As a result of the current government advice, in respect of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of our power of attorney (PoA) staff are working from home and processing PoAs electronically. Please note that for the foreseeable future the majority of registrable PoAs will be processed electronically even if they were sent to us via the postal system.
What does this mean in practice?
- We will process PoAs electronically when 1) the registration criteria is met, and 2) where an email address has been provided for the sender or granter. If an email address has not been provided we will attempt to contact the sender to obtain this.
- When we register the PoA electronically:
1. We will email a PDF version of the certificate of registration, and the copy of the registered PoA to the sender. The certificate will have a crest watermark running through it, as will each page of the PoA. (This certificate will be the same as the certificate we issue via the EPOAR system.)
2. When the PoA is printed each page will require to be signed by one of the following people; the granter, solicitor, stockbroker, or an authorised person for the purposes of the Legal Services Act 2007.
3. If the granter or the specified person have not provided an email address, their documentation will also be emailed to the sender. So, the sender may receive three separate emails from us. We appreciate this is not ideal, however given the circumstances this is the best solution we can offer.
- Please note that where a home worker processes an urgent request for a revocation, amendment or resignation, the same style of certificate mentioned above will be provided and similar steps will apply.
The above information is provided to help clarify what you can expect to receive. This is an emergency measure which allows us to maintain our registration service. Please note that we do have a few members of staff working in the office and they continue to provide certificates of registration with the red seal. However as mentioned previously the majority of registrable PoAs will be processed electronically therefore more of this style will be in circulation.