DIY Power Of Attorney

Cariad71

Hello, Is it okay to do a POA online? Do I need a solicitor? Our financial advisor told us to do it online. Any thoughts?

RacingDriver

Cariad71 said:

Hello, Is it okay to do a POA online? Do I need a solicitor? Our financial advisor told us to do it online. Any thoughts?

I have used the online government service to create a Lasting Power of Attorney a few times and I found the process very simple and well explained.

The process is that you complete the forms online, then you print the forms, sign them, and post to the Office of the Public Guardian to register the LPA.

I think as long as the donor does not have specific preferences and instructions (LPA section 7) then an LPA can be created quite easily.  If matter are more complex a solicitor may help.

https://www.lastingpowerofattorney.service.gov.uk/home

Cariad71

Great, thanks for your response. It looks quite straightforward.One more question....If I add my children as replacement attorneys, can I specify that they do not act until my original attorney can no longer act?

RacingDriver

Cariad71 said:

Great, thanks for your response. It looks quite straightforward.One more question....If I add my children as replacement attorneys, can I specify that they do not act until my original attorney can no longer act?

Guidance on replacement attorneys can be found here https://www.lastingpowerofattorney.service.gov.uk/home#/guide/topic-replacement-attorneys

mrschaucer

Be aware that it's currently taking around 5 months for the OPG to process stuff once you've posted it off.

Golactico

I have also done a couple of LPAs for my mum and for an elderly friend. You need to give it the attention it deserves, but anyone vaguely competent with form filling can do it and save hundreds on a solicitor. In my experience, the bit that you need to pay most attention to is the order of the signatures. If the dates don't show that they were done in the prescribed order, it will be rejected with no exceptions.