General Power of Attorney Template UK

In England and Wales, a general power of attorney lets one person (the donor) authorise another (the attorney) to handle their property and financial affairs — bank accounts, paperwork, a house sale — while the donor still has mental capacity. This page's general power of attorney template covers England and Wales; the UK's other jurisdictions, Scotland and Northern Ireland, have their own regimes, covered below. Under section 10 of the Powers of Attorney Act 1971, a power in the short form set out in Schedule 1, or a form to the like effect but expressed to be made under the Act, confers authority to do on behalf of the donor anything the donor can lawfully do by an attorney. Looking for the US version? Use our free US power of attorney template.

One limit defines the document: it comes to an end when the donor loses mental capacity. GOV.UK's guidance on ordinary powers is blunt — "you can only use this while they have mental capacity". For illness, ageing or dementia planning it is the wrong document; that is the job of a lasting power of attorney (LPA) under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before use. One practical footnote: section 5 of the 1971 Act protects an attorney who acts without knowing the power has been revoked, and protects someone who deals with the attorney in the same ignorance, so transactions already completed are not automatically unwound.

When you need a general power of attorney

Months abroad, while someone at home runs your UK bank account, tenancy or bills.
A property transaction where you cannot sign in person — but read the warning on jointly owned property below before you rely on this.
Company matters you cannot attend to yourself, such as an attorney voting your shares — how those votes are governed sits in the shareholders' agreement.
Illness or reduced mobility makes signing or bank visits hard, though you still make your own decisions.
A single transaction — where a power limited to that matter is usually better.

Jointly owned property: the trap to know about

This is the point most general guidance skips, and it matters because most homes are owned by two people. Co-owners hold the legal title as trustees, and section 10(2) of the 1971 Act does not apply to functions the donor has as a trustee or personal representative, or as a tenant for life or statutory owner within the meaning of the Settled Land Act 1925.

Section 1 of the Trustee Delegation Act 1999 softens this: an attorney is not prevented from acting in relation to land, the capital proceeds of a conveyance of land, or income from land merely because the act involves a trustee function, provided the donor has a beneficial interest in that land at the time. So a spouse's attorney can generally deal with the couple's home.

But section 7 of the same Act keeps the two-trustee rules intact. Where a requirement exists that capital money be paid to at least two trustees, or that a receipt be given otherwise than by a sole trustee, or that a deed be executed by at least two trustees in order to overreach an interest, that requirement is not satisfied by a "relevant attorney" acting alone — meaning someone acting both as trustee and as attorney for another trustee, or as attorney for two or more trustees, and not acting together with anyone else. In plain terms: a sale of a jointly owned home usually cannot validly complete on the signature of one attorney acting on their own. Tell your conveyancer at the outset, not the week of completion.

What a general power of attorney should cover

Full names and addresses of donor and attorney(s): banks and conveyancers may refuse to act where identity is uncertain.
A statement that it is made under the Powers of Attorney Act 1971: section 10 only bites where the power uses the Schedule 1 form, or a form to the like effect but expressed to be made under the Act.
Scope of authority: a general power reaches everything the donor could lawfully delegate; for a single task, restrict it to that task.
How multiple attorneys act: the Schedule 1 form provides for attorneys appointed jointly (all must agree) or jointly and severally (any one can act).
A start date and, ideally, an expiry: an end date stops a power granted for one trip surviving quietly for years.
Execution as a deed: section 1 of the 1971 Act requires the instrument to be executed as a deed by the donor. What makes a deed valid is section 1 of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989 — the document must make clear on its face that it is intended to be a deed, be signed by the donor in the presence of a witness who attests the signature, and be delivered as a deed.
Revocation wording: how the donor cancels it, and that it comes to an end on loss of capacity or death.
What it cannot include: the trustee and Settled Land Act functions excluded by section 10(2), and health or care decisions, which no general power covers.

Where a donor holds company shares, our free UK shareholders' agreement template is available too.

Common mistakes

Using it to plan for incapacity: the power ends at exactly the moment it is needed, leaving the family a Court of Protection application instead of an LPA.
Assuming it covers health decisions: it is a finance document; health and care need a health and welfare LPA, usable only once the person cannot decide for themselves.
Assuming one attorney can complete a sale of a co-owned property alone: the two-trustee rules in section 7 of the Trustee Delegation Act 1999 usually prevent it.
Not executing it properly as a deed: an unwitnessed signature fails the 1989 Act test, and third parties can reject the document.
Never cancelling it: revoke in writing when the arrangement ends, and tell the attorney and every bank that saw the power.

England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

England and Wales

General powers under the 1971 Act, which extends to England and Wales only apart from its section 3; LPAs under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 for incapacity. An LPA works only once registered — GOV.UK quotes 8 to 10 weeks for a mistake-free application — so plan ahead.

Scotland

The Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000: a "continuing" power for property and financial affairs and a "welfare" power for personal welfare. A continuing power is valid only if the written document is subscribed by the granter, states the intention that the power be continuing, and incorporates a certificate in the prescribed form by a practising solicitor or a member of another prescribed class who interviewed the granter immediately before they subscribed it. A continuing or welfare attorney has no authority to act until the document has been registered with Scotland's own Public Guardian. An England-and-Wales template is not designed for this regime.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has its own Powers of Attorney Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 for ordinary powers, and still uses enduring powers under the Enduring Powers of Attorney (Northern Ireland) Order 1987. An enduring power is not revoked by the donor's subsequent mental incapacity. But once incapacity supervenes the attorney may not act under the power — beyond limited steps to maintain the donor or prevent loss to the estate while a registration application is pending, or as the court directs — until the instrument is registered by the court, which for this purpose means the High Court.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a general power of attorney and a lasting power of attorney?

A general power works only while the donor has capacity and ends when it is lost. An LPA under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 continues after capacity is lost, and must first be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.

Does a general power of attorney need to be registered?

No — in England and Wales there is no register for general powers; the document is effective once executed as a deed. Registration applies to LPAs and to Scottish continuing and welfare powers.

Can I use a general power of attorney if the donor has dementia?

Not once the donor has lost capacity — the power is automatically revoked. If no LPA was made in time, someone will usually need to apply to the Court of Protection.

How do I cancel a general power of attorney?

While the donor has capacity they can revoke it at any time, ideally in writing, telling the attorney and any organisation holding a copy. It ends automatically on loss of capacity or death.

Statutory references on this page were checked against primary sources (legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK, HSE, ICO and Acas) on 8 August 2026. Our templates themselves are not solicitor-drafted — see the note below.

This page is legal information, not legal advice.

Dogetlawyer is a Legal-Technology platform, not a law firm.

Our templates are not solicitor-drafted and have not been checked against primary sources. They are starting points to adapt, not finished documents.

This page describes the law of England and Wales unless it says otherwise. For anything significant, consider taking advice from a qualified professional.

A power of attorney hands real control of money and property to someone else. Consider independent advice before granting one, especially where significant assets, jointly owned property or a vulnerable donor are involved.

Get the template

This template is one of around 114 free UK legal templates — browse every title on the public A–Z index of free UK legal contract templates; downloading needs only a free account, not a payment. If the donor or assets are in the United States, use our free US power of attorney template — US powers are governed state by state.