Lasting (Enduring) Power of Attorney Forms at Affordable Prices across Greater London, Essex, Middlesex & Hertfordshire
Lasting Power of Attorney Forms (LPA's)
Every adult should give serious thought to the merits of raising 'Lasting Power of Attorney' Forms (LPA's). As with a Will, an LPA is not a document that should be put off. Having the ability to manage our affairs is something we take for granted. But this ability can be lost in a moment through an accident or serious illness, as with a heart attack or stroke. Or slowly removed over a long period of time, as with degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Vascular Dementia, Dementia with Lewy bodies, or Parkinson's disease. Someone with such a diagnosis should take prompt steps to raise Lasting Powers of Attorney Forms to ensure their affairs are seamlessly handled by an attorney (or attorneys) of their own choosing.
If a person loses their mental capacity, the law states that nobody (even a spouse/civil partner) has the right to handle the money or affairs of that person without either evidence of their prior documented permission (via a pre-completed LPA) or the consent of the Court of Protection.
Fully Registered LPA's from Just £295 inc. VAT each!
Scroll Down To Check Our Current Fixed 'LPA' Fees!*
For loved ones left to care for a person after capacity has been lost the effects can be traumatic. But without LPA's their situation is made much harder as they face the reality of actually having no legal powers to manage and organise their loved ones affairs. Financial institutions and other service providers cannot take or act on the instructions of a third party if their client has lost capacity with no LPA in place. Even joint bank accounts will be frozen (see below) adding further inconvenience for parters and loved ones. Those left to care for an incapacitated loved one are left with only one option - to apply to the Court of Protection for a 'Deputyship' role.
Becoming a 'Court Deputy' effectively allows them to act as a 'Receiver', and to take part in the arrangements the Court put in place. But they have no power to take important decisions themselves. They must act only within the restrictions imposed by the Court, and keep full records of their activity for inspection. The Deputyship process is very expensive to set up and extremely time-consuming for loved ones. And once in place, for most people the Court fees alone to supervise their ongoing affairs will be £800 per annum.
Engaging with the Court of Protection itself can be very difficult for those seeking to help a seriously ill loved one. A cautionary tale is given by author Heather Bateman in her account of how bad life can be without a pre-drafted Attorney document - as featured on the 'The One Show' on BBC1. Click on the following link to view it: The One Show: Power of Attorney Story . Unforseen problems can also occur. The Court could select someone to be a Deputy that the incapacitated person wouldn't have chosen themselves....a family member as against an unmarried partner, for example. This can put the partner under immense strain.
*Our Current Fixed Fees to Create Lasting Power of Attorney Forms:-
1. To Draft, Certify and Register BOTH Lasting Power of Attorney Forms ('Property and Financial Affairs' and ' Health and Welfare'): £590 inc Vat.
2. To Draft, Certify and Register ONE Lasting Power of Attorney Form ('Property and Financial Affairs' or 'Health and Welfare'): £325 inc Vat.
All our fees include a visit to the clients home, without time constraint, to raise the LPA(s) and act as 'Certificate Provider'. We'll arrange for the LPA(s) to be fully completed, communicating with named Attorneys to ensure their 'Attorney Statements' are finalised and they understand their role. We sometimes get requests to visit outside of our main area of operation (which for LPA's is as indicated below and covers Greater London, Essex and Hertfordshire) and are happy to do so subject to a small additional attendance fee. This can be confirmed on enquiry. All our work is fully insured and regulated, with client testimonials available to view.
Using a Joint Account: People mistakenly assume that holding assets 'jointly', as with a joint bank account, gives them protection in the event their partner loses capacity. It doesn't! Worse still the bank will put a freeze on such accounts until an LPA/Court Order has been supplied, because they're duty-bound to protect the assets of their mentally incapacitated client...
As the British Banking Association advise in their advisory leaflet on holding a Joint Account... "If the other joint account holder becomes mentally incapable, the bank or building society cannot continue to operate the joint account without an Order from the Court of Protection (in England and Wales), which protects the rights of mentally incapacitated people" (BBA - 'You and Your Joint Account' - A Guide for Personal Customers. 2003).
Recent Changes: Revisions to Power of Attorney forms occurred on 1st October 2007, when the Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) document was superceded by the new Lasting Power of Attorney forms. A whole new 'Health and Welfare' Attorney document and Attorney role was also created for the first time. The new LPA forms were designed to give 'Donors' (those giving the power) much greater protection from people who might seek to deceive or defraud them of their money and property by using a Power of Attorney. These changes were long overdue as the previous EPA document was open to widespread fraud.
Now it's necessary for a third party, called a 'Certificate Provider', to be involved in the creation of the document. They confirm that the Donor has the mental capacity to create the LPA, fully understands the powers they are granting, and that no undue influence or fraud is being used in the creation of the document. Requiring a Certificate Provider certainly helps ensure the Donor is afforded greater financial and welfare protection from criminally-minded Attorneys.
Unfortunately these safeguards have meant that creating the LPA document using a professional Certificate Provider can be an expensive business. Some solicitors, for example, are charging clients around £500 or more to raise one LPA! However, we're committed to ensuring our clients can secure this important document at a very reasonable cost.
Contact Us to advise your requirements and to discuss further how LPA's could help you. Any general queries you may have regarding LPA's are also welcome!
You can find out lots more about raising a Lasting Power of Attorney document, and the issues surrounding fulfilment of the Attorney role, from the website of the Office of the Public Guardian.
Lasting Power of Attorney Forms are essential for people who develop (or wish to make provision in case they develop) signs or symptons of Alzheimer's disease, Vascular Dementia, Dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson's disease or similar degenerative conditions. Anyone could fall victim to the effects of a Stroke, Brain Injury or Serious Accident, in which case having ready-drafted LPA forms available would prove indispensable at a difficult time.
Many Residential Care Homes and Nursing Homes are also now making it a requirement that new residents have Registered LPA's prepared as a condition of entry. This ensures the Care Home have clearly defined lines of communication to a residents chosen Attorney(s), to whom they can quickly refer if the resident becomes unable to take decisions for themselves. Otherwise if a person in care loses mental capacity, and no LPA is in place, then the person legally falls under the charge of the Court of Protection, to whom all their property and welfare choices and arrangements must be referred, at huge cost and inconvenience.
If you're interested in creating an LPA for yourself, or perhaps for a loved one, please Contact Us for more information on the services we can provide*.
Our Address: 549 Green Lanes, Palmers Green, London, N13 4DR
*Postcodes currently served in and around London:
For Lasting (Enduring) Power of Attorney Forms (LPA's), Will Writing & Legal Services:
N1,N2,N3,N4,N5,N6,N7,N8,N9,N10,N11,N12,N13,N14, N15,N16,N17,N18,N19,N20,N21,N22;
NW1,NW2,NW3,NW4,NW5,NW6,NW7,NW8,NW9,NW10,NW11
EN1,EN2,EN3,EN4,EN5,EN6,EN7,EN8,EN9,EN10,EN11;
HA7,HA8,IG1,IG2,IG3,IG4,IG5,IG6,IG7,IG8,IG9,IG10,IG11;
E4,E5,E6,E7,E8,E9,E10,E11,E12,E13,E15,E17,E18
plus RM1,RM2,RM3,RM4,RM5,RM6,RM7,RM8,RM9,RM10.
For Lasting (Enduring) Power of Attorney Forms (LPA's), Will Writers & Legal Services we visit the Following Greater London Towns:
Winchmore Hill, Palmers Green, Bounds Green, New Southgate, Southgate, New Barnet, Friern Barnet, Chipping Barnet, Barnet, Whetstone, Totteridge, North Finchley, Finchley, East Finchley, Hendon, Mill Hill, Edgware, Stanmore, Harrow, Harrow Weald, Harrow on the Hill, Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Fortis Green, Highgate, Highbury, Islington, Holloway, Stroud Green, Crouch End, Hornsey, Turnpike Lane, Stamford Hill, Clapton, Wood Green, Haringey, Enfield, Enfield Lock, Enfield Highway, Bush Hill Park, Grange Park, Upper Edmonton, Lower Edmonton, Tottenham, Chingford, Walthamstow, Leyton, Leytonstone, Forest Gate, Plaistow, East Ham, Barking, Barkingside, Ilford, Hornchurch, Romford, Hainault, Chigwell, Wanstead, South Woodford, Woodford, Woodford Bridge, Buckhurst Hill, Loughton,
For the Raising and Regsistration of Lasting (Enduring) Power of Attorney Forms (LPA's) our Home Visit Service extends to the following Towns in Essex, Hertfordshire and Middlesex:
Essex: Basildon, Benfleet, Billericay, Braintree, Brentwood, Canvey Island, Chelmsford, Clacton-on-Sea, Colchester, Dagenham, Epping, Frinton-on-Sea, Grays, Great Dunmow, Halstead, Harlow, Harwich, Hornchurch, Ilford, Leigh-on-Sea, Maldon, Ockendon, Ongar, Purfleet, Rayleigh, Romford, Southend-on-Sea, Stanford-le-Hope, Stansted, Thurrock, Tilbury, Walton-on-the-Naze, Westcliff-on-Sea, Wickford, Witham.
Hertfordshire: Abbots Langley, Arlesey, Baldock, Barnet, Bayford, Berkhamsted, Bishop's Stortford, Borehamwood, Brookmans Park, Boxbourne, Buntingford, Bushey, Chalfont St. Peter, Cheshunt, Chorleywood, Codicote, Cuffley, Elstree, Essendon, Flamstead, Goff's Oak, Hadley Wood, Harpenden, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertford, Hitchin, Hoddesdon, Kimpton, Kings Langley, Knebworth, Letchworth, London Colney, Northaw, Potter Bar, Radlett, Rickmansworth, Royston, Sawbridgeworth, South Oxhey, St. Albans, Stanstead Abbotts, Stevenage, Tewin, Tring, Ware, Watford, Welham Green, Welwyn, Welwyn Garden City, Wheathampstead.
Middlesex: Ashford, Brentford, Eastcote, Edgware, Enfield, Feltham, Greenford, Hampton, Hanworth, Harefield, Harrow, Hayes, Hounslow, Isleworth, Northolt, Northwood, Pinner, Perivale, Ruislip, Ruislip Manor, Shepperton, Southall, Staines, Stanmore, Sunbury-on-Thames, Teddington, Twickenham, Uxbridge, Wembley, West Drayton.
For Fixed Fee Probate & Estate Administration:
All Greater London postcodes, plus Essex, Hertfordshire, Middlesex plus affiliated Fixed Fee Probate Consultants across England & Wales.
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