Do all mortgage companies provide you with an approved list of Hampshire conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the RBS conveyancing panel?

Hampshire conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the RBS conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from RBS directly.

I have a renovated Victorian property in Hampshire. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Santander. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Hampshire and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who carried out the work.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago in what should have been a quick, no chain conveyancing. Hampshire is the location of the property. Can you offer any advice?

Flying freeholds in Hampshire are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Hampshire you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Hampshire may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

I am one month into a leasehold purchase having been directed to conveyancers by the estate agent to carry out the conveyancing in Hampshire. I am am extremely dissatisfied with the quality of service. Could you you assist me in finding new solicitors?

They would have to be really bad to suggest replacing them. Has the mortgage offer been generated? In the event that it has you need to advise them of the replacement lawyer and ensure the offer are re-sent. Your solicitor ideally needs to be on the banks approved list to avoid supplemental fees and delays. That should be your first question of the new solicitors. Our find a solicitor tool can help you find a bank approved solicitor for your conveyancing in Hampshire

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Hampshire. Before I get started I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and most are in Hampshire - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I own a 1 bedroom flat in Hampshire, conveyancing was carried out in 2012. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Hampshire with a long lease are worth £181,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease ceases on 21st October 2077

With just 51 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £30,400 and £35,200 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.