From the 17th November 2025, the fee payable to the Office of the Public Guardian for each application for a Lasting Power of Attorney has increased to £92 per application, up from £82.
Powers of attorney are executed as a legally binding deed by a person (“the donor”) to enable an appointed attorney or attorneys to assist the donor with their financial affairs or in connection with the donor’s health decisions.
Powers of attorney executed whilst the donor has capacity can be critical to enable family members to provide assistance to loved ones who then lose mental capacity to make their own decisions and manage their own affairs.
Problems can arise where third parties seek to question whether the donor had sufficient capacity to execute the documents and where allegations of coercion or duress are raised.
In order to provide evidence that there were no such irregularities at the time of the application, solicitors provide an independent certification by way of evidence of the donor’s ability to understand the process and to check that the donor is free from any coercion from any third party.
This professional certification can help, in cases of dispute or potential dispute amongst family members (or other interested third parties), that the powers of attorney were validly executed and are therefore binding on all parties.
For more information and for an estimate of costs to prepare powers of attorney, contact Kevin Grant by email or call us 01904 555 555.