Stuck with a website nobody will fix?

Start by finding out what you actually control. Your domain registrar and hosting account are the two things that matter most — if either is in your name, you have options. Send me the site and I will tell you what I can see from the outside, free, before you commit to anything.

It depends entirely on what you signed. Some contracts assign ownership on final payment; others let the agency retain the code and license it to you. Check your agreement for the words “intellectual property” or “ownership”. If the domain is registered in their name rather than yours, that is the first thing to fix.

Yes, and I do it regularly. I will need access to the hosting and domain, or help getting it. If the existing build is sound I will work with it. If it would cost you more to maintain than to replace, I will tell you that plainly rather than quietly charging you to prop it up.

Genuinely depends. A well-built site with a few problems is worth fixing. A slow, hard-to-edit build often costs more to patch than to rebuild properly. I will look before quoting and give you the honest answer, including when that answer is “keep what you have”.

Not if it is done properly. Keeping your URLs, redirecting anything that changes, and preserving your content protects what you have built. Rankings usually improve after a rebuild, because speed and mobile experience are ranking factors and old sites tend to be weak on both.

Read the notice period and check who holds the domain. I am not a solicitor and will not pretend otherwise, but I can tell you what is technically involved in moving and help you plan the timing so nothing goes down.