Agency and Rented Account Onboarding Checklist: Roles, Rules and Records — Account Academy

Why a rented account needs a different setup

An account you do not own is not simply an account with a different login. It is a working tool controlled, at least in part, by someone else. The owner may retain authority over access, billing, business details, security settings or the account’s future use. Your agency or buying team may be responsible for campaigns and reporting without having the right to change those underlying arrangements.

That difference affects everyday decisions. On an owned account, a team may have broad authority to change settings or reorganize access. On a rented or client-provided account, the same action could affect the owner’s records, other campaigns or the working relationship. An informal understanding can leave both sides uncertain about who approved a change, who must pay a charge or who can retrieve campaign materials.

Treat onboarding as a written handover, not just a login test. Before work begins, make sure the arrangement is compatible with the platform’s terms and the offer being promoted. If the account’s status or permitted use is unclear, pause and ask the owner to resolve it through the platform’s legitimate processes. Do not rely on concealment or workarounds to make an arrangement appear acceptable.

Use this checklist before launching activity. Keep a record of the answers, the person who confirmed them and any unresolved questions.

Confirm the account and access arrangement

[ ] Identify the platform and the account type. For example, clarify whether the work concerns a Google Ads account, a Meta advertising account, a TikTok Ads account or another platform product. Do not assume that access options or responsibilities are the same across services.
[ ] Record who owns or controls the account and who is authorizing your team to use it. If an agency, intermediary or account provider is involved, clarify how that party relates to the owner.
[ ] Get the arrangement in writing. It should say what work is permitted, who may access the account, how long access is expected to continue and how either side can request a change or end the arrangement.
[ ] Confirm that the proposed use complies with the relevant platform’s terms and account-access requirements. Ask the owner to use the platform’s supported access and permission features where available. Do not ask for access that depends on misleading the platform or bypassing its controls.
[ ] Test that each authorized team member can reach the required tools using their own approved access. Keep access limited to people who need it, and have a process for removing access when their role ends.
[ ] Confirm who handles account security notices and recovery requests. The owner should remain involved in decisions that affect ownership, recovery or identity information.

A successful login does not establish that the arrangement is authorized. Keep the written permission and the actual access setup aligned.

Define roles and decision rights

[ ] Name the owner’s role in practical terms: for example, account administrator, billing contact or approver. Name your agency’s role separately, such as campaign operator, creative coordinator or reporting contact.
[ ] List who can create, edit, pause or remove campaigns and who can approve those actions. Make clear whether approval is needed before launch, before a material change or only for specified types of work.
[ ] Decide who may change account-level settings, such as payment arrangements, user permissions, business details or tracking connections. If your team is not authorized to change them, record that boundary.
[ ] Set an escalation route for urgent issues, including policy notices, unusual account activity, billing questions or access problems. Identify who is responsible for contacting the platform and who must be kept informed.
[ ] Agree how decisions are recorded. A shared work document or email thread can capture approvals, requests and completed changes without relying on memory.
[ ] Check that the person granting access has the authority to do so. If that is uncertain, resolve it before accepting responsibility for account activity.

Clear roles protect both sides from accidental overreach. They also make it easier to distinguish an operational task from a decision that belongs to the owner.

Write down what may and may not change

[ ] Create a permitted-changes list. It might cover campaign structure, targeting, bids, placements, creative uploads, tracking settings or other work relevant to the agreed job.
[ ] Create a restricted-changes list. Include any settings the owner must handle or approve, such as billing, account identity, access administration or changes that could affect other users or campaigns.
[ ] Clarify how existing campaigns, audiences, pixels, tags, conversion actions and shared assets may be used. Do not assume an item is available for your work just because it appears in the account.
[ ] Agree how to handle campaign pauses, rejected ads, policy warnings and requests for additional information. Do not alter account information or submit explanations on the owner’s behalf unless that responsibility is clearly authorized and accurate.
[ ] Establish a review point for proposed changes outside the original scope. Record the request, the approver and the final decision before making the change.
[ ] Keep the operating plan consistent with the platform’s policies. A written agreement between the parties does not override platform requirements or make a prohibited offer acceptable.

When a setting is unfamiliar, ask before changing it. A reversible campaign edit and an account-level change can have very different consequences for the owner.

Agree on spend, billing and reports

[ ] Identify who is responsible for advertising charges and how the owner and agency will review them. Keep the payment arrangement separate from campaign performance discussions.
[ ] Confirm who can see billing information and who receives billing or payment notifications. Do not assume that campaign access includes permission to change payment details.
[ ] Agree on the process for setting, approving and adjusting campaign budgets. Record who can authorize a change and where that approval will be stored.
[ ] Decide how often the team will share campaign activity, spend information and relevant account notices. Choose a format both sides can inspect and understand.
[ ] Specify what reports will include, such as campaign status, delivery issues, changes made and available performance data. Make clear when a figure is platform-reported and when it is an agency calculation.
[ ] Agree what happens if a charge, report or platform notice is disputed. Preserve the original record and ask the responsible party to investigate rather than silently changing settings or figures.

The owner should be able to understand what is happening in the account, while the agency should have enough visibility to perform its assigned work. Reporting arrangements should support that shared view.

Review the offer and platform policies

[ ] Describe the product, service or offer that the campaigns will promote. Confirm that the landing page, creative and account setup refer to the same offer.
[ ] Review the policies relevant to the platform, the destination and the advertising content before launch. Requirements can differ by platform and by subject matter, so do not rely on a past approval as proof that new material is suitable.
[ ] Check that claims, images, disclosures and destination content are accurate and consistent. Escalate unclear or sensitive claims to the owner or the person responsible for compliance.
[ ] Confirm who is responsible for reviewing policy notices and making any permitted corrections. Keep the owner informed about issues that could affect account access or campaign continuity.
[ ] Do not use the rented account to disguise who is advertising, misstate the business or avoid a platform review. If the offer or arrangement is not clearly allowed, seek clarification before spending or publishing.
[ ] Keep a record of the materials reviewed and the decisions made. This helps the team explain its work and avoid repeating an unresolved policy question.

Account access does not transfer responsibility for the truthfulness or suitability of an offer. Treat policy review as part of onboarding and ongoing campaign work.

Keep records, creatives and data

[ ] Save a copy of approved creative files, text, landing-page versions and other materials your team is authorized to retain. Use a shared, access-controlled location rather than depending on the account as the only archive.
[ ] Keep a change log with the date of each action, the person responsible, the reason and any approval. Record important edits to campaigns, tracking and access.
[ ] Agree which reports and data your agency may export, retain or use for analysis. Follow platform terms, privacy obligations and the owner’s instructions when handling personal or sensitive information.
[ ] Store only the information needed for the work, and limit access within your team. Avoid placing credentials, personal details or confidential business information in informal notes.
[ ] Preserve relevant platform notices and correspondence in a place the appropriate parties can access. Make clear who is responsible for responding and for keeping the owner informed.
[ ] Distinguish your agency’s working documents from assets that belong to the owner. Record any licensing, reuse or handover limits that matter to the arrangement.

A good record helps maintain continuity if a team member changes, access is interrupted or the arrangement ends. It also reduces the risk of mistaking an account’s visible contents for materials your team owns.

Plan the end of the arrangement before it begins

[ ] Agree how either side can request an end to the arrangement and how outstanding work will be handled. Record who communicates the decision and who coordinates the handover.
[ ] Decide what happens to live campaigns. Specify who can pause them, who must approve that action and how the owner will be notified.
[ ] Prepare a handover list covering campaign status, pending reviews, approved materials, tracking notes, reports and unresolved issues.
[ ] Confirm how your team will return or delete copies of information when appropriate, while retaining records you are required or authorized to keep.
[ ] Remove your team’s access through the platform’s supported controls when the work ends. Confirm that no former team member still has access, and do not change the owner’s recovery details or take steps that obstruct the owner’s control.
[ ] Close out billing and reporting questions through the agreed process, and record the final status for both parties.

A rented account should remain usable and understandable for its owner after your work ends. Planning the exit at onboarding makes the limits of the arrangement clear from the start and keeps the account treated as both a working tool and someone else’s asset.