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Power of Attorney

You might need someone to manage your finances on your behalf. This could be either permanently, or for a short time. 

Some of the reasons people choose to use Power of Attorney are: 

  • illness 
  • disability  
  • living abroad 

If a Power of Attorney is applied to an account you hold with us, the person looking after your finances will need to speak with us on the phone or in branch to manage your affairs. For security purposes they won't be able to look after your finances online. 

What to do  

There are a few ways to register for Power of Attorney:

  • Book an appointment at your local branch.
  • Post your documents to Specialist Customer Support, Principality Building Society, PO Box 89, Queen Street, Cardiff, CF10 1UA.
  • Email your documents to identification@principality.co.uk.

What documents you’ll need: 

The donor needs to provide 

  • Their Power of Attorney documentation. 
  • Their passbook (if they use one). 

The attorney needs to provide 

You can request a hard copy of this form by calling 0330 333 4000 or emailing enquiries@principality.co.uk. If a solicitor is acting as the attorney they’ll need to send us a letter confirming this on their headed paper, a practising certificate, or one form of name identification.  

 

ID documents we can accept 

Some common examples of documents used are: 

To verify a name 

  • A current signed UK passport. 
  • A current signed full UK driving licence or paper licence. 
  • EU member stage ID card or EU passport. 
  • A Non-EU Passport with a valid visa. 

To verify an address 

  • A recent gas and electricity bill (under 3 months old). 
  • A recent water bill (under 12 months old). 
  • A recent local authority tax bill (under 12 months old). 

We do also accept other forms of ID. For a full list of ID documents we can accept, download our leaflet about how we use your information. 

 

Please note that the attorney or customer can open an account online; however, once registered with Power of Attorney, online access will be removed.

 

For more information, read our registering Power of Attorney guide.

What happens if you need to manage someone else’s finances, but they don’t have the mental capacity to consent? In these cases you’ll need a court order to grant you the authority to manage their affairs.  

 

You’ll need to apply through the Court of Protection (COP) to become a ‘deputy’. You can find more information at www.gov.uk/become-deputy. 

 

If a donor no longer needs or wants an attorney to act on their behalf, Power of Attorney can be removed. This can only be done while the donor still has mental capacity. 

To remove Power of Attorney, you’ll need to follow the steps on the Government website. Once Power of Attorney has been removed, please let us know so that we can update the donor’s account.  

Power of Attorney is a legal document that allows someone (the attorney) to act on behalf of another person (the donor). 

 

This means the donor can give someone else the power to make decisions about their health, welfare, property, and finances. The donor can also choose to nominate more than one attorney to act on their behalf.  

 

Power of Attorney can only be granted when the donor has the mental capacity to agree. If the donor can’t do this, you might need to get an Order from Court of Protection.  

 

Types of Power of Attorney documentation 

Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) 
There are two different types of Lasting Power of Attorney: one for health and welfare, and one for property and financial affairs. We would only need to see the ‘property and financial affairs’ document. You can apply and register for LPA by visiting the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). Or you can instruct a solicitor to do so on your behalf. 
 
Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) 
Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) was replaced by Lasting Power of Attorney in October 2007. We can still accept EPA documents as long as the donor still has their mental capacity. If the donor is starting to lose mental capacity, the EPA document will need to be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). 

 

These are the most common ways for someone to act on behalf of another individual. However, we do accept others. You can always contact us for more information.