Power of Attorney

Power of Attorney

How do I register a Power of Attorney on an existing account?

Before the Attorney is added to an existing account, we will need to see the Power of Attorney document (either the original or a certified copy). Each Attorney being registered will need to complete a Power of Attorney / Court Appointee form and satisfy our ID requirements.

Power of Attorney/Court Appointee form (996 KB)

Correspondence will be sent to the Attorney once the Power of Attorney has been registered (savings only). Where there is more than one Attorney registered, the first Attorney will receive correspondence.

Before completing the Power of Attorney / Court Appointee form, you should ensure you have read our information on the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. . You will need to confirm that you have read this when you sign the form.

All Power of Attorney registrations and new accounts with Power of Attorney are processed at our Bradford Office. On receipt of your documents they will be reviewed and we will use our electronic verification system to verify the Attorney(s). If this is successful, that’s all we need to do. However in certain cases (for example you are not listed on the electoral roll or you have recently moved address) we may need additional proof of identity and if we do we'll let you know.

Please be advised that there may be different requirements to open an ISA or operate an ISA as an Attorney. The requirements are set by HMRC and are relevant to the type of Power of Attorney document being registered. Please contact our specialist team for more information.

How can I open an online savings account with Power of Attorney?

The donor needs to complete the relevant online application process. Once the application has been submitted, we need to see the original or a certified copy of the Power of Attorney document.  Each Attorney being registered will need to complete a Power of Attorney / Court Appointee form and satisfy our ID requirements.

Contact us

Call our specialist team

If you would like to talk to us about Power of Attorney, you can call our specialist team, between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Write to us

Please send documents to:

Customer Service Centre
Yorkshire Building Society Yorkshire House Yorkshire Drive Bradford West Yorkshire BD5 8LJ

 

Proof of identity

Required identification

If you’re applying in person at a Yorkshire Building Society branch or agency we’ll need to see one proof of name document and one proof of address document and these must be the original documents.

If you’re applying by post we will need to see a third ID document. This can be either a proof of name or a proof of address document. Originals or copies are acceptable. 

See our acceptable ID list below.

Please note: If you’re posting documents which have a photo or signature on them please send copies and not the originals. Also, do not send valuable documents through the post. If your documents are valuable please send copies instead. Your local Yorkshire Building Society branch or agency can take copies of your documents and send them to us on your behalf free of charge. 

All original documents will be returned to you as soon as possible

Proof of name and identity

• Current signed passport (UK or foreign)
• Current EU or UK photo card driving licence (full/provisional) or full UK driving licence (old style)
• Current residence permit issued by the Home Office to EU National
• Current EU member state ID card
• Current British armed forces ID card
• HMRC (Inland Revenue) coding/assessment /statement/tax credit letter (which must state your National Insurance number), issued in the last 12 months (Not a P45 or P60)
• Letter from Department for Works and Pension (DWP), Pension Service, Job Centre Plus or local authority confirming right to benefits issued in the last 12 months
• Current signed employer’s photo ID card
• Current UK firearms certificate
• Current Foreign National ID card
• Current UK disabled person’s blue badge

Proof of address

• HMRC (Inland Revenue) coding/assessment/statement/tax credit letter (which must state your National Insurance number) issued in the last 12 months (Not a P45 or P60)
• Letter from UK bank/building society issued in the last 3 months and confirming full details for an active account
• Letter from commanding officer or military unit issued in the last 3 months and confirming residency in service quarters
• Letter from UK college/university issued in the last 3 months and confirming in-house residency and dates
• Letter from UK employer issued in the last 3 months and confirming residency in hospital accommodation (medical doctors only)
• Correspondence from local authority over tenancy/local authority tenancy agreement, issued in the last 12 months
• Current EU or UK (full/provisional) photo card driving licence or full UK driving licence (old style)
• UK Credit Union statement issued in the last 3 months
• UK utility bill/prepayment agreement issued in the last 3 months showing current address (Not mobile phone bill)
• UK bank/building society statement issued in the last 12 months and showing current address
• UK Credit card statement issued in the last 3 months and showing current address
• UK Mortgage statement issued in the last 12 months (most recent) from a recognised lender
• Letter from Department for Works and Pension (DWP), Pension Service, Job Centre Plus or local authority confirming right to benefits issued in the last 12 months
• Current post office re-direction letter
• Council Tax bill issued in the last 12 months
• Letter from solicitor issued in the last 3 months and confirming house purchase
• Letter from HMRC (Inland Revenue) issued in the last 3 months confirming National Insurance number which must include name and address

Our ‘Identification Requirements’ factsheet details the types of identification we accept and how recent they must be.

 

Important information

Proof of Identity Exceptions

There are certain exceptions that we can make for the Power of Attorney accounts. They are:

1) If the donor has only recently moved into a care home, ID at their previous address can be accepted providing that this address matches that on the Power of Attorney.

2) ID can be taken for the donor that shows the address of the attorney/ies or deputy/ies. It must however stipulate that it is for the donor.

Certifying the Power of Attorney document

The donor can confirm the document is genuine providing they’re still able to make their own decisions.

If the donor has lost mental capacity then they would not be able to certify the document. In such circumstances we accept copies that have been certified by a bank/building society employee, solicitor, accountant, commissioner for oaths or an independent financial adviser. The person certifying the documents may charge a fee; please check with them first.

Please note, we are unable to accept documents which have been certified by a family member or a named attorney.

Where the donor is still able to make their own decisions and is certifying the document

The following information must be provided on the first page of all documents if it is a certified copy:

• The words “certified true copy”, written or stamped
• Full name, date and signature of the donor
• The statement “I certify that pages 1- [insert total number] are a certified true copy“ (where the document has multiple pages)
• All subsequent pages must also be signed by the person certifying your documents. (Documents certified in full on every page will also be accepted.)

If any of these details are missing we may be unable to accept the document.

Where a professional is certifying the document

The following information must be provided on the first page of all documents if it is a certified copy:

• The words “certified true copy”, written or stamped
• Full name, date and signature by the person who is certifying them
• Their profession
• Their business or practice name, address and telephone number
• Their FCA number (financial advisors only)
• The statement ‘I certify that pages 1- [insert total number of pages] are a certified true copy“ (where the document has multiple pages)
• All subsequent pages must also be signed by the person certifying your documents. (Documents certified in full on every page will also be accepted.)

If any of these details are missing we may be unable to accept the document.

Glossary

Attorney/Deputy

A person who has been appointed to carry out decisions for another person.

Beneficial Owner

The Beneficial Owner is a person who cannot manage their own affairs.

Certified Copies

These are copy documents which have been checked and verified as being the same as the original by one of the following: bank/building society employees, solicitors, accountants, commissioner for oaths, independent financial advisers or the Post Office.

Deed of Disclaimer

This is required when an individual no longer wishes to act as an Attorney. This deed needs to be sent to the Office of the Public Guardian for registration before it can be used.

Deed of Revocation

This is used in England and Wales when you want to end the rights you have given under a Power of Attorney. It needs to be sent to the Office of the Public Guardian for registration before it can be used. See https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney/end for more information.

Donor

The Donor is the person who lets someone else (the Attorney) make decisions for them.

HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs)

The UK Government department for the administration and collection of taxes.

ISA (Individual Savings Account)

A tax-efficient cash savings account.

Order

The Court of Protection document.

Power of Attorney

A Power of Attorney is a legal document that allows the Attorney to make decisions or carry out transactions for another person. There are three main types in England and Wales:

• Lasting Power of Attorney – There are two different Lasting Powers of Attorney, one which relates to health and welfare and one for property and financial affairs.  It would be one relating to property and financial affairs that you would register with us. They need to be registered at the Office of the Public Guardian.
• General Power of Attorney – These do not need to be registered at the Office of Public Guardian, however if you lose mental capacity they will no longer be valid. They are often used to give rights for a specific event, for example if you need someone to be able to make decisions for you temporarily when you go on holiday.
• Enduring Power of Attorney – Enduring Powers of Attorney are only valid if they were signed and written before 1 October 2007. You can use them even if they haven’t been registered at the Office of the Public Guardian provided that you still have mental capacity. If you start to lose mental capacity the Power of Attorney will need to be registered at the Office of the Public Guardian.