Are Middle Names Required In An LPA Form?

It’s important to ensure the utmost of care is taken when creating a Lasting Power of Attorney document as having an application rejected will at best incur additional costs and time.

If the donor decides to wait to have their LPA registered, a rejection could result in it being rendered completely useless if they now lack capacity – necessitating a costly and lengthy application to the court of protection to become a deputy.

With many things to get wrong, should we be including all the information we have to hand, or only information which is absolutely required? While technology, like WillSuite, can help to reduce drafting errors by having information only entered once – you still need to ensure that information is accurate and it’s common to slip up when it comes to the spelling of middle names, even for those close to us.

So are middle names required in a Lasting Power of Attorney form, to reduce potential issues?

We asked the Office of the Public Guardian for clarification and their response is that middle names are immaterial on the document, however we were advised that if you decide to include it for one party it should be kept consistent throughout.

This article was submitted to be published by WillSuite as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Wills and Probate. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Wills and Probate.