What is a power of attorney?
A power of attorney is a legal document that gives a trusted person the authority to act on your behalf in the future if you're no longer able to.
You can decide how much authority you give to your trusted person. Each power of attorney document might be different depending on what's best for everyone involved.
The types of power of attorney
There are two different types of power of attorney:
Ordinary power of attorney (OPA)
An OPA looks after your financial affairs for a temporary period. It'll end if you no longer have the mental capacity to make decisions.
Lasting power of attorney (LPA)
Lasting power of attorney includes:
Health and welfare LPA: A health and welfare LPA gives your attorney the power to make decisions about your daily routine (washing, dressing, eating), medical care, moving into a care home and life-sustaining medical treatment. It can only be used if you're unable to make your own decisions.
Property and financial affairs LPA: A property and financial affairs LPA gives your attorney the power to make decisions about your money and property. This includes managing your bank or building society accounts, paying bills, collecting your pension or benefits and, if necessary, selling your home.
Once it's been registered with the Office of the Public Guardian, the LPA can be used immediately or held until it's needed.
How does power of attorney affect insurance?
A power of attorney can be used in several ways to deal with an insurance policy on your behalf.
Managing policy details
If you're no longer able to manage your own insurance affairs due to a disability, illness or other reasons, the person with a power of attorney can buy new insurance policies, renew existing ones, and make changes as needed.
With your best interest, the trusted person can make decisions around your cover levels, add or remove insured items, or even cancel insurance policies that are no longer needed.
Managing claims
If you do need to make a claim, the trusted person can make and manage the claims process on your behalf. This includes talking to the Claims department, giving them the necessary documents and negotiating a settlement.
Managing payments
A trusted person can make insurance payments on your behalf to make sure you still have cover.
In cases where you do have a payout from your insurance claim, the trusted person can receive the payment and make sure the money is managed properly.
Accessing power of attorney documents
Citizens Advice or a solicitor can help set up the power of attorney and make sure you have the right documents to manage the policy.
If you're looking to add a power of attorney to your policy, you can do this by either:
- sending the power of attorney document with the relevant policy number to Admiral Group, David St, Cardiff CF10 2EH
- emailing the document to quality@admiralgroup.co.uk
If you have an LPA account, you can generate a code to share with us - this is created when you contact us over the phone or via messaging.
You'll need to create a different access code for each health and welfare or property and finance LPA.
When we receive the power of attorney document, we'll contact the trusted person to let them know we've received it, and the policy has been updated.
We'll also write to you to confirm that the trusted person can deal with the policy on your behalf.
You can find more information on registering and cancelling a power of attorney on the government website.
Contact us
There are different ways you can contact us to find out more about the support available:
If you have hearing or speech difficulties, you can use the national text relay service, Relay UK, to act on your behalf. Everything is completely confidential, including the details you share for identification and verification questions.
More support
Head to our Help and support hub to find more resources or check out the links below.
Hearing loss support
There are many ways we can communicate with you if you're deaf, have a hearing impairment or difficulty with your speech.
How we can helpSerious illness
If you or someone you know has become seriously ill, there are ways we can help make sure your policies are taken care of.
Find the right supportMental health support
If you're struggling with mental health issues, there's support available to help manage your finances.
Find out moreSupport with bereavement
Dealing with a death is never easy. We can help take some of the stress away when it comes to sorting out finances and policies.
Let us support you