Acting as power of attorney for UK resident from overseas

BooJewels

I don't have one @Keep_pedalling or I might have given it a go already.  I'm now expecting 3 to turn up together!

macman

If access is with her permission and knowledge, why can't she simply give you her login details for you to login from wherever you want to? If the bank blocks access from any point outside the UK, you can simply use a VPN. You just have to accept that, in case of someone else accessing the account for fraudulent purposes, she would not be covered, as she has breached the t and c's by disclosing the security info.
I had access to all my late mother's online accounts without resorting to a POA, because I created the accounts in the first place, with her permission.
POA online accounts are in reality simply joint accounts, because the process of allowing POA access to the account has not been developed to take into account the development of online and app banking.

Savvy_Sue

Keep_pedalling said:

BooJewels said:

My problems started with the initial appointment - it was changed by them twice, delaying over 7 weeks, then they made us wait over an hour to see the girl, who had clearly got one on her that day and she just didn't like any of the orgy of proof of address documents etc., I had with me - she read every letter in full (variously from HMRC, DWP etc) and found something in the content of each one to cause her to reject it - rejecting one because it was addressed to 'Mrs XX Bloggs' who 'might be my sister-in-law who lives with me' - one was rejected because it was a day older than 3 months - which it wouldn't have been if she hadn't changed the appointment twice.  Absolutely nothing with them has gone smoothly since.   So it took around 12 weeks just to register the LPA with them.

I did have access to their web banking (until locked out last week) but can't set up transfers etc - in fact all I can do is look at the balance and download statements.  I ordered one of their PIN Sentry machines which would enable setting up payees apparently, but having done that twice through the web form (which was acknowledged each time), none have arrived - hence my need to ring.  She advised that none had been ordered, so I'd clearly done it wrong.  They've made me look a right chump with the Donor and other Attorney.

Try using a card reader from your own bank, they are interchangeable.

I don't know if a PIN Sentry machine would be interchangeable. The ones where you put a debit card in are, I think, but I've got a couple of little doodahs where you switch it on, put your passcode in, then it generates a number. I think they're specific to those banks (First Direct / HSBC and at work Triodos), and I also think that I was sent at least one 'normal' card reader where I was told I'd have to use that specific one the first time I accessed that bank. 

Flugelhorn

Savvy_Sue said:

Keep_pedalling said:

BooJewels said:

My problems started with the initial appointment - it was changed by them twice, delaying over 7 weeks, then they made us wait over an hour to see the girl, who had clearly got one on her that day and she just didn't like any of the orgy of proof of address documents etc., I had with me - she read every letter in full (variously from HMRC, DWP etc) and found something in the content of each one to cause her to reject it - rejecting one because it was addressed to 'Mrs XX Bloggs' who 'might be my sister-in-law who lives with me' - one was rejected because it was a day older than 3 months - which it wouldn't have been if she hadn't changed the appointment twice.  Absolutely nothing with them has gone smoothly since.   So it took around 12 weeks just to register the LPA with them.

I did have access to their web banking (until locked out last week) but can't set up transfers etc - in fact all I can do is look at the balance and download statements.  I ordered one of their PIN Sentry machines which would enable setting up payees apparently, but having done that twice through the web form (which was acknowledged each time), none have arrived - hence my need to ring.  She advised that none had been ordered, so I'd clearly done it wrong.  They've made me look a right chump with the Donor and other Attorney.

Try using a card reader from your own bank, they are interchangeable.

I don't know if a PIN Sentry machine would be interchangeable. The ones where you put a debit card in are, I think, but I've got a couple of little doodahs where you switch it on, put your passcode in, then it generates a number. I think they're specific to those banks (First Direct / HSBC and at work Triodos), and I also think that I was sent at least one 'normal' card reader where I was told I'd have to use that specific one the first time I accessed that bank. 

I have debit card readers that generate numbers from Nationwide and RBS and they are identical and I just use whichever comes to hand, certainly people loan them out around the estate where I live if people are stuck. RBS told me that the last one I got had to be registered / activated by them - seems to be working fine without any action.

BIL has full online access to MILs account, she was with HSBC for decades and I assume that has not changed 

BooJewels

The card reader I'm waiting for is one you put your debit card in to generate an 8 digit OTP to authorise new payees and set up faster payments etc.  At the moment, I can't even log in to the account until it arrives as the woman with the fractious baby changed my account to PIN Sentry access only.  I have at least now had an email to say it's been sent, but then tells me to set up other forms of access in the app - which I'm not allowed to use.

When I did banking for my Dad, I also just logged in as him initially (the LPA was already in place before then), as I set it up on his tablet for him, but he didn't like doing it, so would ask me or my sister to do things when we visited and then he stopped opening post and got into a mess, so I staged an intervention and at that point formerly lodged the LPA.  With Santander, they did it all digitally (i.e. I didn't even go to a branch), by secure upload I think and 48 hours later when I logged in to my own account through the app, his accounts were there as though they were mine, with no difference in functionality whatsoever.

Sorry @Andrew711 - I've no LPA experience with NatWest or Skipton.  I did use it with another BS, but they were local-ish to us, so I did what I needed to in branch and they were super.

Keep_pedalling

I think unfortunately banks and building societies (especially small ones) do not want to deal with non residents for any sort of business let alone POA and it does not look like any of the regulars on this board have any experience  of this situation. 

It might be worth asking over on Budgeting & banking board which banks might allow this set-up.

BooJewels

I just looked at the Santander LPA information and they cite that an LPA can be used when the Donor may be travelling overseas and unable to do their own banking - which suggests that they don't allow overseas access to account holders, let alone attorneys.  I thought they might be a bit more switched on not being a solely UK bank.

But changing banks is perhaps the sort of process the OP's Donor doesn't want to take on, if they're now needing the support of Attorneys.

Keep_pedalling

BooJewels said:

I just looked at the Santander LPA information and they cite that an LPA can be used when the Donor may be travelling overseas and unable to do their own banking - which suggests that they don't allow overseas access to account holders, let alone attorneys.  I thought they might be a bit more switched on not being a solely UK bank.

But changing banks is perhaps the sort of process the OP's Donor doesn't want to take on, if they're now needing the support of Attorneys.

I don’t think it means that, you could be travelling to places where access to the internet is not possible or you are away where the attorney needs to handle a major transaction such as a house sale.