General Powers of Attorney

It may be the case that a Power of Attorney is only required for a specific purpose or period of time, for example, a house sale or purchase if the person buying or selling is abroad.  It is usually viewed as a short-term arrangement.

A General Power of Attorney does not need to be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian but does need to be signed in the presence of a witness.  There are certain statutory requirements that must be met for the General Power of Attorney to be valid.

However, a General Power of Attorney will be revoked if the person making the General Power of Attorney or their Attorney ceases to have mental capacity. Therefore, the main disadvantage is that a General Power of Attorney is useless once the person making it loses capacity.

A General Power of Attorney is therefore recommended for short-term use and if you are seeking a long-term solution, you should consider a Lasting Power of Attorney.