Power of Attorney

[solo2]

I've got what I believe to be POA of both my parents for health and financial but the piece of paper that came through for each of them for each type is just printed on a plain piece of paper and does not look very official, it's literally a few lines of written text and a list of who it concerns and what type it is and some reference numbers - no official stamp or anything.

Is this normal as I need to go into my parents bank to register it with them and online it just says I need to take that along with photo ID for me and a recent utility bill?

[Drumroll]

You will need to take the full PofA to the bank (do not post it) get them to photocopy it.

This may help; https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney

[Sargeant Orange]

The covering letter is not stamped or endorsed. The actual POA that was completed by the donor is returned which has the relevant stamps and has been punched. This is what will need to be provided to the banks etc.

[EU_Foreigner]

Can they (banks) not check online?

[FurtiveFreddy]

EU_Foreigner said:

Can they (banks) not check online?

No.

solo2 said:

I've got what I believe to be POA of both my parents for health and financial but the piece of paper that came through for each of them for each type is just printed on a plain piece of paper and does not look very official, it's literally a few lines of written text and a list of who it concerns and what type it is and some reference numbers - no official stamp or anything.

A single piece of paper is most definitily not the LPA itself and in any case you would have received other letters from the Office of the Public Guardian during the process of applying. It's going to be at least a 10 page document.

Did you or one of your family apply for the LPA?

You could redact your personal info and post it here so we can see what it actually is if you want.

[toon10]

I have both financial POA and medical POA for my mother. You fill out a form online (for each if required) and pay a fee (for each). Once done you either print it or you can just print a blank copy from the website and fill it out in pen. There's a load of signatures, witness signatures and lots of boxes for people to fill out. It's a real pain to do. Once done, you send it off and if they approve it, they will mark the same document (each page) with the official approval. You get the same form back that you filled in.

It is this multi page document with each stamped page that you take to the banks and other places.

[solo2]

toon10 said:

I have both financial POA and medical POA for my mother. You fill out a form online (for each if required) and pay a fee (for each). Once done you either print it or you can just print a blank copy from the website and fill it out in pen. There's a load of signatures, witness signatures and lots of boxes for people to fill out. It's a real pain to do. Once done, you send it off and if they approve it, they will mark the same document (each page) with the official approval. You get the same form back that you filled in.

It is this multi page document with each stamped page that you take to the banks and other places.

The form has been done and fees paid and this was several years ago, it is only now with my Mother's decline in health that my Dad wants is to be activated with their bank just in case.

I received several letters saying the application had been logged and then this final piece of paper, I never had anything was stamped or officiated. I think I shall call them if I can find a phone number as it didn't seem right to me now I've looked at it. I should have paid more attention at the time.

[toon10]

solo2 said:

The form has been done and fees paid and this was several years ago, it is only now with my Mother's decline in health that my Dad wants is to be activated with their bank just in case.

I received several letters saying the application had been logged and then this final piece of paper, I never had anything was stamped or officiated. I think I shall call them if I can find a phone number as it didn't seem right to me now I've looked at it. I should have paid more attention at the time.

It may well be a new process now to be fair. My form is 16 pages long and the banks would only take the POA in this guise.

I've added an image of part of the first page to show you what it should look like. I'm not sure anyone will accept anything else.

[solo2]

toon10 said:

It may well be a new process now to be fair. My form is 16 pages long and the banks would only take the POA in this guise.

I've added an image of part of the first page to show you what it should look like. I'm not sure anyone will accept anything else.

I rang the number on your screen shot and they said my parents were each posted each others so I wouldn't have got an officiated copy. Answers that question so now I just need to order duplicates.

Which has tickled me as my father was insistent that I would have been sent it and we had it and not him.

[toon10]

solo2 said:

I rang the number on your screen shot and they said my parents were each posted each others so I wouldn't have got an officiated copy. Answers that question so now I just need to order duplicates.

Which has tickled me as my father was insistent that I would have been sent it and we had it and not him.

Glad you got there in the end. Good to know that they will send out duplicates too. I had a nightmare with mine as I sent both the financial and medical forms off together and they are almost identical apart from a couple of sentences and the footer. Someone mixed them up when scanning in at the POA office and they had scanned one page from the medical one into the financial. The forms looked fine at first glance and one of the banks accepted it but Nat West picked up on it (footer said medical on one page) and wouldn't allow it. I got into all sorts of arguments with POA people and the bank as they wouldn't work together to resolve it. I got them to admit fault and rectify in the end but it took weeks.

My father passed earlier this year but he sounds a lot like yours. He would have sworn blind that I would have it and not him too

[FurtiveFreddy]

solo2 said:

I rang the number on your screen shot and they said my parents were each posted each others so I wouldn't have got an officiated copy. Answers that question so now I just need to order duplicates.

Which has tickled me as my father was insistent that I would have been sent it and we had it and not him.

When you get the originals, the first thing you should do is get 2 or 3 certified copies done for each LPA.

These can be done by your parents but make sure you follow the guidleines on the .gov website as if the wording or way it's done isn't exactly right they may be refused by banks etc.

https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney/certify

If your parents can't do this, a solicitor will (usually for a fee of course).

Never, ever let the originals out of your sight. Only send the certified copies to anyone needing to see you have LPA. Even if you go into the bank yourself to show them an LPA, I'd advise you to use the copies as I know of someone who took the original in and their copier ate it!

Good luck with it all.

[W124Bob]

It's also worth noting that it can be revoked, wife has just been through this with her mum, although she retains POA over health and welfare. My MiL is 95 but deemed to have capacity, she was put under pressure to only retain her son on the financial PoA, there is a joint account in both names and he does nearly all the financies . To rub salt in the wound he has also pesuaded his mum to split the estate 75%/25%(around £450k in total) in his favour, also he's sole executor. It surprises me that an individual can have lasting POA without any second person input.