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Expired Domain question

by Nickel
5 replies
I have a friend who is asking for my help in getting her website back up. She had a free domain name with webhosting but was very unhappy with the hosting. So when it was up for renewal she didn't renew. The website is still not available and whois states it expires on June 2014. It's currently with homestead, but when I logged into the account it says the account is expired.

It's a domain name that would only apply to her website. It's not anything competitive but she already has her name out there and doesn't want to change it. Is there a way to buy the domain name without paying an arm and a leg before June of next year?

Did someone buy it after it expired? I'm confused on why it's not available yet when it has been months past her renewal time. The whois has information for tuscowdowns, homestead, and her.

How can I go about getting the domain without the hosting? I have an hosting account with bluehost and was hoping just to add it to that and give her admin access directly at the domain.

Or is it a lost cause?

Thanks for any advice.
#domain #expired #question
  • Profile picture of the author Joan Altz
    I may not have this correct, so do correct me if I'm mistaken:

    She signed up with Homestead and received a free domain along with her purchase of the website, yes? And she did that June of this year?

    So basically, Homestead purchased the domain for her through who? Tucows?

    Have you contacted Homestead support about it?

    In her welcome email from Homestead, assuming she still has the email, did they provide any information about the domain?

    If the domain is registered to her, then she is the owner of the domain, and it sounds as if the domain is good until June 2014, but the website account itself is what is expired.

    But what is unsure is the policy of Homestead. They gave her a free domain, but it may still be in their control, and if so, you'll need to contact them and ask how you can have the domain transferred to her, or how she can pay for the domain and receive full ownership of it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nickel
    Thank you for the response. I think I am just going to have to contact Homestead. I'm not sure they will give me any information though. From what I can get from her is that she paid for a year of webhosting with a company with letters or numbers (I know that doesn't help much). With the paid webhosting she got a free domain name. The year was up in June or July. So she chose not to renew the hosting. She thought she lost the domain name as well.

    But according to whois, she is still listed along with the other two companies I mentioned. I thought maybe homestead picked it up after it expired because she told me the name didn't sound familiar. She is trying to go back through her email and send me whatever she has. In the meantime I'm guessing I have to just contact Homestead on Monday and see what information they can give me.
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  • Profile picture of the author ChromeHost
    If no one else snagged it, It will be in a temporary status where the domain can still be renewed for her but they will charge her an outrageous amount.
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    Chrome Host: Hosting the world, one at a time!
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    • Profile picture of the author buysellbrowse
      Every domain has 4 records for contacts: domain owner, admin, technical and billing contacts. The domain owner trumps all, and can request a change of admin, technical and billing contacts from the registrar, as long as it's still properly registered, paid for and not expired.

      If the ISP assigned your friend as the domain owner of record, then she can go directly to the domain registrar, prove her identity, request contact changes, and also provide new host names for the DNS.
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  • Profile picture of the author domainscience
    I guess not so free.
    Just renew with homestead (swallow the pride) and then transfer it to godaddy, enom, etc.

    That should have been done in the first place.
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