An Introduction To Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)

To cover health and welfare or financial decisions

A Lasting Power of Attorney appoints your chosen person or persons to make decisions on your behalf during your lifetime. Many people put them in place at the same time as getting their Will written, as part of planning for the future.

What are the types of Power of Attorney

There are two types of LPA:

A health and welfare LPA lets your Attorney make decisions about your medical treatment and day-to-day care.

A financial decisions LPA lets your Attorney deal with your money and property. This can include paying your bills and even selling your property.

Why should I consider a Power of Attorney

An LPA gives you peace of mind that there is someone you trust to look after your affairs if you became unable to do so yourself during your lifetime. This may occur for many reasons such as because of an illness or old age or even as a result of an accident.

You can only grant an LPA whilst you have the required legal capacity. If you no longer have capacity it becomes a far more expensive and protracted to have someone appointed to look after your affairs.

A Lasting Power of Attorney costs from £299 + Vat and mirror LPA`S start from £500+ Vat for two people. In addition there is an application fee which is currently £82 payable to the Office of the public guardian.