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Tag: Personal Attorney

What to do when someone dies

There are many matters which require consideration at this difficult time. This summary is to assist you in dealing with the first steps.

Immediate steps:

  1. Register the death at the register office – 01635 279230 (West Berkshire) or 0300 003 4569 (Wiltshire)
  2. Find out if there were any specific wishes about funeral arrangements (this may be in the Will);
  3. Organise the funeral;
  4. Notify friends, relatives and employers / employees
  5. Put notice in the newspaper.

Practical Matters:

  1. Cancel all deliveries (papers etc.);
  2. Remove valuables from his/her home;
  3. Redirect mail;
  4. Inform the building, contents and car (if appropriate) insurers;
  5. Arrange for the immediate welfare of any pets. The Deceased may have provided for their long term care in his/her Will

Collect the following information:

  1. The Will;
  2. National Insurance Number, tax office and reference number;
  3. Date and place of birth, and date and place of marriage or civil partnership.
Will, Personal attorney in Berkshire

Notify:

  1. The executor of the Will, and if there is no Will, an administrator of the estate will need to be appointed in accordance with the probate rules;
  2. If you need any help speak to a solicitor

Contact in due course:

  1. Banks and building societies;
  2. Department for Work and Pensions if receiving any benefits;
  3. Pension providers;
  4. Solicitor and accountant
  5. Deceased’s tax office;
  6. Landlord if deceased lived in rented property;
  7. Local authority – council tax, parking permit or if a blue badge was held for disabled parking;
  8. Care providers (Social Services or private provider);
  9. Insurance companies: travel, private health care, etc;
  10. Life insurance companies;
  11. Mortgage provider;
  12. H.P. or loan companies, credit and store card providers;
  13. Utility companies – water, electricity, gas and phone;
  14. TV/Internet providers;
  15. DVLA and passport office;
  16. Clubs and associations;
  17. Dentist or other healthcare providers;
  18. Creditors – anyone they owed money to;
  19. Debtors – anyone who owed them money;
  20. Digital account providers – email, social media, Amazon,
    eBay etc.

A solicitor can assist in notifying all the relevant organisations and obtaining the information required to apply for the Grant of Probate. Don’t forget, we are here to help as much as you would like.

Download this resource as a pdf

To discuss this and to obtain more information contact:
Emily Payne at Dickins Hopgood Chidley Solicitors,
The Old School House, 42 High Street, Hungerford, Berkshire, RG17 0NF 01488 683555

Lasting Powers of Attorney

Berkshire solicitors, a person signing a document giving someone lasting powers of attorney

A Lasting Power of Attorney (“LPA”) allows you to appoint an attorney to look after your affairs if you become incapable of doing so. It can only be made in advance, by a person who is still capable of making decisions.

Why make a Lasting Power of Attorney?

If no provision is made, and you lose capacity to make decisions for yourself, there would be no-one with legal authority to manage your affairs. The person wanting to help you with this task would have to apply to the Court of Protection for a deputyship order. Whilst we are happy to assist with this, it is a time-consuming and expensive process, and means that your appointee can do nothing until a Court Order is made. The person wishing to be appointed may not be the one you would have chosen!

If an attorney has been appointed in advance, and the document registered, they may carry out your wishes and act on your behalf without delay or further formality.

A Lasting Power of Attorney also helps relieve those close to you of responsibility for trying to guess what you would have wanted, and will help in the situation of there being conflicting views within a family, or indifference, as to the best way to care for you if you are unable to look after yourself.

What is a Lasting Power of Attorney?

The Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document which allows decision making to be delegated to your chosen attorney or attorneys, so that they can make decisions for you when you are unable to do so. attorney or attorneys, so that they can make decisions for you when you are unable to do so.

There are two types of Lasting Powers of Attorney:-

1. Property and Financial Affairs Lasting Powers of Attorney

A Property and Financial Affairs LPA enables your attorney to manage and sell your property, manage your bank accounts and investments, and pay bills on your behalf.

2. Health and Welfare Lasting Powers of Attorney

A Health and Welfare LPA enables you to set out how you want to be cared for if you lose your mental capacity. It covers medical treatment, where you live, what sort of care you receive, and day-to-day decisions about your welfare.

How do I make a Lasting Power of Attorney?

We will go through the forms with you and help you to decide what type of power of attorney is right for you, and the conditions you wish to place on it. When the Powers are created, an independent person has to certify that you are signing it of your own free will and that you understand what you are doing. We can do this if appropriate. In some circumstances, a Doctor may be asked to certify the LPA.

The LPA then has to be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before it can be used, even if the donor (the person making the LPA) still has mental capacity. As part of the registration process, at least one person can be notified of the LPA so that they can raise any concerns with the OPG. The registration process takes between 6 and 16 weeks, depending on the workload of the Office of the Public Guardian, so we recommend registering straight away, so that the LPA is available to be used as soon as it is needed.

Download this resource as a pdf

To discuss this and to obtain more information contact:
Emily Payne at Dickins Hopgood Chidley Solicitors,
The Old School House, 42 High Street, Hungerford, Berkshire, RG17 0NF 01488 683555