Brits Due Share Of £45 Million In Refunds After Power Of Attorney Fees Overcharged

IN 2018, a redress scheme was established by the UK Government after discovering that individuals had been overcharged by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) when establishing a “power of attorney.”

This is a legal document that enables you to designate someone else to make decisions or act on your behalf.

A power of attorney is typically activated if somebody is no longer capable or willing to make their own decisions. The power of attorney can cover property and financial affairs, or health and welfare, and people can have one for each of these aspects.

In total, the OPG was found to have overcharged 1.7 million applicants by £69 million between 2013 and 2017.

This occurred because the group’s operating costs decreased, but the fees it charged did not decrease to reflect this change. Starting from April 2017, the fee was reduced from £110 to £82.

The reimbursement scheme allows UK citizens to reclaim up to £54 per attorney, plus an additional 0.5 per cent interest, reported The Daily Mirror on Wednesday, August 23.

However, if someone had an attorney for both financial and health matters, they could potentially be eligible for up to £108.

Individuals in England and Wales who qualify for refunds made power of attorney registrations between April 1, 2013, and March 31, 2017.

The Times reported that only 330,000 applicants applied for a refund, resulting in a total payout of approximately £16.9 million.

This indicates that around 1.37 million people could potentially still be owed some money.

However, according to the OPG, the actual number of affected individuals is likely to be lower, as some may have submitted more than one application.

It’s also important to note that individuals can still make a refund claim even if the person for whom the attorney was established has passed away.

The only current method to submit a refund claim is by sending a written request to the OPG via post.

You won’t need to provide the actual power of attorney document to the OPG.

Instead, you’ll require:

• The donor’s name, address, and date of birth.
• Their UK bank account number and sort code.
• The name of one of the attorneys listed on the power of attorney.
• If the donor has passed away, you’ll need to include a copy of the donor’s death certificate and will, or a grant of representation such as a grant of probate or letter of administration, along with your contact details.

Once you’ve gathered all this information, you can send it to the following address:

POA Refunds Team, 7th Floor, Office of the Public Guardian, PO Box 16185, Birmingham, B2 2WH.