How agencies track client domain renewals (without a spreadsheet)
Updated 21 October 2026
Most agencies don't lose a client domain because they don't care. They lose it because the renewals are spread across five registrars, two of the accounts belong to the client, and the card on file expired in March.
What goes wrong today
- Many registrars, no single list. GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, plus whatever the client bought in 2014.
- Client-owned accounts. The agency builds the site, but the renewal email goes to someone who left the client's company.
- Auto-renew that quietly fails. Auto-renew is only as good as the card behind it.
What a lapsed domain costs
The website and every email address on the domain stop working. Most gTLDs then enter a grace period of around 30–45 days, followed by a redemption period where restoring the domain costs far more than a normal renewal. Valuable names can be lost to drop-catchers. The exact periods vary by registry and registrar.
A 5-step process that works
- Inventory every domain. List every domain you've built, host or manage DNS for, client by client.
- Record who owns and who pays. Note the registrar, the account owner (agency or client) and who pays the renewal.
- Check auto-renew. Mark which domains auto-renew, and on whose card.
- Set reminders at 60, 30, 14 and 3 days. 60 days leaves time to chase a client, and 3 days is the last call.
- Bill renewals back. Once a month, invoice clients for the renewals you paid on their behalf.
Free template: the columns we recommend
| client | domain | registrar | account owner | who pays | auto-renew | expires | renewal cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acme Ltd | acme.com | Namecheap | client | client | yes | 2027-03-14 | $12.98 |
Finding the expiry date: RDAP vs WHOIS
RDAP is the modern, structured replacement for WHOIS. It's supported by all gTLDs and most country-code TLDs, and returns the registry's expiry date and registrar in JSON. Some ccTLDs (such as .io) still only offer WHOIS on port 43. Our free bulk lookup tries RDAP first and falls back to WHOIS.
Stop tracking renewals in a spreadsheet
RenewRoster tracks every client's domains and certificates, reminds clients under your brand and gives you a monthly renewals report.
The online waitlist opens with the app. To join the beta now, email [email protected] with your agency name and roughly how many domains you manage.
Founding agencies get early access and 50% off their first year. No spam; one confirmation email.