Power of attorney advice issued

An expert in the area has offered advice on how to get power of attorney and how this should be used.

Rosie Murray-West, deputy personal finance editor at the Telegraph Media Group, wrote for the Daily Telegraph that people should give someone power of attorney over their legal affairs while they are able to.

She said that when someone is judged incapable of making their own financial decisions they will be unable to appoint lasting power of attorney (LPA).

Ms Murray-West advised that people who want to put this in place have to contact the Office of the Public Guardian to register it and wait around 12 weeks for it to be granted.

"If you make an error and the application is rejected, you have to pay the fee again when you resubmit; the forms are complicated, so many people use a solicitor," she added.

In addition, people have been advised that it is crucial to appoint a lasting power of attorney by Alex Edmans, product manager at Saga, who said that the position should go to someone who is trusted.

Published by Hannah Carr