The registrant is the legal holder
Whoever is named as the registrant on the domain controls it. If that is your old web designer rather than your business, you may need their cooperation to move hosting, change email providers or renew it. Most designers will help, but you are relying on goodwill and on them still being reachable.
Expired domains take everything down with them
When a domain expires, the website and email stop working, often at the same moment. If the renewal reminders go to an old email address that nobody checks, you may only find out when customers say your email is bouncing. Some expired domains are snapped up by others and offered back at a much higher price.
You can still have help managing it
Owning your domain does not mean you have to manage DNS records yourself. A good provider can look after the technical side while the registration stays in your business name and you keep access to the account. Ownership and day-to-day management are separate questions.
Keep the account details current
The registrar account should use an email address the business controls, ideally a role address rather than one person's inbox, with multi-factor authentication switched on. Auto-renewal with a valid payment card avoids the domain lapsing because a reminder was missed.
Check before you need to
A domain dispute is much easier to sort out on a quiet afternoon than in the middle of a website migration or email outage. A lookup will show which registrar holds the domain and when it expires; for .uk domains, the registrar can confirm who the registrant is.
What to do next
Find out which company your domain is registered with, confirm you can log in to that account, and check the registrant name and expiry date. If you cannot get in, start the recovery process now while nothing is broken.
Symnetrix can help you trace where your domain is registered, bring it back under your business's control and manage the DNS on your behalf. Learn more about website hosting in Hastings and East Sussex, or contact Symnetrix to discuss your setup.