A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document that grants a chosen party the power to make legal decisions on your behalf. The LPA can be activated if you have been judged mentally incompetent, if you are terminally ill, or if you have a task to complete that you don’t feel mentally equipped to deal with.
An LPA may be revoked for a number of reasons, of which you can read about here.
How Do You Create An LPA?
By instructing Bowsers, you will receive help and advice with the following four stages:
1. Choose Your Attorney
Your Attorney must be over the age of 18 and judged legally competent to make decisions on your behalf. They can be of any nationality and live anywhere. You may wish to have a close relative act as your Attorney, or you might prefer someone less emotionally attached to act as your Attorney – it’s up to you. Always remember, though, that your Attorney holds a significant amount of responsibility for your health and welfare and/or your property and financial affairs, so it should always be someone that you can trust.
2. Create The LPA Document
Your original LPA document can be submitted either online or in paper, and you must provide a wet signature – electronic signatures won’t be accepted. You will need to send the paper to the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), and the forms must be signed by yourself, your Attorney, witnesses, plus the certificate provider. The certificate provider signs off on the document, confirming that you are making the choice to create Lasting Power of Attorney, and that you understand the implication of that choice.
3. Register The LPA
Your Solicitor will register the LPA with the OPG and you will need pay a registration fee for each LPA.
An LPA can take up to 20 weeks to be registered.
4. Certifying A Copy Of The LPA
A copy of your LPA can be validated by a having a Solicitor certify it. It can then be used by your attorney to prove they have permission to handle your affairs.
Contact Us For LPA Advice
To speak to someone about making an LPA in the UK, just click here to make an enquiry. A member of our team will talk you through the process and advise on your next steps at a time and date that suits you.
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