MY neighbour wants to knock down our mutual garden wall - which is admittedly leaning a bit and had its time - and wants me to pay half the cost.

I can't afford this and have said he can carry on at his own cost. I am not sure if the wall is on his property, ours, or both. How can I find out?

Assuming you don't have your title deeds at home (if you do, read them), you can get a copy of your Land Certificate from the Registers of Scotland (www.ros.gov.uk) or via your solicitor, though he/she might charge a fee for helping. Not only will the title show the boundary of your property, it will dictate any rules for shared maintenance of walls and who pays for repair costs. If it is genuinely common between both properties, you may have to pay half.

I WANT to leave a painting to a friend who attends our church but am afraid my son will not tell her or sell the painting and keep the money for himself. How can I make sure of the bequest?

Tell the friend you intend this - ensure it is stated clearly in your will (with a description of the painting so there is no dispute about which one is meant) and either have your solicitor store the will, or keep a copy, so your son is not left to act unchecked. If you appoint someone other than your son as executor and leave an inventory of the estate items with the will, that would work too.

A DEBT collection firm keeps phoning my house, at least two or three times a week. If they phone during the day, they wake my wife who works nightshift. If they phone at night, I tell them they have the wrong number. I have written to them complaining about this, I have also written to BT twice and reported this as a nuisance call, and still they persist. I am self-employed, so can't change my phone number as it's for business too. How do I get the calls to stop, when no-one will listen to me?

Write yourself or through your solicitor to the managing directors - in person - of the collection company and the original lender to complain. If they fail to respond, contact the Office of Fair Trading Consumer Direct service www.consumerdirect.gov.uk or tel 08454 040506. Last resort is taking them to court for an interdict order to stop them phoning you.

I AM 89, but absolutely fine physically and mentally. If I get a power of attorney set up would this mean losing power over my cheque book and money now?

No. You should consider getting a power of attorney drawn up, but put aside until a doctor certifies you unfit to look after your affairs. That way the document is suspended until it is necessary. If you don't do this now, it might be too late if you fall ill or indisposed and are not able to appoint an attorney. In that event someone must go to court to get a guardianship order over you - very expensive and intrusive. Getting a POA now is sensible and does not restrict your life and authority.