If a loved one is mentally or physically incapacitated or planning to be overseas for a prolonged period, they may need you to manage their affairs for them on either a temporary or permanent basis, but before you agree to do so, you must make sure to have an appropriate Power of Attorney in place.
Why can’t you manage someone’s affairs without a PoA?
A PoA gives you the legal authority to act on somebody else’s behalf and without one, healthcare professionals, banks and other financial institutions will be unable to engage with you.
If your loved one has lost mental capacity and cannot give you permission to act on their behalf, their bank accounts may be frozen and healthcare professionals will be forced to make decisions that they believe to be in their best interests rather than those that you deem appropriate.
How do you get a PoA?
You can easily obtain a Power Of Attorney online from a specialist such as powerofattorneyonline.co.uk. This is the simplest and most cost effective way of ensuring that you will be able to adequately support your loved one in the event that they need you to make decisions on their behalf in the future.
What happens if a PoA is not in place in time?
If someone’s mental capacity deteriorates before a PoA is in place, their loved one will need to apply to the Court of Protection to become their deputy. This process is lengthy and expensive but will eventually allow them to act on their loved one’s behalf.
