Property and Financial Affairs in the Court of Protection

The most common application to the Court of Protection is requesting permission to be appointed as Deputy to manage the property and financial affairs for someone who has lost the mental capacity to do so themselves and can no longer give instructions for a Lasting Power of Attorney.

Appointment as a Deputy will give you legal authority to act on behalf of someone, following the rules set out in the Court Order.  If you want to do more than the Order permits, then you will need to go back to the Court and request permission.

The process

It can take between 4 and 6 months – sometimes longer – to become appointed. In order to provide full information to the Court we need to supply:

• Independent mental capacity assessment confirming in that professionals’ view that the person who the application relates to has lost mental capacity to manage their property and financial affairs
• Detailed application form
• Supporting evidence with full disclosure of all financial matters relating to the person who has lost capacity
• Supporting information in respect of any urgent interim application
• Witness statement(s)
• Deputy declaration signed by the person applying to become appointed as Deputy

A court fee is payable on submission of the documents, currently £400.

Keeping the person who has lost capacity at the centre of the process

Throughout the application process, the Court of Protection requires that we serve notice to the individual concerned, telling them about the application, in order to give them the opportunity to contribute or contest it.  Many families are worried that this will cause unnecessary upset to their loved one.  However, if we are serving the notice on the client, we take every step to provide reassurance and provide information in a way that suits any physical, mental or sensory disability.  If we are making an application to appoint Debbie Anderson, Head of Court of Protection to be the professional deputy, then members of our team will have already started to build a long term relationship with the person concerned. Call us on 01926 354704 to find out more.