T 01582 456222
Berkhamsted office
T 01442 872141
Enduring Power of Attorney
Having an Enduring Power of Attorney is every bit as important as having a Will
An Enduring Power of Attorney is a document that only comes into effect if, at some time in the future, you do become unable to administer your own affairs.
What would happen if you became unable to deal with your financial affairs due to an accident, because of illness or through old age? People often assume that a member of the family can step in to deal with things, but the situation is not that straightforward.
If you are physically unable to deal with your own affairs and would prefer someone else to deal with things for you, it may not be legally possible for them to do so.
If you no longer had mental capacity to make decision about financial matters, your family would have to apply to the Court of Protection and transfer your assets to the Court. This is a costly and time consuming process. Your bank or building society accounts would be frozen so there could be problems with paying bills, providing for your dependants or continuing to run a business.
The good news is that there is a simple and inexpensive way to avoid these problems. You can set up an Enduring Power of Attorney now, to provide for future difficulties. The Enduring Power of Attorney states who will deal with your affairs on your behalf, so you can nominate trusted friends or relatives or a professional adviser. You can set strict limits on the Attorney's powers, and cancel it at any time before it comes into effect.
If the Enduring Power of Attorney comes into effect, the people you have appointed as Attorney only then have to register the EPA with the Court. This is fairly straightforward and avoids the much more complex problem of involving the Court of Protection.
Our Private Client team are highly experienced in dealing with EPAs. To contact us, please telephone one of the numbers below or use the on-line enquiry form and we will contact you.
If you would prefer to see someone at home, or if you are in hospital or a care home, we can visit you at home at no extra cost. We will provide you in advance with information about the cost of our services.
Luton office
T 01582 456222
Geoff Grimes
Berkhamsted office
T 01442 872141
Nigel Frostick
James Houghton
