Common LPA Mistakes That Get Your Application Rejected

Why LPAs get rejected

An LPA is a long form with strict rules, filled in by people who have never filled one in before. When the Office of the Public Guardian turns an application away, it is almost never because the situation was complicated. It is because of a small mistake that nobody caught.

Here are the ones that come up again and again.

1. Signing in the wrong order

The LPA must be signed in a strict sequence: the donor first, then the certificate provider, then every attorney. If an attorney signs before the donor, the application fails. The dates on the form prove the order, so this mistake is impossible to hide and hard to fix. If you follow one rule in this whole article, make it this one.

2. Missing or muddled dates

Every signature needs a date, the dates must follow the signing order, and blanks are not overlooked. Before anything goes in the post, read every date on every page once, slowly.

3. Witness problems

Each signature that needs a witness needs that witness physically present, aged 18 or over, and not an attorney named on the form. An attorney witnessing a signature on their own LPA is a classic failure. Incomplete witness details cause trouble too: full name and address, every time.

4. A certificate provider who was never eligible

The certificate provider confirms you understand the LPA and are not being pressured. They must either have known you personally for at least two years, or be a relevant professional. They cannot be a family member, one of your attorneys, or someone who works for your attorney. Choosing an ineligible person invalidates the certificate, and with it the application. Our full guide to certificate providers covers who qualifies.

5. Names that don't match official ID

If you are Margaret on your passport, you are Margaret on the LPA — not Maggie. Missing middle names, old addresses and transposed birth dates all cause queries and delays. Check every person's details against their ID.

6. Continuation sheets done halfway

If you need continuation sheets, for extra attorneys or long instructions, each one must be signed and dated by the donor and referenced properly in the main form. An unsigned continuation sheet is treated as if it were not there.

7. Correction fluid

The OPG does not accept Tipp-Ex or correction tape anywhere. Cross errors out neatly and initial them. If a page has collected several corrections, redo the page.

8. The wrong fee, or missing evidence

The standard fee is £92 per LPA. If you are claiming the reduced fee (£46 on a gross income under £12,000) or an exemption (certain means-tested benefits), the claim needs the LPA120 form and evidence. Sending a claim without the evidence stalls the whole application.

9. Preferences and instructions mixed up

Preferences are wishes your attorneys should consider. Instructions are legally binding rules they must follow. Writing a binding rule in the preferences box, or an unworkable instruction that contradicts the rest of the form, is a rejection risk that catches out careful people. When in doubt, leave both blank — most LPAs work perfectly well without either.

10. The wrong choice of how attorneys act

If you appoint attorneys jointly, they must agree on everything, and if one dies or loses capacity the LPA can fail entirely. Jointly and severally lets any attorney act alone and survives the loss of one. Neither is wrong, but many people tick jointly without realising what it means, and the decision cannot be changed after registration.

The honest fix

Every mistake on this list is easy to avoid if someone who has seen hundreds of LPAs reads yours before you sign it. That is exactly what our service does. You make your LPA free, and a qualified estate planner rings you and goes through every answer (the signing order, the witnesses, the certificate provider, all of it) before anything is signed.

We will not promise the OPG can never reject an application, because that decision is theirs. What we promise is this: if the OPG rejects an LPA for something we checked, we correct it and cover the £92 to register it again.

If you would like to see the whole process first, here is how it works.