I am acquiring property in Gosport. My Solicitor is not listed on the bank solicitor list. Can I still use my Gosport conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the lender panel?

You have a couple of alternatives open to you here

• Carry on with your existing Gosport solicitor but your lender will need to retain a lawyer on their conveyancing panel. The net result is additional cost together with potential delay.
• Choose a new property lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, ensuring that they are on the bank conveyancing panel.
• Convince your solicitor to pull out all the stops to get listed on the bank’s conveyancing panel

The sellers of the house we are looking to purchase hired a conveyancing solicitor in Gosport who has recommended a lock out agreement with a non-refundable deposit 10k. Are such agreements sensible?

This form of agreement is unusual in Gosport, conveyancers are often inclined to direct clients away from them as they divert attention from the main conveyancing focus and if you end up having your deposit forfeited then the solicitor is left exposed. Furthermore, there is no assurance that just because the seller has entered into a lock out agreement they will sell to you. They may be tempted to break the agreement if they receive a big enough financial inducement to do so because an aggrieved claimant with the benefit of a lockoutcontract will still be obliged establish consequential losses from the breach and these may not compare to the extra amount that your vendor may obtain by reneging on the agreement, however morally reprehensible the behaviour is.

It is is a decade since I bought my property in Gosport. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been instructed on the sale but I can't track down the deeds. Is this a major issue?

You need not be too concerned. Firstly there is a chance that the deeds will be kept by your lender or they may be archived with the conveyancers who handled your purchase. Secondly in all probability the title will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors procuring current official copies of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Gosport relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.

My cousin has encouraged me to appoint his conveyancers in Gosport. Do I take his guidance?

Much as we are happy to recommend a Gosport conveyancing lawyer the ideal way to choose a conveyancing solicitor is to get recommendations from friends or relatives who have experience in using the firm you're considering.

We expect to complete the disposal of our £350,000 apartment in Gosport in just under a week. The managing agents has quoted £300 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Gosport?

Gosport conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes often requires the buyer’s lawyer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to such questions the majority will be willing to do so. They may invoice a reasonable administration fee for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some transactions it exceeds £800. The management information fee demanded by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration charges, without which the charge is not strictly payable. In reality one has little option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to complete the sale of your home.

I bought a split level flat in Gosport, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Gosport with an extended lease are worth £222,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease terminates on 21st October 2097

With just 71 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.