Lasting Powers of Attorney for propiedad and financial affairs give attorneys wide powers to manage the donor’s assets. However, as Katharine Whittingham explains, the recent case of Chandler v Lombardi confirms that these powers do not necessarily extend to making gifts.
Fecha: 28 de enero de 2022
Los poderes notariales duraderos para asuntos patrimoniales y financieros otorgan a los apoderados amplios poderes para gestionar los bienes del poderdante. Sin embargo, tal y como explica Katharine Whittingham, el reciente caso Chandler contra Lombardi confirma que estos poderes no se extienden necesariamente a la realización de donaciones.
Chandler v Lombardi concerns a donor who had made a will in 1993 leaving her home equally between her four children. One daughter was later appointed as her attorney for both her Property and Financial Affairs and Health and Welfare.
La donante se había reunido con los abogados en dos ocasiones en 2016, en las que expresó sus intenciones respecto a la propiedad, aunque su hija estuvo presente en ambas ocasiones.
On the first occasion, the donor told the solicitor that she wished to transfer half the property to the daughter. The solicitor had concerns about accepting these instructions and ultimately declined to act.
The following month, she met with a solicitor at a different firm with a view to updating her will. An attendance note from the meeting recorded that she wished for her daughter to receive the property on her death. However, no changes were in fact made to her will, despite her GP having confirmed that he considered she had the capacity to make a new will.
After registration of the power of attorney, the daughter consulted a solicitor in relation to the ownership of the property, stating that the donor had wished it to be transferred to her in return for her care and apoyo. In June 2018 she signed a transfer of the property into the joint names of herself and her mother using the power of attorney. By this time, the donor would not have had the capacity to make the gift herself.
El hijo del donante impugnó la validez de la transmisión. El donante falleció antes de que se celebrara la vista ante el Tribunal Superior, en la que el juez dictaminó que el apoderado no tenía ni la facultad ni la autoridad para donar una parte del inmueble. La transmisión fue declarada nula y el inmueble volvió a formar parte de la herencia del donante.
The judge pointed out that attorneys have very limited powers to make gifts on behalf of donors under Lasting Powers of Attorney. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 permits attorneys to make gifts to relatives and other people connected to the donor only on customary occasions such as on birthdays and marriages and only where these are reasonable in value in relation to the size of the donor’s estate. The court did not consider that a transfer of half the property fulfilled these conditions.
Si el donante tiene la voluntad y la capacidad de realizar una donación, nada le impide hacerlo personalmente, incluso aunque un apoderado ya se encargue de la gestión de sus bienes y asuntos financieros.
Where the donor lacks capacity and an attorney considers it would be in their best interests to make a gift falling outside the parameters of the authority given under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the attorney can make an application to the Court of Protection for an order giving authority for the gift to be made. The daughter claimed that she was not aware of the need to make a court application and had not been advised on this by the solicitor dealing with the transfer. This was not held to be a reasonable excuse.
Al firmar un poder notarial duradero, el apoderado declara que comprende su obligación de actuar de conformidad con los principios de la Ley de Capacidad Mental de 2005 (MCA 2005) y el Código de Prácticas de dicha ley. Por lo tanto, es su responsabilidad asegurarse de que comprende lo que ello implica.
If an attorney does make a gift on behalf of a donor on the basis of the powers set out in the Mental Capacity Act 2005, it is important to keep clear records of the date, recipient and value. This information may need to be provided to the Office of the Public Guardian in the event of a later challenge to the validity of a gift.
If you are looking for advice in relation to gifting or wish to make Lasting Powers of Attorney for either Property and Financial Affairs or Health and Welfare or an application to the Court of Protection, our Particulares department would be more than happy to assist you. Our team can be contacted at PrivateClient@rfblegal.co.uk
