Power of Attorney
General Powers of Attorney
A General Power of Attorney is ideally suited for situations where you need to give certain rights to another person(s) to deal with your property for a limited time, such as when you are going away on holiday or moving out of the country for a few years.
A General Power of Attorney cannot be used in cases where you need someone to act on your behalf because you are mentally incapable.
A General Power of Attorney does not need to be registered.
Enduring Power of Attorney
If you prepared an Enduring Power of Attorney before October 2007 and you are happy with it, it remains valid.
An Enduring Power of Attorney signed before October 2007 will appoint Attorneys to act on your behalf in respect of your property and financial affairs. Your Attorneys are permitted to act with your permission or in the event that you have lost mental capacity.
Once prepared, an Enduring Power of Attorney did not need to be registered. However, an Enduring Power of Attorney does need to be registered if the Attorneys have reason to believe that the Donor is or is becoming mentally incapable.
Lasting Powers of Attorney
If you did not make an Enduring Power of Attorney before October 2007 or, if you did but you are no longer happy with it, you will need to consider preparing either or both types of Lasting Power of Attorney.
A Lasting Power of Attorney for Property & Financial Affairs will allow you to appoint Attorneys to make decisions about your assets and financial interest.
A Lasting Power of Attorney for Health & Welfare allows you to authorise Attorneys to make decisions about your social and healthcare needs.
We understand that preparing for any worse case scenario is an important but difficult process. Planning ahead to protect yourself and your loved ones in the event that you lose mental capacity is no exception. Our team of expert advisors are trained to guide you through the process in a professional and sensitive manner.
Many of our expert solicitors are Dementia Friends.
