How to add a Power of Attorney to an existing account, or apply for a new account for someone else

A Power of Attorney is a legal document that allows someone to appoint one or more people as their attorney to make decisions and manage affairs on their behalf. A Power of Attorney can only be set up when the donor has mental capacity - the ability to understand information and make decisions about your life, or the ability to communicate those decisions.

There are different types of power of attorney depending on where you live and what kind of support is needed.

Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)

A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document that allows an attorney to make decisions on someone else’s behalf when they no longer have mental capacity. This could happen where forms of dementia or brain injury affects the ability to understand information that needed to make a decision, or communicate wishes.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 sets out the legal definition of capacity as it relates to Powers of Attorney.

There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney:
• Property and financial affairs
• Health and welfare

As a bank, we only accept property and financial affairs Lasting Power of Attorney.

A Lasting Power of Attorney must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) before it can be registered with us. Find out how to register a Lasting Power of Attorney with the OPG on the gov.uk website.

Find out more about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 on the NHS website.

When someone appoints more than one attorney, they can decide whether the attorneys should act “jointly” or “jointly and severally”.

When someone sets up a Power of Attorney, they can decide what an attorney can and cannot do on their behalf. It is the attorney’s responsibility to act according to the person's wishes, and in their best interests.

1. Power of attorney document or Lasting Power of Attorney Access code

Please send us one of the following:

Original Power of Attorney document

Please send us all pages of the original Power of Attorney document.

When we receive an original document, we will scan it to create an electronic copy for our records, and then send it back to you by recorded delivery.

Certified copy of the Power of Attorney document

Please send us all pages of the Power of Attorney document in colour.

The certified copy of the document must be certified on every page and must have been certified within the past 3 months.

The following people can certify a Power of Attorney document:

The donor (if they have mental capacity) – the donor must write “I certify this is a true and complete copy of the corresponding page of the original lasting power of attorney.” on every page of the copy, and on the final page must write “I certify this is a true and complete copy of the lasting power of attorney.”
A solicitor
Post Office – a fee may be charged for using this service
Accountants with a current ‘practicing’ membership, registered with ICAEW, ICAS, CAI, ACCA, CIPFA or CIMA.
A person authorised to carry out notarial activities
Bank staff (must include branch stamp)

Access Code

If the Lasting Power Attorney has been registered with the office of the Public Guardian after 1st January 2016, it is possible you can provide us with the Lasting Power Attorney access code from the “Use a Lasting Power of Attorney service”.

Access codes are 13 characters long and start with a V. For example: V-AB12-CD34-EF56.

We can use this code to view the original Lasting Power Attorney document online.

Find out more about the Office of the Public Guardian’s “Use a Lasting Power of Attorney service” on the gov.uk website.

FAQs

I hold Power of Attorney 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 Powers of Attorney from the account, 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(PDF) or call us on 0330 355 0355.

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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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I hold a Power of Attorney "jointly" or "jointly and severally". Can more than one attorney be added to an account?

Yes. All the attorneys outlined in the Power of Attorney document can act on the account holder’s behalf.

For attorneys appointed “jointly”, each attorney must complete and send us the Power of Attorney Mandate Form(PDF) before we let any attorney act on the account holder’s behalf.

Attorneys appointed “jointly” must all act together on all matters. Attorneys appointed “jointly and severally” can act either together or individually.

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How can I register a Power of Attorney with Triodos?

For someone who already has a Triodos account

We need proof of the Power of Attorney before we can let the attorney act on the account holder’s behalf. Please send us:

The original or a certified copy of the Power of Attorney document or Lasting Power of Attorney access code
Power of Attorney Mandate Form(PDF)

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

We need proof of the Power of Attorney and a completed Application for a Triodos Current Account with a Power of Attorney form before we can open the account and let the attorney act on the account holder’s behalf. Please send us:

The original or a certified copy of the Power of Attorney document, or Lasting Power of Attorney acces code
Application for a Triodos Current Account with a Power of Attorney(PDF)

How to send us the required documents

You may prefer to send original 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):

Freepost TRIODOS BANK

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Do you offer a Third Party Mandate option so someone else can manage my account for me?

We’re aware that many other financial providers offer this as an option in different forms, and with different levels of restrictions on what an appointed third party can do when the mandate is in place.

We stopped offering our own version of this mandate in March 2022. It can lead to issues over safeguarding of a customer’s money when such a mandate is in place. We are reviewing whether we might re-introduce this option in the future.

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Do you accept Power of Attorney documents that have been registered outside of the UK?

No. We only accept Power of Attorney documents that have been registered in the UK.

Power of Attorney documents must be registered with the relevant UK government agency before they can be used with us.

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I have concerns about the person who holds Power of Attorney for me, what should I do?

Are attorneys given a debit card for the account holder's Triodos Current Account?

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

You have asked me to provide a certified copy of the Power of Attorney document. Who can certify documents for me?

The following people can certify a Power of Attorney document:

The donor (if they have mental capacity) – the donor must write “I certify this is a true and complete copy of the corresponding page of the original lasting power of attorney.” on every page of the copy and on the final page must write “I certify this is a true and complete copy of the lasting power of attorney.”
A solicitor
Post Office – a fee may be charged for using this service
Accountants with a current ‘practicing’ 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. It must be certified on every page, and must have been certified within the past 3 months.

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I hold a Power of Attorney for one of your customers, can I make a data subject request / subject access request?

Yes, so long as we have already received details of the Power of Attorney so that we have proof in place that you are legally entitled to act on our customer's behalf.

You will need to complete the Personal data rights request form below with the details of our customer on whose behalf you are making the request and add a cover letter with your own details (name, address, relationship to the person you are making the request about). We will also need you to enclose proof of your identity. You can contact us for a list of what documents are acceptable for confirming your identity.

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Further help and support on Power of Attorney

Power of Attorney

What is Power of Attorney?

Types of Power of Attorney

Appointing more than one attorney

Acting as an attorney on someone else's behalf

How to let Triodos know about a Power of Attorney

Which Power of Attorney documents do you need?

FAQs

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