LPA Week: Registering a Lasting Power of Attorney

Once the application is complete, it must be sent to the Office of the Public Guardian (the court) to be registered.

You can apply to register it if you are able to make your own decisions. If your attorney applies on your behalf the court will notify you so that you can object to the application if you wish to.

It takes between 8-10 weeks for the court to register the Lasting Power of Attorney. However, it may be longer now due to the Covid-19 crisis.

If you have chosen to notify people of the application, they must be told before registration and they will have 3 weeks to raise any concerns.

The court fee for each Lasting Power of Attorney is £82 unless you qualify for a reduction or fee exemption.

Once registered, and if you have chosen the option whereby you give consent to your attorney, your attorney can straightaway start to assist with your financial and property affairs if you would like them to. Otherwise, the Lasting Power of Attorney should be kept in a safe place so that it can be accessed by your attorney should you ever lose mental capacity.

Hopefully the videos over the last week have given you useful insight into what you need to consider and the process for registering a Lasting Power of Attorney.

Although our offices are currently closed, we are still very much open for business. If you wish to discuss the above, please do get in touch and we shall be happy to assist.