oversees generic domains such as .com and .org,
- Registrar means the accredited registrar through which a Domain is registered,
- Registry means the organisation that runs a top-level domain, such as Nominet for .uk and
- Registrant means the person or organisation named as the holder of a Domain.
2. Registrars and their terms
2.1 We register Domains through our accounts with GoDaddy or Namecheap, each acting as Registrar. We tell you which Registrar holds each Domain in your Order or account.
2.2 Each Domain is also subject to:
- the Registrar's registration agreement: GoDaddy Domain Name Registration Agreement or Namecheap Registration Agreement,
- the rules and policies of the Registry for that top-level domain, including Nominet's terms for .uk domains and
- ICANN policies for generic domains, including the Registrants' Benefits and Responsibilities.
2.3 By ordering a Domain, you agree to these terms, which are Third-Party Terms under clause 7 of the Customer Agreement. If they conflict with this schedule on how a Registry or Registrar handles a Domain, their terms apply to that point. This does not reduce our obligations to you under this schedule or, if you are a Consumer, your rights under the Consumer Terms or the law.
2.4 We hold the Registrar account in our name and manage your Domains in it. If you would prefer to hold a Domain in your own Registrar account, tell us and we will help you move it.
3. Registration
3.1 You are named as the Registrant of each Domain we register for you, which gives you the right to use it for its registration period. We will not register a Domain you have paid for in our own name.
3.2 Domains are registered on a first-come, first-served basis. A Domain is only registered once the Registry confirms it. We are not responsible if a Domain shown as available is registered by someone else before your order is processed. If this happens, we will refund what you paid for that Domain in full.
3.3 Some top-level domains have eligibility rules, such as being based in a particular country, or charge premium prices for certain names. We tell you about these before you order where we can. You must meet any eligibility rules for as long as you hold the Domain.
3.4 Registering a Domain does not give you any trade mark or other rights in the name. You confirm that, as far as you know, your Domain and the way you use it do not infringe anyone else's rights and are lawful.
3.5 We may refuse to register a Domain, for example if it appears to infringe someone else's rights, breach our Acceptable Use Policy or break a Registry's rules.
4. Your contact details
4.1 You must give accurate and complete contact details for each Domain and keep them up to date. This is required by ICANN for generic domains, by Nominet for .uk domains and by most other Registries.
4.2 The Registrar or Registry may ask you to verify your contact details, usually by email. If you do not verify them within the time they set, which for generic domains is usually 15 days, the Domain may be suspended until you do.
4.3 Your contact details are shared with the Registrar and Registry, and may be held in escrow, so the Domain can be managed. Some details may appear in public registration data services, depending on the Registry's rules. Personal details of individuals are usually redacted from public registration data, but practice varies between Registries.
4.4 Where available, you can buy a domain privacy service that replaces your details in public registration data with those of a privacy provider. The privacy provider's terms apply. The provider may disclose your details where the law, a court, ICANN or the Registry requires it, or to deal with a complaint about the Domain.
4.5 Giving false details, or not responding to verification, can lead to the Domain being suspended or cancelled. That is a breach of these terms.
5. Renewal and expiry
5.1 Domains renew automatically at the end of each registration period, for the same period, unless you turn off renewal in your account, or tell us, at least 30 days before the Domain expires. If you do so later, the Domain renews and the renewal fee is payable. We charge the renewal fee to your payment method before the Domain expires.
5.2 We will remind you by email at least 45 days before a Domain expires, so you have time to turn off renewal, and again about 30 days and about 7 days before it expires. If it has not been renewed, we will remind you again within 5 days after it expires.
5.3 Renewal fees can change. Our website shows our current renewal, post-expiry renewal and redemption fees for each top-level domain, and your account shows the renewal price for each Domain. Price changes follow clause 7.4 of the Customer Agreement or, if you are a Consumer, clause 5.4 of the Consumer Terms.
5.4 If a Domain expires, it may stop working at expiry or shortly after, along with any website or email that uses it. Depending on the Registry, there may then be:
- a renewal grace period, when you can still renew at the normal renewal price and
- a redemption period, when you can recover the Domain for an extra redemption fee.
5.5 These periods are set by each Registry and are not guaranteed. Once they end, the Domain may be deleted or released and someone else may register it.
5.6 We are not responsible for a Domain expiring if you turned off renewal. Nor are we responsible if your payment failed after we told you or if you did not keep your contact details up to date.
6. Transfers
6.1 Transferring a Domain to us. To transfer a Domain to us, you must unlock it at your current registrar and give us its transfer authorisation code. Most generic domain transfers add one year to the registration period and are charged at our transfer price.
6.2 Transferring a Domain away. You may transfer a Domain away from us at any time, subject to clause 12.4 of the Customer Agreement and the rules in clause 6.3. We will provide the transfer authorisation code and unlock the Domain within 5 days of your request.
6.3 Transfer locks. ICANN and the Registries restrict transfers in some cases. For example, a generic Domain cannot move to another registrar for a period after it is first registered or transferred, currently 60 days under ICANN's Transfer Policy. Registries can also lock a Domain during a dispute. We will tell you if a lock applies.
6.4 .uk Domains. .uk Domains move between registrars by changing the Domain's registrar tag, not by an authorisation code. We will change the tag within 5 days of your request.
6.5 Disputed transfers. If you think a Domain was transferred away from us without your permission, contact us using our Domain Transfer Dispute Form. We will ask the Registrar to resolve it with the other registrar, under ICANN's Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy or the Registry's rules.
7. Changing the Registrant
7.1 You can change the Registrant of a Domain, for example when you sell a business. Both the current Registrant and the new Registrant must confirm the change.
7.2 By asking for a change of Registrant, the current Registrant gives up its rights in the Domain to the new Registrant, and the new Registrant agrees to these terms for the Domain.
7.3 A change of Registrant may trigger a transfer lock under the Registry's or ICANN's rules. Where you can opt out of the lock, we will tell you.
7.4 We are not responsible for disputes between the current and new Registrant about the change, including whether the current Registrant had the right to make it.
8. DNS, forwarding and DNSSEC
8.1 Where we manage DNS for a Domain, we will make the changes you ask for within a reasonable time, normally within 1 Business Day. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to take effect across the internet.
8.2 You are responsible for the accuracy of DNS records you ask us to set, and for records you change yourself.
8.3 If you use DNSSEC, the keys must match at the Registry and the DNS host. A mismatch can make your website and email unreachable. We are not responsible for a mismatch caused by changes made outside our control.
9. Domain disputes
9.1 Generic Domains are subject to ICANN's Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). Many generic top-level domains, but not .com or .net, are also subject to the Uniform Rapid Suspension System. .uk Domains are subject to Nominet's Dispute Resolution Service, and other country-code domains to their Registry's dispute policy. These let trade mark owners and others challenge a Domain.
9.2 If someone brings a dispute against your Domain, the Registrar and Registry must follow the decision. That may mean the Domain is locked, cancelled or transferred to the other party. We will tell you about any dispute we are told about.
9.3 We may charge for time spent dealing with a dispute about your Domain at our then-current rates, unless the dispute arises from our own error.
10. Suspension and cancellation
10.1 In addition to clause 21 of the Customer Agreement:
- a Domain may be suspended, locked, cancelled or transferred where a Registry, ICANN, a court, a regulator or a dispute decision under clause 9 requires it,
- a Domain may be suspended or cancelled where you give false contact details, do not complete verification or use it for abuse such as phishing, malware, spam or fraud and
- a Domain may not be renewed, and may expire, where its renewal fee has not been paid.
10.2 We will tell you before this happens where we can, unless the law, a Registry or the urgency of the abuse prevents it. We will not suspend a Domain for non-payment without first giving notice under clause 10.6 of the Customer Agreement or clause 5.3 of the Consumer Terms.
11. Charges and refunds
11.1 Domain registrations, renewals and transfers are paid in full when ordered.
11.2 Registries allow refunds only for a short period after some registrations, if at all. After that, the fee cannot be recovered. Registration, renewal and transfer fees are therefore not refundable, except where our Cancellation and Refund Policy, the Consumer Terms or the law say otherwise.
11.3 If we make an error in registering a Domain, such as registering the wrong name, we will correct it at our cost where the Registry allows.
12. When your contract ends
12.1 If the Contract for a Domain ends, the Domain stays registered to you until the end of its current registration period. We will not renew it after the Contract ends.
12.2 Until the Domain expires, we will provide its transfer authorisation code, or change its registrar tag for a .uk Domain, under clause 6. This is not limited to the 30-day period in clause 12.2 of the Customer Agreement.