A general power of attorney is a legal document where you can give one or more people the authority to help you manage your property and financial affairs.
A general power of attorney is very flexible and can be restricted to allow your attorneys to deal with a specific matter on your behalf for example, a house sale or purchase and can be limited for a specific time period.
At Sydney Mitchell, we offer expert guidance to ensure your general power of attorney suits your unique requirements, providing peace of mind that your affairs are in safe hands.
When can a general power of attorney be used?
A general power of attorney does not need to be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before it can be used, unlike lasting powers of attorney (LPAs). However, it can only be used by your attorneys if you have mental capacity at the point of the transaction they are undertaking on your behalf.
Therefore, this type of attorneyship can be particularly useful as an interim document whilst you are preparing LPAs and are awaiting their registration with the Office of the Public Guardian, which can take several months. When your LPAs are registered and are available to be used, the general power of attorney should be revoked.
How we can help?
If you would like more information about general powers of attorney, please contact a member of the Private Client team on 0121 746 3300 where a member of the team will be pleased to help you or complete the online enquiry form at the top of the page.
If a family member or friend does not have mental capacity to make any type of power of attorney and does not have a power of attorney in place, you may need to make an application to the Court of the Protection.
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