Our contract with a records storage vendor is ending — how do we get our records back safely?

When a storage or hosting contract ends, your organization remains accountable for the records the vendor held. A planned, documented exit protects against loss, gaps in chain of custody, and orphaned data. Start early — well before the contract term closes — and treat the return as a project with named owners and a schedule.

Start With Your Contract and Inventory

Review the exit, return, and data-disposition clauses in your agreement. These typically govern formats, timelines, fees, and the vendor’s destruction obligations. Then build or reconcile a complete inventory of what the vendor holds: box counts, file series, digital volumes, formats, and any metadata or indexes. Compare it against your own records inventory so you can confirm nothing is missing at the end.

Plan a Verified Transfer

Decide where the records will go — to your facility, a successor provider, or an archives — and how they will move.

• Confirm formats. Request data in open, non-proprietary formats with accompanying metadata, indexes, and audit logs. Avoid accepting only a proprietary export you cannot read independently.
• Protect chain of custody. Use manifests, signed transfer receipts, and tracking for every box or data set in transit.
• Verify on receipt. Reconcile counts and run integrity checks (for digital records, validate checksums/hashes) to confirm completeness and that files open correctly.

Pay special attention to records with legal holds, long retention periods, or sensitive content such as personal or controlled information — these carry the highest risk if lost.

Confirm Secure Destruction and Close Out

Once you have verified a complete, usable copy, instruct the vendor in writing to securely destroy or purge all remaining copies, including backups. Obtain a certificate of destruction and retain it as evidence. Document the entire process so you can demonstrate an unbroken chain of custody and defensible handling.

Update your inventory and retention systems to reflect the new location, and verify the records remain accessible and readable in their new home before considering the project complete.

For broader context on building durable records practices, see the fundamentals topic hub. The principles of authenticity, integrity, reliability, and usability that govern records throughout their life apply directly to a vendor transition.