Power of Attorney is a legal document whereby one person (the "Donor") gives another person or persons ("the Attorney") the power to act on his or her behalf with regard to his or her property and financial affairs.

The most common types of Power of Attorney in England and Wales are:

Ordinary Power of Attorney - which can be general or limited to specific affairs.

Enduring Power of Attorney - which can be used in the event of the Donor's mental incapacity.

Usually an Ordinary Power of Attorney is created for a set period of time in cases where the Donor is going abroad or is unable to act for some other reason and wishes someone else to have the authority to act on his or her behalf. An Ordinary Power of Attorney will usually end at a specified time; alternatively the Donor can use a Deed of Revocation. The Power of Attorney will be automatically revoked if the Donor loses mental capcity. There is no need for the Ordinary Power of Attorney to be registered.

In contrast, an Enduring Power of Attorney allows the Donor to appoint a legally authorised person to look after their property and financial affairs, should they become incapable of doing so themselves at some point in the future. It continues after the Donor has become mentally incapable of managing his or her affairs and must be registered when the Attorney becomes aware or has reason to believe that the Donor has become or is becoming mentally incapable.

For more detailed information click here to link to the Public Guardianship Office.