Appoint someone you trust to act on your behalf — for your finances, your property and your healthcare.
A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that allows you to appoint one or more people — known as your "attorneys" — to make decisions on your behalf if you become unable to do so yourself. This might be due to a serious illness, a sudden accident, dementia or any other condition that affects your mental capacity.
An LPA must be set up before you lose mental capacity. Once someone loses the ability to make decisions, it is too late to create an LPA, and the only option is a court-appointed deputyship — a costly and time-consuming process that gives your family far less control.
We strongly recommend that every adult sets up both types of LPA as part of their estate planning — regardless of age.
Without an LPA, your family cannot access your bank accounts — even to pay your bills — if you lose capacity
Being married or in a civil partnership does NOT give your spouse automatic authority over your finances or healthcare
Court-appointed deputyship — the only alternative — typically costs £3,000–£5,000 and can take 6–12 months
An LPA costs a fraction of that — and gives your family full, immediate authority from day one
There are two separate Lasting Powers of Attorney. We strongly recommend setting up both — they cover entirely different situations and work together to give you and your family complete protection.
This LPA authorises your attorney to manage your financial and property matters. It can be used while you still have mental capacity (with your permission), making it useful even before any health concerns arise — for example, if you're travelling or simply want someone to handle banking on your behalf.
Your attorney can:
This LPA gives your attorney authority to make decisions about your personal welfare, medical treatment and care. It can only be used once you have lost mental capacity — but at that point, it becomes one of the most important documents your family will ever need.
Your attorney can:
Choosing your attorney is one of the most important decisions in the LPA process. You need someone you trust completely — someone who will act in your best interests, even in difficult circumstances.
You can appoint more than one attorney, and you can set conditions on how they must act — for example, requiring them to make decisions jointly, or allowing them to act independently for speed and convenience.
We recommend appointing at least two attorneys and a replacement attorney. This ensures that if your first attorney is unable to act, there is someone ready to step in without delay or legal complication.
An attorney can be a spouse, partner, adult child, sibling or trusted friend. They do not need to be a legal professional. For the Property & Financial LPA, they must not be bankrupt.
If you appoint two attorneys, you can require them to always act together ("jointly"), or allow them to act independently or together ("jointly and severally"). Most people choose jointly and severally for flexibility.
You can appoint a replacement attorney who steps in if your first-choice attorney dies, loses capacity or can no longer act. We always recommend including at least one replacement.
An LPA must be certified by an independent "certificate provider" — a solicitor, GP or other professional who confirms you understand the document and are not under pressure. We will arrange this as part of our service.
We handle everything — from the initial conversation to the final registration with the Office of the Public Guardian. You just need to be at home.
We visit you at home to discuss both types of LPA, help you choose your attorneys, and explain any restrictions or instructions you might want to include.
We prepare your LPA forms precisely and accurately. OPG forms are complex — errors can invalidate the whole document. We ensure everything is correct first time.
We arrange for a suitable independent certificate provider to certify your document — a requirement for all LPAs. This can often be done at the same visit.
The LPA must be signed by you, your attorneys and your certificate provider in a specific legal order. We coordinate all of this to ensure it is done correctly.
We submit your LPA to the Office of the Public Guardian for registration. This process currently takes 8–12 weeks. The LPA cannot be used until it is registered.
Once registered, the OPG returns your LPA stamped and certified. Your attorneys can then present this to banks, medical professionals and other institutions when required.
All prices include your home visit, consultation, preparation of all forms and registration support. Government OPG registration fees (currently £82 per LPA) are payable separately to the Office of the Public Guardian.
One LPA for one person — either Property & Financial Affairs or Health & Welfare.
Both Property & Financial Affairs and Health & Welfare LPAs for one person.
Both LPAs for two people — four documents in total. The most comprehensive protection for couples.
Both LPAs and a single will — complete individual protection in one package.
We get a lot of questions about LPAs — here are the most common ones. If yours isn't here, just give us a call.
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