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Applying to become a person’s deputy for property and finances can be a lengthy and complex process. Applications often take upwards of six months to complete, even for relatively straightforward cases.

The Office of the Public Guardian has released a sample Court Order appointing a deputy for property and financial affairs. This contains all of the powers deputies would usually be granted to deal with a person’s finances, as well as any restrictions on their powers.

Lay-deputies may not be aware of the potential difficulties of selling a person’s property. Although this is a common task for deputies to become involved in. The Court of Protection and professional legal bodies have produced new guidance confirming the steps and issues for deputies to consider when selling property.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has issued guidance to councils on the often-complex issue of Deprivation of Capital decisions.

The government announced in September 2021 charging reforms and their commitment that personal care costs in England will be capped at £86,000 over a person's lifetime. This is scheduled to take effect in October 2023.

When a person loses mental capacity and does not already have an attorney to help with their affairs, it can be difficult to know how to help them with their finances.

The prospect of paying for care can be very worrying, especially as care costs and people’s life expectancy continue to increase. The rules and regulations surrounding care costs can be tricky to navigate and this is especially the case where the need for care has not been anticipated ahead of time.

STEP has reported that the Government has published more details of its proposed reforms to the charging system of adult social care in England, including a lifetime cap on the charges for personal care.

When a person loses mental capacity, they cannot usually put a Power of Attorney in place. Instead, in order to appoint someone to make decisions for them, an application needs to be made to the Court of Protection to appoint a deputy.