It is 10 years ago since I acquired my home in Frant. Conveyancing lawyers have now been appointed on the sale but I am unable to locate my title deeds. Will this cause complications?

You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be retained by the mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the lawyers who oversaw your purchase. Secondly the chances are that the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Frant relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it is more problematic but is not insurmountable.

I am thinking of mortgaging my flat in Frant, does my lawyer need to be on the UBS Solicitor panel?

In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on the UBS conveyancing panel, but UBS would require one of their panel solicitors to be instructed to act in their interests, and you'd have to pay for this - so most people instruct a panel solicitor. It's also easier, as otherwise you'd have to deal with two solicitors for the same transaction.

My wife and I purchased a semi-detached Georgian property in Frant. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Nationwide Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same property. 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 as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Frant and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Frant is the location of the property. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Frant are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Frant you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Frant 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.

Frank (my husband) and I may need to sub-let our Frant garden flat for a while due to a new job. We instructed a Frant conveyancing firm in 2002 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to get any advice as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

A small minority of properties in Frant do contain a provision to say that subletting is only permitted with prior consent from the landlord. The landlord cannot unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting consent.

I purchased a split level flat in Frant, conveyancing was carried out in 1999. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable properties in Frant with over 90 years remaining are worth £222,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2095

With 71 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 plus professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.