Lasting Power of Attorney. Made Simple

 Yes, we understand that your schedule may be busy during the day. We can certainly arrange an evening call to accommodate your availability. 

Simply use our contact form to let us know your preferred time, and one of our specialists will be happy to give you a call at a time that works best for you.

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that allows you to appoint one or more people (known as attorneys) to make decisions on your behalf if you become unable to do so. There are two types of LPAs, Health and Care LPA and Financial Decisions LPA.

This allows your attorney(s) to make decisions about your health and personal care, such as medical treatment, living arrangements, and daily routines. 

This allows your attorney(s) to manage your finances, such as paying bills, managing your bank accounts, or selling your property. 

Estate planning, particularly creating a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), is crucial because it ensures that your financial, health, and personal affairs are managed according to your wishes if you become unable to do so yourself. Here’s why it’s important:

1. Control and Peace of Mind: An LPA allows you to choose trusted individuals to make decisions on your behalf. Without it, decisions about your health, finances, and property could be made by the courts or people you wouldn't have chosen, potentially leading to stress and conflict among loved ones.
2. Timely Decision-Making: In the event of illness or incapacity, decisions often need to be made quickly. With an LPA in place, your appointed attorneys can act immediately, avoiding delays and ensuring your needs are met promptly.
3. Financial Protection: An LPA for Financial Decisions ensures that your finances are managed effectively, bills are paid, and assets are protected. Without an LPA, your family may face challenges in accessing your funds or making critical financial decisions.
4. Health and Care Decisions: An LPA for Health and Care gives your attorneys the power to make decisions about your medical treatment, living arrangements, and personal care. This ensures your preferences are respected, even when you can’t express them yourself.
5. Avoiding Legal Complications: If you lose capacity without an LPA in place, your family may need to apply to the Court of Protection for the right to make decisions on your behalf. This process can be time-consuming, costly, and emotionally draining.

•  Age: Your attorney must be at least 18 years old.
• Mental Capacity: They must have the mental capacity to make decisions on your behalf.
• Relationship: You can appoint a family member, friend, partner, or a professional such as a solicitor. However, they should be someone you trust completely, as they will be making important decisions for you.
• Financial Restrictions: For the Property and Financial Affairs LPA, your attorney must not be bankrupt or subject to a debt relief order.

Yes, you can appoint different attorneys for each type of LPA:

1. Property and Financial Affairs LPA: This attorney will manage your financial matters, such as paying bills, managing bank accounts, or selling property. You might choose someone with financial acumen or who understands your financial situation well.
2. Health and Care LPA: This attorney will make decisions about your medical treatment, living arrangements, and daily care. You might choose someone who understands your personal preferences and values, or who is more involved in your day-to-day life.

Yes, you can absolutely express your preferences when setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). You can provide specific instructions or guidance to your attorneys on how you would like them to make decisions on your behalf. These preferences can be legally binding instructions (which your attorneys must follow) or general guidance (which gives your attorneys a clearer understanding of your wishes but allows them some flexibility) 

Health and Care Example

You can specify your preferences for medical treatment, including what types of treatment you would or would not want to receive in certain circumstances.

• Example: "I do not want to receive life-sustaining treatment if I am in a persistent vegetative state with no reasonable chance of recovery."

Financial Decision Example

You can give instructions on how your property should be managed, such as whether it should be sold or rented if you can no longer live there. 

• Example: "If I can no longer live in my home, I would prefer it to be rented out rather than sold, provided it remains financially viable."

 If you choose to have multiple attorneys for each LPA , you must specify whether they must act jointly (make decisions together) or jointly and severally (make decisions independently). Additionally, you can name replacement attorneys who can step in if your original choices are unable to act. 

Our costs are upfront and transparent.

There is a cost payable to the Office of the Public Guardian for each document, this is currently £82 per document and is payable once they have received our verified submission. They will contact you directly for this. 

At Edwards & Power, we understand the complexities and challenges of creating Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) documents. Our service was specifically designed to address the frustrations many face with traditional processes—frustrations that one of our founders experienced first hand. The Office of Public Guardian (OPG) rejects an average of 3,000 documents a day due to errors, such as incorrect or missing information, and improperly filled-out forms. These mistakes can lead to costly delays and additional stress for you and your loved ones.

By choosing Edwards & Power, you benefit from a streamlined, user-friendly system that ensures accuracy and compliance with OPG standards, significantly reducing the risk of rejection. Our expert consultants are here to guide you every step of the way, whether through a telephone or video consultation, or by completing our easy-to-use online form.

Our costs are so competitive because we've streamlined the entire process to be more efficient and cost-effective. 

By offering an online process and eliminating the need for in-person visits, we're able to significantly reduce overheads. 

Additionally, our automated system checks help eliminate errors, which reduces the risk of costly rejections from the Office of Public Guardian. This allows us to deliver high-quality services at a lower cost while ensuring accuracy and peace of mind for our clients. 

We also believe there shouldn't be a high cost barrier for getting these documents in place.