deputy?

emmawxx

Registered User
Oct 17, 2011
7
0
west midlands
Hi all..I have just been informed i should become a deputy!
I have been chatting to various solicitors and most of them have said this will cost £1500-2000 plus vat to get is sorted out with medical reports and everything else
I haven't a clue what i'm doing, i also understand i will have to pay these costs out of my own pocket then re claim after? I haven't even got that sort of money! Has anyone got any advise on what to do?:mad: thanks
 

sue38

Registered User
Mar 6, 2007
10,849
0
55
Wigan, Lancs
Hi Emma,

You can make the application to the court yourself, but it is likely that you will still have to pay for:
- the court fees (£400);
- a certificate from the GP or consultant
- any security bond
before you get the order and can reimburse yourself.

The cost of the certificate varies according to who is providing it, and the security bond varies according to the amount of the assets.

The fixed fees for solicitors are usually in the region of £750 plus Vat (£900), and the solicitors may be prepared to wait for payment of their fees until the order is through and you can access the funds. With all that the £1500 to £2000 estimate does seem realistic.

Edited to add: Who has told you that you need to apply to become a deputy? If this is the Local Authority telling you that you need to do this to pay Care Home fees you are quite within your rights to decline to do this and they will then have to apply. This may of course mean that you lose control of your grandfather's finances, and the Local authority may well charge for applying.
 
Last edited:

PaddyJim

Registered User
Jan 19, 2013
48
0
North Yorkshire
Deputy

Hi

You do not need a solicitor, the process via the COP is cumbersome but can be done without paying a solicitor. Additionally, you may not have to pay an application fee if you are applying for someone on certain benefits or pension tax credits. Worth checking out COP website for the forms, it is time consuming and takes time (up to six months) but can be done and the COP staff were helpful IMO.

Good luck:)
 

emmawxx

Registered User
Oct 17, 2011
7
0
west midlands
Hi Emma,

You can make the application to the court yourself, but it is likely that you will still have to pay for:
- the court fees (£400);
- a certificate from the GP or consultant
- any security bond
before you get the order and can reimburse yourself.

The cost of the certificate varies according to who is providing it, and the security bond varies according to the amount of the assets.

The fixed fees for solicitors are usually in the region of £750 plus Vat (£900), and the solicitors may be prepared to wait for payment of their fees until the order is through and you can access the funds. With all that the £1500 to £2000 estimate does seem realistic.

Edited to add: Who has told you that you need to apply to become a deputy? If this is the Local Authority telling you that you need to do this to pay Care Home fees you are quite within your rights to decline to do this and they will then have to apply. This may of course mean that you lose control of your grandfather's finances, and the Local authority may well charge for applying.

Hi sue thanks for the info! no nothing to do with care homes fees..social services told me i should do it as the doctor said he has no capacity it just seems a right nightmare but i will try and do it will no solicitor and hopefully some of the fee's reduced:)
 

angelface

Registered User
Oct 8, 2011
1,085
0
london
You still have a choice as to wether you want to be deputy.

I did not want to be deputy for either of my aunts. I took it to a local solicitor, and he applied to the COP and has been deputy for both of them. Certainly it means I am not in control of their money, but as they both needed care homes, the money is gone anyway.

Also bear in mind you have to keep careful accounts (and bills) to be rendered up to the COP yearly.

However, the COP is quite useful if you phone them for advice.
 

Des242

Registered User
Jan 12, 2014
7
0
Emma,

As of a few weeks ago I was in the same position and having a very bad experience with one solicitor who said it wasn't worth starting the process 'cause my grandmother was too old, I began to prepare the forms myself which took a great deal of time and effort. Realizing that it was going to take too long doing it myself, I got given a name of a "family friendly" local solicitor by Alzheimer's Society. This solicitor was a complete contrast to the other and says in his experience the process takes between 12 and 16 weeks and as I had done most of the forms for him fees were down from £825 plus VAT to £400 to £500 plus VAT. For the peace of mind I think it was well worth the cost, we'll see if his prediction of 13 weeks is correct. So it maybe worth speaking with a solicitor even if you have started collating the information, they know the process and can help reduce the stress levels.
Des
 

emmawxx

Registered User
Oct 17, 2011
7
0
west midlands
Emma,

As of a few weeks ago I was in the same position and having a very bad experience with one solicitor who said it wasn't worth starting the process 'cause my grandmother was too old, I began to prepare the forms myself which took a great deal of time and effort. Realizing that it was going to take too long doing it myself, I got given a name of a "family friendly" local solicitor by Alzheimer's Society. This solicitor was a complete contrast to the other and says in his experience the process takes between 12 and 16 weeks and as I had done most of the forms for him fees were down from £825 plus VAT to £400 to £500 plus VAT. For the peace of mind I think it was well worth the cost, we'll see if his prediction of 13 weeks is correct. So it maybe worth speaking with a solicitor even if you have started collating the information, they know the process and can help reduce the stress levels.
Des

Hi des thanks for the reply i also have had the solicitors i have spoken to say is it really worth it? it's a long process? basically putting a dampner on it already and i haven't even started yet! they seem very unwilling to help me so yes i might contact Alzheimer's society and see if they could help me in any way thankyou
 

Saffie

Registered User
Mar 26, 2011
22,513
0
Near Southampton
The first thing to decide is if you really need to have Deputyship.
If the person you will be representing only receives a state pension and has no savings, then becoming an Appointee for the DWP would be sufficient. Anything more though, such as an occuptional or private pension and substantial savings would require LPA or Deputyship. I am assuming that it is someone official who has told you that you need Deputyship so presumably it is too late for an LPA to be arranged.

It is quite possible to do this application yourself and the CoP can be very helpful with answering any queries about the form filling. These forms do look daunting at first glance but if you take your time, they are quite manageable. Many of us here on TP have completed this process ourselves.

The costs are all down to whoever the Deputyship is for and if they have limited funds, the fees are reduced. I only had to pay a one-off Bond payment on top of the £400 application fee plus, in my case, a further £400 for permission to sell a holiday chalet. There are also annual supervision costs over a certain limit and you have to submit an annual report of the finances so detailed records have to be kept.

i also have had the solicitors i have spoken to say is it really worth it?
I find that comment incomprehensible as it isn't a case of being 'worth it', it's more a case of being essential for managing someone's affairs and payments. Of course, as already mentioned, you can always pass this responsibility over to someone else.
 

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