Description
What is a Lasting Power Of Attorney?
Making a Lasting Power of Attorney (also called an LPA or Power of Attorney) is a big decision. When you make an LPA you are appointing an ‘attorney’.
Your attorney will help you make decisions or make them for you when you no longer can. This will be when you don’t have the ‘mental capacity’ to make those decisions. Perhaps when you’re too ill or have had a serious accident. An attorney can’t make any decisions whilst you are still able to make your own.
Brave
It’s a brave step because you are planning for what will happen in the future. It’s a future when you can’t make your own important decisions.
Future decisions
You will be trusting others to make some of the most important and difficult future decisions. Future decisions like:
- Managing your money (collecting payments and paying your bills)
- How and where you’ll live (such as moving into a home)
- Selling your home
- Your medical care
- Your daily routine (washing, dressing, eating)
- Whether you will be given life-sustaining treatment
Why should I make a Lasting Power of Attorney?
Making a LPA is a sensible step to take. It gives you more control over how future decisions will be made if when you can’t.
Keeping your choices and control
A lasting Power Of Attorney gives you some control and choices. It means that:
- You decide who can make those future decisions
- You can appoint more than one person to be your attorney
- You will be directing how those decisions will be made whilst you are able to do so
What Happens Without an LPA?
Without a Lasting Power of Attorney you have no say if you become unable to make your own decisions. Simply telling someone what you want to happen does not mean that it will. The only way to be able to make future decisions is with a Lasting Power of Attorney.
Safeguards
Remember that your attorney can only make those future decisions for you when you’re unable to make your own. The attorney has a has a legal duty to act in your best interests at all times. They must also follow the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice. This provides a legal framework for making decisions when people can’t make their own.
We help you to control your future
We know that making a Lasting Power of Attorney is emotional and a big step. As a team, we’ve faced those same decisions with our own loved ones.
We will help you make a Lasting Power of Attorney as easily and painlessly as possible.
Our Step-by-step Process
(1) Once you’ve placed your order we start by taking some basic details from you via a questionnaire
(2) Once we have the questionnaire fully completed from you we arrange a chat to talk about the two different types of a Lasting Power of Attorney. You can make a Lasting Power of Attorney about your:
- health and welfare Or
- about your property and financial affairs Or both
Most people decide to make both types of Lasting Power of Attorney. This gives you control over all major decisions. The service incudes one power of attorney so if you need both health and finances you need to order two.
Discussion
(3) We will discuss each type of decision that you can include. We’ll explain the consequences of each one. We’ll also talk about who you’d like to be your attorney. We’ll answer any questions and deal with any queries you might have.
We don’t put a time limit on this chat because we want you to be in control and comfortable with the process.
Draft
(4) The next step is we draft each Lasting Power of Attorney and send it to you via email. We’ll ask you to go through it and raise any queries with us.
(5) Once you’re happy with the document(s) we’ll explain the process of how and when the document(s) need to be signed. There’s a very specific signing process. You’ll need someone independent who confirms that you understand the implications and have chosen to make your LPA.
Registration
(6) Once the document(s) are signed you have appointed your chosen attorney(s). To make it official and to protect you, we’ll register them with the Office of the Public Guardian. You’ll need to pay a registration fee to the Office of the Public Guardian (currently £82 for each LPA).
(7) We’ll then finalise things and explain to you what changes you need to report.
Making an LPA should be easy. We’ll be there for you every step of the way.
Do you want a Power of Attorney but you ARE running a business?
This service is for not suitable for someone who is running a business. If you want a Lasting Power of Attorney but you are not running a business, please look at our service here
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