Apply to become a property and affairs deputy or replace an existing deputy

Do not use this form if you are completing as a solicitor, professional or local authority. You should instead use the separate service Apply for a property and affairs deputyship order

As you complete the form you will have the ability to use a ‘save for later’ button.

When you save your progress, you are asked to enter an email address and a security answer.
You will then receive an email with a one-off link that you can use to come back to the form and continue.
You will enter the security answer to retrieve your saved answers. You will have 3 attempts to get it right. There is no recovery option if you lose the link or forget your security answer.
The link is valid for 28 days and will work only once
You can save progress as many times as you like by generating a new link each time.

To protect your privacy, the form will time out if you are inactive for 30 minutes so ensure you prepare all forms you are uploading before starting the digital form, or reuse the ‘save for later’ option before leaving the form to take other actions.

You’ll be able to check your answers before you submit your application.

Fees

The fees are detailed on the COP44 fees leaflet.

You’ll need a debit or credit card to pay the court fee. You’ll be asked to pay after you submit your application.

You may be able to get help with paying the fee if the person who may lack mental capacity has a low income or is on certain benefits. Fill in form COP44A to apply for help with fees.

Details you’ll need to provide

You’ll be asked to provide details for:

the person who may lack mental capacity – their date of birth, where they are currently living, when they moved there and their legal marital or civil partnership status
each person you notified – their address, their relationship to the person who may lack mental capacity, the date you notified them and if they support the application

If you’re applying to replace an existing deputy, you’ll also be asked for:

the current deputyship order, if you have a paper copy
if the current deputy has died, the date they died

If you’re applying to be a deputy with other people, you’ll need to tell us their address, their relationship to the person who may lack mental capacity and any solicitor details.

Uploading your forms

To help the court process your application, name your files using the following format:

today’s date in the format year, month and day
the surname and first initial of the person who may lack mental capacity
the form name

For example, 2024-03-30-Smith-J-form-name-1.pdf

If you are uploading multiple versions of the same type of document, to ensure each filename is unique, add a number to each document name for example COP4-1, COP4-2.

If you need help applying online

Who you contact depends on the type of help you need. If you’re having technical issues, or need to file documents or raise a query relating to a submitted digital application, please contact: COP_EAPPS@justice.gov.uk

Telephone: 0300 456 4600 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Find out about call charges

If you do not have access to the internet or do not feel confident using it, contact We Are Group. You may be eligible for a free appointment to help you access and use the online application form. They cannot give you legal advice.

We Are Group Email: support@wearegroup.com

Telephone: 03300 160 051 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (Closed on bank holidays) Or text FORM to 60777 and someone will call you back Find out about call charges

Apply by post

There is a different process to follow to apply to be a deputy by post.