The most common LPA mistakes

The big ones

1. A relative as certificate provider. In-laws and cousins count as family and invalidate the certificate.
2. Signatures out of order. Attorney signing before the certificate provider is fatal.
3. An attorney witnessing the donor. Not permitted — see can an attorney be a witness.
4. A missing date or signature, often on a continuation sheet.
5. Unacceptable instructions in section 7.
6. Names that do not match official records, or wrong dates of birth.
7. Fee reduction claimed with no evidence attached.
8. Section 6 named people but no LP3 sent.

What each mistake costs

A returned application usually means reprinting the whole document and gathering every signature again. Where the fee has been taken, a further £92 may be payable. Add the OPG's processing time and a single error can set you back a couple of months.

How to avoid all of them

• Check certificate provider eligibility before anyone signs.
• Write down the signing sequence and dates in advance.
• Leave section 7 blank unless you have a specific, workable requirement.
• Read every page for blank boxes before it goes in the envelope.

Our service is built around precisely this list: eligibility checks, a consistency check across the document, and a signing pack that tells each person what to do. Start the free check.

Common questions

Read next

• LPA signing order: who signs first
• What if the OPG rejects your LPA?