In my opinion, solicitors should be wary about safe home income plans (see [2003] Gazette, 6 November, 16).

The protection offered by safe home income plans (SHIP) membership is specious.

The mortgage deed used by at least one SHIP member allows the mortgagee to sell on the mortgage with no requirement that the buyer should also be a member of SHIP.

Equally disturbing is the agreement that the borrower must sign.

The negative equity protection is not included.

To add insult to injury, the agreement emphasises that it is the sole repository of the entire agreement and that no extraneous terms are to included.

The certificate that the borrower's solicitors are asked to sign goes beyond confirming that the terms have been understood.

The solicitor has to certify that the borrower is properly protected.

Christopher Langdon, Young Coles & Langdon, Hastings