What a lasting power of attorney actually is

Property and finance covers money: bank accounts, bills, pensions, selling or maintaining a home. You can allow it to be used while you still have capacity, so someone can deal with the bank when you'd rather not.

Health and welfare covers care and medical decisions: where you live, day-to-day routine, treatment choices. It can only ever be used if you can't decide for yourself. Most people make both at once.

The person the LPA protects signs it while they can still understand it. Their attorneys, usually a partner or adult children, only ever act within the rules written in the document. An independent certificate provider confirms the person understands what they're signing and no one is pressuring them.

An LPA can only be made while the person still has mental capacity. After that it's too late, and the alternative is a deputyship through the Court of Protection: slower, more expensive, ongoing supervision fees, and a court rather than your family deciding who takes charge. Registration itself takes around 20 weeks, which is another reason to do it before it's needed.

A signed LPA does nothing until the Office of the Public Guardian registers it. Their registration fee is £92 per LPA, reduced or waived on low incomes. Rejected applications lose that fee, which is why our whole service is built around not being rejected.