Court of protection

How to add a Court of Protection Order to an existing account, or apply for a new account for someone else

Who are the Court of Protection?
Applying to the Court of Protection
What is a Court of Protection Order?
How to let Triodos know about a Court of Protection Order
FAQs
Useful organisations

Who are the Court of Protection?

The Court of Protection make decisions on financial or welfare matters for people who can’t make decisions at the time they need to be made (they ‘lack mental capacity’).

They are responsible for:

deciding whether someone has the mental capacity to make a particular decision for themselves
appointing deputies to make ongoing decisions for people who lack mental capacity
giving people permission to make one-off decisions on behalf of someone else who lacks mental capacity
handling urgent or emergency applications where a decision must be made on behalf of someone else without delay
making decisions about a lasting power of attorney or enduring power of attorney and considering any objections to their registration
considering applications to make statutory wills or gifts
making decisions about when someone can be deprived of their liberty under the Mental Capacity Act

They are based in London. Most cases are heard by district judges and a senior judge but can sometimes be heard by High Court judges. Cases can sometimes be transferred to a local court for hearing.

Applying to the Court of Protection

You can apply to the Court to help someone without mental capacity with one-off or long-term decisions. Before applying, do check if the person already has an attorney or a deputy in place to help them with decisions.

You can apply to become someone’s deputy if they ‘lack mental capacity’. This means they cannot make a decision for themselves at the time it needs to be made. They may still be able to make decisions for themselves at certain times.

People may lack mental capacity because, for example:

they’ve had a serious brain injury or illness
they have dementia
they have severe learning disabilities
they have had a stroke
they are going through alcohol or drug misuse

As a deputy, you’ll be authorised by the Court of Protection to make decisions on their behalf.

One-off decisions

You can ask the Court of Protection to make:

A one-off decision about an issue that’s not urgent.
An urgent or emergency decision about something that puts them at risk.

Long-term help

You can apply to the Court of Protection to help someone long-term with decisions about either or both:

money and property – as a ‘property and financial affairs deputy’ – you’ll be able to do things like pay the person’s bills or organise their pension.
health and welfare – as a ‘personal welfare deputy’ – you’ll make decisions about medical treatment and how the person is looked after.

Becoming a deputy

How to apply

You need to meet the requirements to be a deputy.

The application process is different depending on whether you’re applying to be:

a property and financial affairs deputy.
a personal welfare deputy.

You’ll also need to pay an application fee.

See: https://www.gov.uk/become-deputy

Checks on your application

The Court of Protection will check:

whether the person needs a deputy or some other kind of help.
there are no objections to your appointment.

If you’re appointed, the Office of the Public Guardian will help you carry out your responsibilities.

You’ll continue to be a deputy until your Court Order is changed, cancelled or expires.

Who can apply to be a deputy?

You can apply to be a deputy if you’re 18 or over. Deputies are usually close relatives or friends of the person who needs help making decisions.

If you want to become a property and financial affairs deputy, you need to have the skills to make financial decisions for someone else.

Can more than one deputy be appointed?

The court can appoint 2 or more deputies for the same person.

When you apply, tell the court how you’ll make decisions if you’re not the only deputy. It will be either:

together (‘joint deputyship’), which means all the deputies have to agree on the decision
separately or together (‘jointly and severally’), which means deputies can make decisions on their own or with other deputies

If you need help or support

You can contact the Court of Protection:

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 0300 456 4600 (Mon – Fri, 9am – 5pm).

The contact details for the Office of the Public Guardian are:

Office of the Public Guardian
PO Box 16185
Birmingham B2 2WH

Tel: 0300 456 0300
Textphone: 0115 934 2778

(Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm (but Thursdays 10am – 5pm)

Email: [email protected]

Deputies acting on a ‘specialist’ or professional basis

Some people are paid to act as deputies, for example, accountants, solicitors or representatives of the local authority.

The Court of Protection can also appoint a specialist deputy (called a ‘panel deputy’) from a list of approved law firms and charities if no one else is available or willing to do it.

What is a Court of Protection Order?

The Court of Protection Order will say what you can and cannot do.

If you are appointed to act on behalf of someone, you will be known as a ‘deputy’.

The Court will send you a ‘Court Order’. When you have this, you can start acting on the person’s behalf.

The Court recommend that you check the court order as soon as possible. If there are any mistakes in it, you need to download and fill in a Form COP9 with the details and send it to the Court within 21 days of receiving the court order.

How to let Triodos know about a Court of Protection Order

If you are acting as a deputy, you will receive official copies of the court order from the Court which you can send, for example, to banks and building societies to register with them.

The official copy of the court order proves you’re acting on behalf of the other person.

Whenever you send out an official copy of the court order, ask the organisation receiving it to return it to you once it has been registered.

If necessary, you can order extra copies of the official court order by writing to the Court of Protection. Each one will cost £5.

For someone who already has a Triodos account

We need proof of the Court of Protection Order and various other things before we can let the deputy act on the account holder’s behalf. Please send us:

> An original/official copy or a certified copy of the court order

To apply for a new account on someone else’s behalf

We’re sorry but, at the moment, it isn’t possible to apply for an account on someone else’s behalf where you hold a Court of Protection Order. We are exploring the options which might make this possible during 2025/2026

Which documents will you need?

An original/official copy or a certified copy of the court order
Proof of ID for the deputy/-ies, for example, passport or driving licence (we may be able to do this electronically)
Proof of Address for the deputy/-ies, for example, original utility bill; original council tax bill; original bank or building society statement (all these documents needs to have been received by the deputy/ies by post)
Proof of ID and Address of the person you’re applying on behalf of

How to send us the required documents

You may prefer to send original/official or certified documents by recorded or tracked delivery to ensure they don’t get lost in the post. But be aware, most delivery companies will charge for this service.

Write our full address exactly as shown below on your envelope (appropriate stamp required):

Triodos Bank
Deanery Road
Bristol
BS1 5AS

Alternatively, you can send the required documents by using our freepost address – write it exactly as shown below on your envelope (no stamp required – no other details to be included – it is a registered 2^nd class postal service):

Freepost TRIODOS BANK

What happens next

We will verify the documents received and carry out checks to confirm identity and address verification.

If we need any further documentation or information, we will contact you.

Once we are able to confirm all of the details, we will send you a letter confirming that the Court of Protection Order has been added to the relevant account(s) and/or that the deputy/-ies are able to proceed with an account application and/or that any new account(s) have been opened with the Court of Protection Order registered.

FAQs

I am a customer and would like to get my affairs in order. How can I prepare my Triodos accounts for illness or death?

We recommend that you do not share your account security details with anyone. This includes your telephone password and any internet banking log in details or digipass codes.

Making a Will and appointing executors can make the process easier for those managing your estate. The Money Helper website from the Money & Pensions Service provides lots of advice for later life planning: Putting your financial affairs in order if you get ill or die – making a will and more (moneyhelper.org.uk)

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You have asked me to provide a certified copy of the Court of Protection Order document. Who can certify documents for me?

The following people can certify a Court of Protection Order document:

A solicitor
Post Office – a fee may be charged for using this service
Accountants with a current practising membership, registered with ICAEW, ICAS, CAI, ACCA, CIPFA or CIMA
A person authorised to carry out notarial activities
Bank staff (must include branch stamp)

Certifiers must clearly write that they have seen the original document. They must also include their full name, profession, business address, phone number and the date they certified the document.

Please note that we must be sent all pages of the certified copy of the document in colour (where appropriate). It must be certified on every page, and must have been certified within the past 3 months.

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Thanks for your feedback. We’ll use it to improve our services.

I hold a Court of Protection Order for a customer who has died. Can I access their accounts after their death?

When we are notified that a customer has died, all their sole accounts are frozen and internet banking is removed. We also remove Court of Protection deputies from the account(s), because the Will or any subsequent Grant of Representation will legally supersede these arrangements.

If you are a personal representative, please complete a Bereavement Notification Form or call us on 0330 355 0355.

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Yes

Thanks for your feedback. We’ll use it to improve our services.

How will I know when the Court of Protection has been added to the relevant account(s)?

We will send you a letter confirming that the Court of Protection Order has been added to the relevant account(s).

The Court of Protection Order will only be registered once we have verified the Court of Protection Order and carried out checks to confirm the deputy’s/deputies’ identity and address.

If we need further documentation or information, we will contact you.

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Yes

Thanks for your feedback. We’ll use it to improve our services.

I hold a Court of Protection Order “jointly” or “jointly and severally”. Can more than one deputy be added to an account?

Yes. All the deputies outlined in the Court of Protection Order can act on the account holder’s behalf.

For deputies appointed ‘jointly’, each deputy must be fully registered with us before we can let any deputy act on the account holder’s behalf.

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Yes

Thanks for your feedback. We’ll use it to improve our services.

Useful organisations

Further help and support on Court of Protection Orders and the Court of Protection

Help from the UK Government website

Guidance from the UK government on the Court of Protection is available online. Find out more on the relevant government website:

https://www.gov.uk/courts-tribunals/court-of-protection

Help with managing someone else's affairs

Various independent organisations and charities can provide advice and information on managing someone else’s affairs in the UK. Find out more on their websites:

Citizens Advice
Age UK
Alzheimer's Society
MIND

Court of protection

Who are the Court of Protection?

Applying to the Court of Protection

Becoming a deputy

What is a Court of Protection Order?

How to let Triodos know about a Court of Protection Order

FAQs

I am a customer and would like to get my affairs in order. How can I prepare my Triodos accounts for illness or death?

You have asked me to provide a certified copy of the Court of Protection Order document. Who can certify documents for me?

I hold a Court of Protection Order for a customer who has died. Can I access their accounts after their death?

How will I know when the Court of Protection has been added to the relevant account(s)?

I hold a Court of Protection Order “jointly” or “jointly and severally”. Can more than one deputy be added to an account?

Useful organisations

Help from the UK Government website

Help with managing someone else's affairs

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FAQs

I am a customer and would like to get my affairs in order. How can I prepare my Triodos accounts for illness or death?

You have asked me to provide a certified copy of the Court of Protection Order document. Who can certify documents for me?

I hold a Court of Protection Order for a customer who has died. Can I access their accounts after their death?

How will I know when the Court of Protection has been added to the relevant account(s)?

I hold a Court of Protection Order “jointly” or “jointly and severally”. Can more than one deputy be added to an account?

Help from the UK Government website

Help with managing someone else's affairs