What is a Lasting Power of Attorney and why do I need one?

What is a Lasting Power of Attorney and why do I need one?

The Purpose of a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is to give the legal authority to a person/s of your choice (called your Attorney(s)) allowing them to make important financial decisions on your behalf if you lose capacity and are unable to make these decisions yourself.

They are two types of LPA; health and welfare and property and financial matters.

Ensuring you have written your Will is extremely important (not to mention straight forward) as a way of ensuring your loved ones are catered for when you are no longer around. An LPA provides a further level of protection so that your assets are still accessible thus ensuring costs can be met on your behalf by your appointed Attorney(s) if you become unable to do so independently.

An LPA is an important legal document which has to be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before it can be used by your Attorneys.

Don’t leave it until it’s too late – your family will incur lengthy legal proceedings and expense in order to apply to the Court of Protection to achieve exactly what an LPA provides.

How much do they cost?

LPAs cost £350 plus VAT for one and £650 plus VAT for 2 (i.e. mirrored LPAs for married couples or an individual applying for both types). There is also a fee of £82 per document payable to the Office of the Public Guardian.

If you would like to make an LPA, or would like some more information about them, please contact a member of our expert Planning, Protection and Probate department on 0116 212 1000 / 01858 445 480.

They can meet with you at our offices in Leicester, Wigston and Market Harborough. Home and hospital visits are also available.

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