Power of Attorney
How to add a Power of Attorney to an existing account, or apply for a new account for someone else
What is Power of Attorney?
A Power of Attorney is a legal document that allows someone to appoint one or more people as their attorney to make decisions and manage affairs on their behalf. A Power of Attorney can only be set up when the donor has mental capacity - the ability to understand information and make decisions about your life, or the ability to communicate those decisions.
Types of Power of Attorney
There are different types of power of attorney depending on where you live and what kind of support is needed.
Appointing more than one attorney
When someone appoints more than one attorney, they can decide whether the attorneys should act “jointly” or “jointly and severally”.
Acting as an attorney on someone else's behalf
When someone sets up a Power of Attorney, they can decide what an attorney can and cannot do on their behalf. It is the attorney’s responsibility to act according to the person's wishes, and in their best interests.
How to let Triodos know about a Power of Attorney
Which Power of Attorney documents do you need?
FAQs
We recommend that you do not share your account security details with anyone. This includes your telephone password and any internet banking log in details or digipass codes.
Making a Will and appointing executors can make the process easier for those managing your estate. The Money Helper website from the Money & Pensions Service provides lots of advice for later life planning: Putting your financial affairs in order if you get ill or die – making a will and more (moneyhelper.org.uk)
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Yes. All the attorneys outlined in the Power of Attorney document can act on the account holder’s behalf.
For attorneys appointed “jointly”, each attorney must complete and send us the Power of Attorney Mandate Form(PDF) before we let any attorney act on the account holder’s behalf.
Attorneys appointed “jointly” must all act together on all matters. Attorneys appointed “jointly and severally” can act either together or individually.
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We’re aware that many other financial providers offer this as an option in different forms, and with different levels of restrictions on what an appointed third party can do when the mandate is in place.
We stopped offering our own version of this mandate in March 2022. It can lead to issues over safeguarding of a customer’s money when such a mandate is in place. We are reviewing whether we might re-introduce this option in the future.
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When we are notified that a customer has died, all their sole accounts are frozen and internet banking is removed. We also remove Powers of Attorney from the account, because the Will or any subsequent Grant of Representation will legally supersede these arrangements.
If you are a personal representative, please complete a Bereavement Notification Form(PDF) or call us on 0330 355 0355.
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The following people can certify a Power of Attorney document:
- The donor (if they have mental capacity) – the donor must write “I certify this is a true and complete copy of the corresponding page of the original lasting power of attorney.” on every page of the copy and on the final page must write “I certify this is a true and complete copy of the lasting power of attorney.”
- A solicitor
- Post Office – a fee may be charged for using this service
- Accountants with a current ‘practicing’ membership, registered with ICAEW, ICAS, CAI, ACCA, CIPFA or CIMA.
- A person authorised to carry out notarial activities
- Bank staff (must include branch stamp)
Certifiers must clearly write that they have seen the original document. They must also include their full name, profession, business address, phone number and the date they certified the document.
Please note that we must be sent all pages of the certified copy of the document in colour. It must be certified on every page, and must have been certified within the past 3 months.
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No. We only accept Power of Attorney documents that have been registered in the UK.
Power of Attorney documents must be registered with the relevant UK government agency before they can be used with us.
- England and Wales - Find out how to register a Lasting Power of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) on the gov.uk website, or find out how to register an Enduring Power of Attorney with the OPG on the gov.uk website.
- Scotland - Find out how to register a Continuing Power of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland) on their website.
- Northern Ireland - Find out more about out how to register an Enduring Power of Attorney in Northern Ireland on the High Court (Office of Care and Protection) website.
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If you have any concerns about your attorney, please contact the Office of the Public Guardian.
Find out more information:
- England and Wales - How to report a concern about an attorney, deputy or guardian
- Scotland - Concern about continuing attorneys
- Northern Ireland - Information on enduring power of attorney
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We will send you a letter confirming that Power of Attorney has been added to the relevant account(s).
The POA will only be registered once we have verified the Power of Attorney and the Power of Attorney Mandate form and carried out checks to confirm the attorney's identity and address.
If we need further documentation or information, we will contact you.
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If there is a sole attorney or an attorney appointed “jointly and severally”, we provide a debit card to each attorney.
If an attorney is appointed "jointly", we can't send any attorney a debit card, as we can't guarantee the attorneys are acting together.
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Yes, so long as we have already received details of the Power of Attorney so that we have proof in place that you are legally entitled to act on our customer's behalf.
You will need to complete the Personal data rights request form below with the details of our customer on whose behalf you are making the request and add a cover letter with your own details (name, address, relationship to the person you are making the request about). We will also need you to enclose proof of your identity. You can contact us for a list of what documents are acceptable for confirming your identity.
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For someone who already has a Triodos account
We need proof of the Power of Attorney before we can let the attorney act on the account holder’s behalf. Please send us:
- The original or a certified copy of the Power of Attorney document or Lasting Power of Attorney access code
- Power of Attorney Mandate Form(PDF)
We need proof of the Power of Attorney and a completed Application for a Triodos Current Account with a Power of Attorney form before we can open the account and let the attorney act on the account holder’s behalf. Please send us:
- The original or a certified copy of the Power of Attorney document, or Lasting Power of Attorney acces code
- Application for a Triodos Current Account with a Power of Attorney(PDF)
You may prefer to send original or certified documents by recorded or tracked delivery to ensure they don’t get lost in the post. But be aware, most delivery companies will charge for this service.
Write our full address exactly as shown below on your envelope (appropriate stamp required):
Triodos Bank
Deanery Road
Bristol
BS1 5AS
Alternatively, you can send the required documents by using our freepost address – write it exactly as shown below on your envelope (no stamp required):
Freepost TRIODOS BANK
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Useful organisations
Further help and support on Power of Attorney