Critical Questions to Ask Before
Signing a Web Dev Agency Contract
IP Ownership · Payment Terms · Warranty · Delivery Milestones · Source Code Access
A web development contract is a legally binding document that will define your relationship with the vendor for months. Asking the right questions before signing protects you from hidden fees, IP disputes, delivery surprises, and scope creep. This guide covers every critical question you should ask — and the answers you should expect from a professional, trustworthy custom web development partner.
Key Considerations
Everything you need to know about this topic — from a senior developer's perspective
⚖️ Who Owns the Finished Code?
You should own 100% of the custom code written for your project upon final payment. The contract must explicitly state that all IP, source code, and design assets created during the project are assigned to you — not retained by the agency.
💰 Payment Terms & Milestone Structure
Never pay 100% upfront. Professional projects use milestone-based payments: 30–50% deposit to start, 25–35% at mid-project milestone, and the remainder on final delivery and approval. This aligns financial incentives with progress.
🛡️ Warranty & Bug Fix Period
A reputable agency provides a 30–90 day warranty period post-launch during which bugs (caused by development, not content changes) are fixed at no additional cost. This should be in writing with specific definitions of what constitutes a warranty-covered bug.
📋 Scope Change Process
Scope changes happen. The contract must define how they're handled: written change request, estimated cost and timeline impact, approval before work begins. Never work with a vendor who says 'we'll figure it out as we go'.
🔑 Access to Credentials & Hosting
You must have full access to: your domain registrar, hosting account, cloud infrastructure, GitHub repository, and all third-party service accounts used in your project. Never let a vendor control access to your own infrastructure.
📞 Communication Expectations
Establish: Who is your point of contact? How quickly do they respond? What is the escalation path if the project is going off-track? What communication channel is used (email, Slack, WhatsApp)? And critically — is there a project manager or are you working directly with the developer?
Frequently Asked Questions
Detailed answers from 6+ years of custom web development experience
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