Lasting power of attorney: Back to basics

25 June 2026

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a way of giving someone you trust deeply the legal authority to make decisions on your behalf.

It is important to ensure you have an LPA in place so your chosen attorneys can make decisions about your health and finances should a time come when you are unable to do so yourself.

How to appoint a Lasting Power of Attorney

The first step to putting an LPA in place is to choose your attorneys. This can be one or more people over the age of 18 who you trust to make decisions regarding your finances and/or health and welfare.

You can also appoint replacement attorneys to step in if your original attorneys are no longer able to act for you.

Once you have chosen your attorneys, you then need to fill in the appropriate forms depending on which type of LPA you are appointing.

When all the forms are signed, it is time to register the LPA with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) before it can be used. It typically takes eight to ten weeks for an LPA to be approved.

Lasting Power of Attorney for property and finances

A property and financial LPA allows you to entrust individuals to manage your money and property.

Some people argue that a financial LPA is more important than a Will, as it protects your interests while you are still alive.

Once registered, your attorneys can carry out essential financial tasks on your behalf. These include:

• Managing bank accounts
• Paying expenses
• Collecting income
• Property transactions

Unlike a Health and Welfare LPA, a financial LPA can be set up to be used as soon as it is registered or if you lose mental capacity.

Attorneys must keep strict financial records and ensure any money is kept separate from their own. It is important to note that an LPA cannot make any changes to your Will.

Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare

This LPA gives trusted individuals the right to make decisions regarding your wellbeing if you lose the mental capacity to do so yourself.

Unlike the financial LPA, this can only be used once you have lost mental capacity and not while you still have full capacity.

Attorneys can manage both minor and major daily choices on your behalf, including:

• Medical care
• Living arrangements
• Daily routine
• Life-sustaining treatment

Help setting up an LPA

Without an LPA, it is up to the courts to decide your care arrangements. Your close family will have no legal right to override them, so it is imperative that this isn’t overlooked.

Our friendly and experienced team at Mander Hadley have a wealth of experience preparing accurate, legally binding LPAs. Get in touch today for expert legal advice on Lasting Powers of Attorney.