I'm just a small one man operation but since I've been doing this, for about 20 years now, I have always put account ownership of 3rd party services in the clie

I'm just a small one man operation but since I've been doing this, for about 20 years now, I have always put account ownership of 3rd party services in the client's name and informed them of any updates that needed to be made to that info while I managed those accounts. The idea behind it is they can fire me anytime they want and not have to worry about me hijacking their data. As part of this I direct the billing for all 3rd party services to them from the very start. When clients have decided to move on I give them everything they need and ask for, even if they owe me money. I work with whomever they are using to make it easy for them and try to be as helpful as possible. I won't do their job for them but I will provide with what they need if I have it. As far as code I write for them, that is owned by those who pay me to write it. Again, I make that clear from the start. Personally, I think it's highly unethical to do otherwise. If you're offering your software as a service that's a different issue but when you're creating custom apps just for them you need to make it so they can continue on if you get hit by a bus and can't continue on. I have changed how I create apps over the years to make it easier for clients to move away from me when they want. I have some that have been with me for over 15 years now. Some that have left and come back, and some that never looked back. But none will say I hindered them when they left. They will all say I helped them with whatever they needed and made it as easy as possible. From a legal standpoint I want to be on solid ground from the beginning. I don't want any client to be able to say I hindered their ability to do business, and none ever has.