Contract Talk: getting others to act on your behalf

As a tenant, there may be times when you want someone to act on your behalf when dealing with us, giving them access to the same information as you.

To allow us to do this you need to ask for an Authority to Act form from us so that your chosen person can act on your behalf. We will send a form out to you, just fill it in and return it and we can then update our records. In the case of joint tenants, both of you will need to sign. If you ever want to cancel or change your Authority to Act, you will need to let us know in writing.

However, an Authority to Act is not the same as a Power of Attorney, which depending on your circumstances may be better option.

A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you (known as the ‘donor’) appoint one or more people (known as ‘attorneys’) to help you come to a decision or make it on your behalf.

You must be 18 or over and have mental capacity (the ability to make your own decisions) when you make your LPA.

This option gives you more control over what happens to you if you have an accident or an illness and cannot make your own decisions (you ‘lack mental capacity’).

There are two types of LPA and you can choose one or both:

• Health and welfare
• Property and financial affairs

The LPA is registered with the Office of the Public Guardian. 

Don’t forget if you have any questions about your contract you can get in touch with mycontract@taitarian.co.uk