Make an LPA without a solicitor
There is no legal requirement to use a solicitor for an LPA. The document is valid if the statutory form is completed correctly and signed in the right order by the donor, a certificate provider and the attorneys. Most straightforward family LPAs need no legal judgement at all.
Make your LPA online for £49
Answer simple questions. We prepare your LPA documents from your answers, ready for the next steps.
- £49 per LPA, or £79 for both types
- No solicitor required for straightforward LPAs
- Plain English questions, one screen at a time
- Save your progress and come back to it
- Checked for common completion errors as you go
- Review everything before you pay
The Office of the Public Guardian charges a separate £92 to register each LPA.
What the law actually requires
- A donor aged 18 or over with mental capacity to make the LPA.
- The prescribed form, completed with the required information.
- A certificate provider who confirms the donor understands what they are signing.
- Signatures in the correct order, each witnessed where the form requires it.
- Registration with the Office of the Public Guardian before use.
A solicitor appears nowhere in that list. What a solicitor adds is judgement about your circumstances — and for most straightforward family LPAs, there is little judgement required.
The three routes, side by side
| GOV.UK, entirely free | LPAs Online, £49-£79 | Solicitor, £300-£800+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preparing the form | You do it entirely alone | Guided, plain English questions | Drafted by a qualified person |
| Checking for errors | Your responsibility | Checked for common completion errors | Solicitor's own checks |
| Advice on your situation | None | None — we say so clearly | Yes |
| OPG fee | £92 per document | £92 per document | £92 per document |
When you should still see a solicitor
- The donor's capacity is doubtful or has been questioned.
- There is family disagreement about who should be appointed.
- The donor owns a business, a farm, or assets held in trust.
- There are assets or residency abroad.
- You want unusual restrictions or conditions written into the document.
Our guided questions flag these
The choose your LPA check tells you honestly when your situation is one where advice is worth paying for — before you spend anything with us. See also LPA vs solicitor.
A worked example
Tom and his wife Ruth, both 60 with no business interests and a settled family, decide to make both LPAs each. There is no dispute over who should act — their two adult children, jointly and severally, with each other as first replacement. They complete both online for £158 combined, register all four documents for £368, and never need a solicitor's phone number. Total cost for the couple: £526. A solicitor quote for the same four documents had come in at around £2,000.
Signing order, without a solicitor to walk you through it
- The donor signs and dates section 9, witnessed by someone independent.
- The certificate provider signs section 10, after the donor and before any attorney.
- Each attorney, and each replacement attorney, signs section 11, witnessed.
- Whoever is applying to register signs section 15.
Getting this sequence wrong is the single most common reason a DIY application is returned by the OPG. A guided service checks the order as you go; doing it fully alone means following the notes on the form carefully and, ideally, having someone check the final document before it is signed.
Timescales without a solicitor
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Deciding attorneys and reading the notes | A few days to a couple of weeks |
| Completing the form | 1-3 hours entirely alone, 20-40 minutes guided |
| Signing | Depends on everyone's availability |
| OPG registration | 8-10 weeks, including the statutory 4-week wait |
Common questions
Will the OPG treat a non-solicitor LPA differently?
No. The Office of the Public Guardian registers correctly completed LPAs regardless of who prepared them.
Will banks accept it?
Yes. Banks accept a registered LPA or a certified copy. Who drafted it makes no difference.
What if I start without a solicitor and change my mind?
You can stop at any point before signing and take your answers to a solicitor instead — nothing is submitted anywhere until you print and sign the document.
Do I need a witness for every signature?
Yes, each signature on the LPA — the donor's, the certificate provider's and each attorney's — must be witnessed by an independent adult, though the same witness can cover more than one signature as long as they are not also a party required to sign.
Is a homemade LPA less trustworthy to banks and hospitals?
No. Institutions only check that the document is registered by the OPG; they have no way of knowing, and no reason to ask, whether a solicitor was involved in preparing it.
Read next
Where this fits
This page is part of LPA costs and fees. The pages below take it further.
- What an LPA costs in 2026
Our £49 and £79 prices, the £92 OPG registration fee, and solicitor comparisons.
- Solicitor, GOV.UK or online?
An honest comparison, including when you genuinely should pay a solicitor.
See the full cost before you commit
£49 per LPA, £79 for both, plus the £92 the Office of the Public Guardian charges to register each one.
The Office of the Public Guardian charges a separate £92 to register each LPA.
This is general information about Lasting Powers of Attorney in England and Wales. We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice about your situation. What we do and do not do.