The verdict in three sentences
An application abandoned by its vendor can be taken over in 7 cases out of 10 without a rewrite, provided you start with a 5 to 10 day code audit costing 5,000 to 12,000 EUR. The first risk is not technical but legal and practical: access to the repository, hosting and domain names, often held by the vendor. Once technical debt is quantified, the decision is between maintenance at 1,000 to 4,000 EUR a month and a rewrite at 50,000 to 120,000 EUR.
Week one: recover what belongs to you
The CTO of an 80-person Amsterdam scale-up (B2B spare parts distribution) finds that the vendor no longer answers. The Laravel application handles orders, customer pricing and a reseller extranet. Before touching any code, secure the assets.
| Asset | Where to look | Urgency | Action if missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source code | GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, server | Critical | Full copy from the production server |
| Hosting access | AWS, Google Cloud, TransIP, shared host | Critical | Transfer request to the host with Chamber of Commerce extract and invoices |
| Domain name | Registrar, registrant contact | Critical | Registrant change procedure, 2 to 15 days |
| Database | Server, backups | Critical | Immediate export and encrypted off-site backup |
| Third-party accounts | Transactional email, payments, APIs | High | Regenerate keys and revoke old ones |
| Documentation | Wiki, tickets, emails | Medium | Rebuilt during the audit |
| Contract and IP assignment | Signed contract, terms | High | Check the code ownership clause |
This usually takes 3 to 10 days. Without source code, an audit is impossible and a rewrite becomes the only option.
What a serious code audit contains
An audit delivers a quantified report, not an opinion. The prices below are market ranges observed in the Netherlands in 2026.
| Audit area | What is measured | Duration | Market cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical inventory | PHP and Laravel versions, dependencies, end of support | 1 day | 800 to 1,600 EUR |
| Code quality | Duplication, complexity, test coverage | 1 to 3 days | 1,200 to 3,600 EUR |
| Security | OWASP flaws, vulnerable dependencies, exposed secrets | 1 to 2 days | 1,000 to 2,800 EUR |
| Database | Schema, indexes, integrity, volumes | 1 day | 800 to 1,400 EUR |
| Infrastructure | Server, backups, deployment, monitoring | 1 day | 800 to 1,400 EUR |
| Summary and estimate | Technical debt in days, takeover plan | 1 day | 900 to 1,600 EUR |
| Total | Full report and debrief | 5 to 10 days | 5,000 to 12,000 EUR |
A frequent red flag in 2026: an application still on Laravel 6 or 7 with PHP 7.4, which has not received security patches for several years.
Maintenance takeover or rewrite: the decision grid
The report quantifies technical debt in days. Rule of thumb: if the upgrade costs less than 40 % of a rewrite, take it over.
| Criterion | Maintenance takeover | Rewrite |
|---|---|---|
| Technical debt | Under 60 days | Over 80 days |
| Framework version | Upgradable in 2 to 3 steps | Too old or home-grown framework |
| Test coverage | Low but readable code | None and unreadable code |
| Market cost | 1,000 to 4,000 EUR per month | 50,000 to 120,000 EUR |
| Stabilization time | 1 to 3 months | 4 to 8 months |
| Business risk | Low, service continuity | High during cutover |
If you hand maintenance to Kolonell, the grid is 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 FCFA per month (50, 110 or 180 EUR) depending on the level, with new features quoted separately.
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Mini case study
Daan, CTO of a spare parts distributor in Amsterdam, commissions a 7-day audit for 8,400 EUR. The report puts the debt at 45 days: Laravel 7 to Laravel 11 migration, 12 security fixes, tests on pricing logic. At 850 EUR per day, the upgrade costs 38,250 EUR, followed by maintenance at 2,000 EUR a month. Over 3 years, the takeover totals 38,250 + 72,000 = 110,250 EUR. A rewrite estimated at 95,000 EUR plus the same maintenance would reach 167,000 EUR, with 6 months of risk on the reseller extranet. The audit therefore avoided about 57,000 EUR of spend. This example is illustrative, not a Kolonell client.
FAQ
Can you take over an application with no documentation at all?
Yes, in most cases, as long as the source code is recovered. The audit rebuilds minimum documentation in 5 to 10 days.
Can the vendor withhold the source code?
It depends on the IP assignment clause in the contract. Without one, have a lawyer check your position before committing to a rewrite of 50,000 EUR or more.
How much does maintenance cost for an SMB Laravel application?
Between 1,000 and 4,000 EUR per month in the Dutch market, depending on included days. A 2-day monthly package often comes to about 1,700 EUR.
Do you need to shut the application down during the audit?
No, the audit works on a copy of the code and database. Production keeps running normally.
How long until the application is stable?
Plan 1 to 3 months after the audit to fix critical flaws and migrate the framework. Incidents usually drop by more than 50 % from the second month.
Let's scope your project. Give us read access to the repository or server, and we will estimate the audit, upgrade and maintenance with an indicative budget and a takeover plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
