Any of us could lose our ability to manage our own affairs at some point in the future due to a variety of factors such as illness, age, accident, or injury.
A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) enables you to appoint someone you trust to make decisions on your behalf when you are unable to do so. Once appointed, they will be known as your attorney and will have the authority to make decisions about your health, care, and financial affairs.
Once registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), your attorneys can use it to make decisions on your behalf in accordance with your LPA. However, how do you demonstrate that you have an LPA?
When the LPA is registered, it will have a perforated stamp at the bottom of the front page that says ‘validated,’ as well as a stamp or box (or both) on the front page that shows the date the document was registered. If you still have the ability to make your own decisions, you can also ‘certify’ a copy of your LPA. If you do not have the original document, you or your attorney can use the certified copy to register your LPA.
An OPG100 form can also be used to check the OPG registers to see if someone has appointed a registered attorney or deputy. Once completed, email the form to the OPG at customerservices@publicguardian.gov.uk with the subject ‘Registers’. Within a few days, you should receive a response confirming whether the person has a valid LPA.
