Post Office Money used my PoA access code but still require certification of my id documents

[StephenD]

I have POA for my uncle and have been trying for some time now to gain access to his Post Office Savings account. There’s been a lot of back-and-forward with them which they’ve addressed to my uncle c/o my address. Most recently I sent them a photocopy of my passport and a proof of address letter, along with a completed post office Power of Attorney form. Several items on this form were not applicable (savings goal, source of deposits – I just want to get the money out of there and into his current account to pay for his care home fees). They have returned the form requiring my uncle to enter a main source of deposits and a valid savings goal, and asserting that the photocopies I sent them are “not acceptable”. The form also refers to “your new account” and they had enclosed an Account Opening Form. They sent this previously and I had told them that no new account was involved but they’ve resent it and told my uncle (they still address all correspondence to him) will “need to complete and return” it. It seems they cannot be dissuaded from the idea that my uncle is opening a new account.

The Post Office has viewed my PoA online. I gather from the Account Opening Form that they may regard the photocopied passport and proof of address as “not acceptable” because they have not been certified by a solicitor. My uncle has many accounts and in most cases banks and building societies simply gave me control of them when they had viewed Power of Attorney document on the government website – the process had after all validated my identity. The Post Office OTOH seems not only shadowing the process I went through to gain the PoA, but with even greater demands. Are they not legally obliged to recognise and facilitate my authority to manage my uncle the donor’s finances without requiring that I have my photocopied documents formally certified?

 

[sdmhred]

I have discovered Stephen that each institution has rules of its own. I have encountered 2 so far that refuse to use the code and insist on certified documents - so far I’ve not registered with these successfully. Apparently they are perfectly at liberty to do this.

BUT I have also discovered that if you complain sometimes it sorts it out….so I would write to their complaints team and you never know …..

 

[maggie6445]

Are the post office opening a new account for you as attorney on behalf of your uncle? Source of money deposited would be your uncles account and savings goal I would put care home fees. A building society I used for my oh had similar wording and they write to me and refer to my account although the letter does refer to oh . They seem to want to call it my account as attorney.

Can you take your documents to a post office and ask them to certify them for you?

 

[StephenD]

Their letter is addressed to my uncle, so I would assume not. The point is that we don't need or want to open a new account - I just want any money transferred out of there and into the current account that pays his care home fees. I don't think I should have to queue all morning at the post office to get documents verified in order to do that, the PoA should suffice. Plus I fear that they're barking up the wrong tree/don't know what they're doing anyway, and it could end up being a waste of time.

 

[StephenD]

Asking for certified documents sounds like a throwback to before the online PoA access code system was introduced, and that the organisations that do that either haven't understood this or simply don't want to change their procedures. I will look into making a complaint.

 

[SAP]

There are still plenty of places that won’t accept the online code HMRC being one of them ( and then they lost the certified copy!)
Send emails, complain loudly and be a pain in the bum until they respond with the info you need. No one should have to do all this hard work but some places are still old dinosaurs when it comes to this kind of thing.

 

[sdmhred]

Yes - that is why I am refusing to pay for and send certified copies of anything. HMRC is on my list. I’m paying mum’s tax end of July as her representative and then have them to deal with 😬😬

 

[maggie6445]

Their letter is addressed to my uncle, so I would assume not. The point is that we don't need or want to open a new account - I just want any money transferred out of there and into the current account that pays his care home fees. I don't think I should have to queue all morning at the post office to get documents verified in order to do that, the PoA should suffice. Plus I fear that they're barking up the wrong tree/don't know what they're doing anyway, and it could end up being a waste of time.

You might need to open an attorney account so that you can close it! Once you have an account you can then transfer the money. It is so banks know who is accountable for spending your uncles money.. nat west put me as attorney on my oh account and gave me an attorney card. Yorkshire building society had me opening an attorney account so I could manage his money. Different financial institutions deal with differently but the reason is to trace who is responsible for spending.

 

[sdmhred]

Oh I’ve not encountered that complication thankfully. We don’t have accounts with Yorkshire or PO.
I’ve done HSBC, Coventry, Natuonwide and Kent reliance and now just have access to her existing accounts

 

[maggie6445]

It may make a difference if current or savings accounts. The nat west my oh has is a current account with DD that he set up so his spending. I have an attorney debit card to use as oh no longer has capacity, so my spending. Therefore mixed spenders.

The YBS acct is savings so all spending from there is mine so it's an attorney acct in my name with donor noted for tax purposes.

 

[Louise7]

Hi @StephenD I appreciate that you shouldn't have to spend time queuing at the Post Office but I had a similar situation when attempting to redirect mum's post when she went into a care home. The Post Office wanted a certified copy of the PoA and also proof of my identity/address and rather than do this by post it was much easier/simpler for me to just take the documents to the local Post Office at a time when they were less busy. The man on the counter gave them a cursory look, ticked various boxes on the relevant form, and that was all that was needed. It's been the same when dealing with mum's bank, it's much easier to just go to a Branch than try to explain things over the phone to someone who doesn't understand, or to send documents by post. Although PoA processes should have moved 'with the times' some businesses/areas have been slow on the uptake so sometimes spending a bit of time in a queue can be a lot less stressful and more productive. I hope you get the matter resolved soon. You may have already seen the following info on the Post Office website but it seems that an Attorney can be added to an existing account rather than a new account being required:

Attorneys and Controllers

How to add an Attorney or Controller on an account

If you’d like to add an Attorney or Controller on your own account, or if your representative wants to add their appointment on the account, please call into one of our branches or write to us along with:

• An original or certified copy of the Attorney document or Controller – we can certify that your copies are authentic, for free, in branch.
• Details of the accounts you’d like to add the Attorney or Controller.
• It may be helpful for any attorneys to bring/provide photo ID and proof of address in case we cannot identify them with our usual electronic checks.

Alternatively, call us and we’ll let you know what you need to send us.

https://www.postoffice.co.uk/social-responsibility/power-of-attorney

 

[SherwoodSue]

Might no t help but when dealing with banks etc I always ask if they have a vulnerable customers team. Always find they go out of their way to be helpful.
Also bereavement specialist teams

 

[clare2017]

I read your entry StephenD with interest because I am having the exact same trouble with the post office. Trying to close a savings account to pay for carehome fees and each time I speak to someone on the phone, they tell me the matter is resolved and they don't need any more certified copies of proofs of address etc etc and all in hand and then when nothing happens and I call again, they tell me various papers that were previously fine are now not acceptable. Every time I am told something different. Now I have to send in proof that my dad is in a carehome and proof of any foreign income (this is to CLOSE an account!) and they are not accepting a bank statement as proof of address as his initials rather than full name are used. No one seems to have a clue there about LPAs. In contrast, other companies I have dealt with for same reason have been a breeze.