LPA MOT: Lasting Power of Attorney Review

Last verified: 5 March 2026 (England & Wales)

Most people create LPAs, file them away, and assume the job is done.

Then something changes. A relationship breaks down. An attorney moves abroad. A bank refuses a certified copy. A hospital asks a question that the LPA cannot answer cleanly. The LPA still “exists”, but it is not working smoothly when it matters.

An LPA is only valuable if it is usable in real life, by the right people, at the right time.

Quick-read summary

• An LPA MOT checks whether your LPAs still work for your life now, not the life you had when you signed them.
• We confirm the right attorneys are appointed, and that the LPA is practical for banks, care providers, and day-to-day decisions.
• Where changes are needed, the solution is usually a fresh new LPA, not a patch.
• You receive a short written report showing whether everything passes, needs advisories, or fails (should be replaced).
• We aim to save you unnecessary work and cost. If it’s a simple admin update, we will tell you to update the OPG records and carry on.
• If you also have a Will (and a Letter of Wishes), it often makes sense to MOT those at the same time.
• See: Will & LPA MOT (Services & Fees)

Why an LPA MOT matters

Your LPAs appoint people to make decisions if you lose mental capacity. That only works well if the document is still aligned to your wishes, your family, and how organisations actually verify authority.

Common problems we see include:

• Attorneys who are no longer suitable, available, or willing to act.
• A joint appointment that causes delays in practice when signatures are needed from more than one person.
• Preferences and instructions that were well meant, but now create avoidable friction.
• A registered LPA that exists, but is hard to access quickly when a provider asks for evidence.
• A Health and Welfare LPA that does not reflect current views on care, treatment, or end-of-life wishes.

What we check in an LPA MOT

We check your Property and Financial Affairs LPA and your Health and Welfare LPA (if you have both) to confirm they are still fit for purpose.

We cover:

1. The people you appointed

• Are the attorneys still the right people for you?
• Are replacement attorneys correctly appointed, and still appropriate?
• Is the way they are appointed workable (for example, jointly vs jointly and severally)?

2. How the LPA works in practice

• Is it clear what decisions the attorneys can make, and when?
• Will it be workable with banks and other organisations when it is needed?
• Are there avoidable points of delay or confusion?

3. Preferences and instructions

• Do your preferences and instructions still reflect your current views?
• Are any instructions likely to cause practical problems in real life?
• Do the LPAs still match the way your family would expect decisions to be made?

4. Registration and evidence

• If registered, is it registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG)?
• Can you quickly locate the registered document and the evidence an organisation will usually accept?
• If you rely on certified copies, are they likely to be accepted as properly certified?

For many organisations, a screenshot or printout is not enough. They typically need acceptable evidence, such as an online “View an LPA” access code or a correctly certified copy.

What the outcomes mean

You will receive a short written report showing one of three outcomes:

PASS

Your LPA(s) look fit for purpose and workable. We will confirm the review date and suggest a sensible next MOT interval.

ADVISORIES

Your LPA(s) are broadly workable, but we flag improvements or risks to keep on your radar. This might include small practical changes to your approach, storage, access, or future planning triggers.

FAIL

The LPA(s) no longer fit your needs now, or are likely to cause problems when used. In most cases, the solution is to prepare a fresh new LPA that reflects your current life and wishes.

Pre-MOT triage: changes after registration

If you’re asking “Can I change an LPA after it’s been registered?” the short answer is: you can usually update key details with the OPG, but you cannot rewrite the registered LPA itself.

Don’t write on the registered LPA or cross things out. Changing the document itself can make it invalid. Update the OPG’s records instead.

Simple admin updates you can usually do yourself
These are the common “quick fixes” that do not normally justify an LPA MOT on their own:

Change of address (you or an attorney). Tell the OPG. Supporting evidence is not usually needed.

Change of name (you or an attorney). Tell the OPG and be ready to provide evidence of the name change (for example, a copy of a marriage certificate or deed poll). Do not send original documents.

Useful guidance:

GOV.UK — Changes you need to report (make, register or end an LPA)

If you only have one of the changes above, it’s often quicker to update the OPG records and carry on, rather than booking an MOT.

When an LPA MOT is usually worthwhile

Consider an LPA MOT if any of the following apply:

• You have several small changes at once (for example, address + name + practical “life changes”).

• You are unsure whether attorneys and replacement attorneys would actually be able to act as intended.

• You have a joint appointment and you’re not sure it would be workable in real life (signatures, travel, availability).

• You want confidence that banks, care providers, and other organisations will accept your evidence route without delays.

• You can’t quickly locate the registered document (or you’re unsure what evidence you’d show a provider).

Changes that can stop the LPA working (urgent review, and often a new LPA)
These situations usually need a prompt check because they can affect whether anyone has authority to act, and how:

• You want to add an attorney, change who acts, or change how attorneys act.

• An attorney has died, lost capacity, become unwilling to act, or (for Property & Financial Affairs) has become bankrupt / subject to a Debt Relief Order.

• A replacement attorney now needs to start acting (the OPG needs to be told).

• You want to remove an attorney (there are formal routes, but it’s not a simple “edit” to the document).

Useful guidance:

GOV.UK — Changes you need to report (managing someone else’s LPA)

OPG — Reporting and making changes to your LPA (Q&A)

GOV.UK — End your lasting power of attorney (deed of revocation)

If you’re unsure which lane applies, an LPA MOT confirms the right route and gives you a short written outcome.

Practical checklist: is it time for an LPA MOT?

We do not recommend paid LPA MOTs on a routine timer alone. A good trigger is change, risk, or a clear reason to doubt the LPA will work smoothly when needed.

Consider booking an LPA MOT if any of the following are true:

• Your LPAs are around ten years old or more, and you have not sanity-checked whether they still match your life and how providers accept evidence.
• You have married, divorced, separated, or remarried.
• Your attorneys must act jointly, and you can see real-world delay risk (availability, travel, signatures, or friction between attorneys).
• Your Property and Financial Affairs LPA is restricted to being used only if you lack capacity, and you now realise that may not fit how you want it used in practice.
• You are unsure whether replacement attorneys would step in cleanly if something changed.
• You now have stronger views about care, treatment, or end-of-life wishes than you did at the time.

If it’s only a name or address change, you can usually update the OPG records yourself (see the Pre-MOT triage above).

How this links to your Will and Letter of Wishes

LPAs and Wills solve different problems, but they often need to be reviewed together because life changes rarely affect just one document.

If you have a Will and a Letter of Wishes, it is sensible to MOT them as a pair, because they only work properly together.

See: Will MOT (Review and Update)

Cases

The “perfect” attorney who is now an ex-partner

Five years ago, appointing a partner felt obvious. After separation, the donor was shocked to realise that the ex-partner still had legal authority if capacity was lost.

With an LPA MOT, the donor replaced the LPA(s) and appointed a sibling and close friend instead.

Without an LPA MOT, the family would have faced an immediate conflict at the worst possible time.

Joint attorneys who cannot act quickly

A couple appointed their two adult children jointly to “keep things fair”. In practice, one child was often travelling and the other could not get routine tasks progressed.

With an LPA MOT, they updated to a workable appointment structure and added clear replacements.

Without an LPA MOT, delays would have continued, even for simple admin.

A Health and Welfare LPA that no longer reflects real views

A donor signed a Health and Welfare LPA before they had any meaningful experience of care decisions. After supporting a parent through care, their views changed significantly.

With an LPA MOT, they replaced the LPA to reflect their updated preferences and family approach.

Without an LPA MOT, attorneys could have been left trying to interpret outdated assumptions.

The “we have it somewhere” problem

A family knew an LPA existed, but no one could find the registered document when a provider asked for evidence.

With an LPA MOT, the donor put a clear storage and access plan in place, including a practical evidence approach.

Without an LPA MOT, urgent decisions would have been slowed by avoidable admin.

Instructions that create friction

A donor added instructions that sounded sensible, but in practice made it harder for attorneys to handle day-to-day decisions.

With an LPA MOT, the donor replaced the LPA using clearer, more workable wording.

Without an LPA MOT, the attorneys would have been stuck between “doing the right thing” and being blocked by the document.

Can I just change part of an LPA?

Usually, no. If you want to change attorneys, change how they act, or change meaningful instructions, the practical solution is typically a fresh new LPA.

Do I need to wait until I lose capacity to use an LPA?

An LPA can only be used once it is registered. A Property and Financial Affairs LPA can often be used (with your consent) while you still have capacity. A Health and Welfare LPA can only be used when you lack capacity to make the specific decision at the time.

If my LPA is registered, does that mean it is “fine”?

Registration confirms it has been accepted by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). It does not guarantee the LPA is still aligned to your wishes today, or that it will be practical in every real-life scenario.

How often should I MOT my LPAs?

Some guidance suggests reviewing LPAs regularly, similar to reviewing a Will. Our pragmatic view is different: do not pay for an MOT just because time has passed. Consider an LPA MOT when your LPAs are around ten years old or more, after a major life event, or when you can see a real risk the LPA will not work smoothly in practice (for example, joint attorneys, attorney availability issues, restricted use wording, or uncertainty about replacements).

Should I MOT my Will as well?

Often, yes. Life events that affect attorneys and care decisions often affect executors, beneficiaries, and family planning too.

See: Will MOT (Review and Update)

Optional technical notes

• LPAs are governed by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and registered through the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG).
• How organisations accept evidence varies, but many will require a recognised proof route rather than informal documents.

Next steps

1. Gather what you have: your registered LPAs (or certified copies) and a note of who your attorneys and replacements are.
2. If anything has changed since you signed, write down what changed and what outcome you now want.
3. Book a combined review if you would like your Will and LPAs checked together: Will & LPA MOT (Services & Fees)
4. If you want your Will and any Letter of Wishes reviewed as a pair, read: Will MOT (Review and Update)

This article is general information only, not individual advice.