Delay at Office of the Public Guardian
Lasting Powers of Attorney have to be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) before they can be used. Enduring Powers of Attorney (made before 2007) must be registered if the person who made the Power is starting to lose their mental capacity.
There is a statutory waiting period during registration of 4 weeks, which allows for objections to be raised.
The OPG is suffering from delays in the registration process. The OPG are currently stating that the registration period is taking 9 weeks. However, we have heard from the The Association of Lifetime Lawyers forum that the registration process is taking 12 weeks at the moment! It may be worth ensuring that Enduring Powers of Attorney are registered as soon as the need arises and Lasting Powers of Attorney are registered in readiness to avoid a three month delay at what could be a critical time in the future.
For more information on Powers of Attorney please contact us.