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Vermont Power of Attorney

A Vermont Power of Attorney (PoA) is a legal document that grants a selected person or entity the authority to manage your legal and financial affairs, such as selling property, signing contracts, and accessing bank accounts.

The individual giving control is known as the "principal," and the individual or organization receiving authority is called the "agent" or "attorney-in-fact." Suited for residents of Vermont, our Power of Attorney is made for use in Chittenden County, Bennington County, Caledonia County, and in all other parts of the state. All Vermont Power of Attorney forms from Rocket Lawyer can be completely personalized for your unique circumstances. This official document will provide verification to financial institutions and other parties that your chosen agent is legally allowed to sign documents or take other actions for you when you are not present or able.

It's very easy to grant or obtain the support you might need using a free Vermont Power of Attorney template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make the document - Provide a few simple details and we will do the rest
2. Send and share it - Look over the PoA with your agent or get legal help
3. Sign it - Required or not, notarization/witnesses are ideal

This solution is, in many cases, notably more affordable than finding and working with a conventional law firm. If needed, you can prepare this PoA on behalf of an elderly parent, a spouse, or another family member, and then help them sign after you've drafted it. Keep in mind that for a PoA form to be accepted as legally valid, the principal must be an adult who is mentally competent when they sign. In the event that the principal has already been declared legally incompetent, a court-appointed conservatorship could be required. When dealing with such a situation, it is a good idea to work with an attorney.

Every adult should have a Power of Attorney. Though it can be unpleasant to think about, a day might come when you can no longer handle your day-to-day affairs by yourself. There will even be times when you are merely unavailable. Here are a few common occasions in which power of attorney may be useful:

• You wish to authorize someone to act on your behalf if you are absent or become legally incompetent
• You are planning to move out of your home and into a care facility
• You are aging or dealing with limited mobility or ongoing health issues
• You are preparing to live or travel out of state either temporarily or permanently

Regardless of whether this Vermont Power of Attorney has been made in response to an urgent issue or as part of a forward-looking plan, witnesses and/or notarization are highly encouraged for protecting your agent if anyone questions their privileges.

There are a few ways to categorize Power of Attorney documents. They are primarily dependent on how long the powers are valid, when they will come into effect, and what they provide authority over. Frequently, you'll find them separated into the four segments below:

• Durable Power of Attorney - Will remain in effect even when you become incapacitated or mentally incompetent
• Springing Power of Attorney - Will be activated based on certain guidelines
• General Power of Attorney - Will grant a broad scope of powers over your affairs
• Special Power of Attorney - Will grant limited authority over specific matters

When generating your free Vermont Power of Attorney with Rocket Lawyer, you can elect to have the agent's power begin on a precise day, immediately upon signing, or only when you're no longer capable. The Power of Attorney may expire upon your death or on a particular date.

Vermont Power of Attorney forms are usually simple to make, but you might need advice. The answer may vary depending on whom you approach, but sometimes a lawyer may not even agree to review your document if they didn't write it. A more favorable approach to consider is to go through attorney services at Rocket Lawyer. With a Premium membership, you have the ability to ask for feedback from an experienced lawyer or get answers to additional legal questions about your Power of Attorney. As always, we're here to support you.

The cost of hiring a law firm to produce a Power of Attorney could be between $200 and $500, based on your location. Rocket Lawyer can offer much more protection than most other Power of Attorney template websites that you might encounter. As a Rocket Lawyer member, you can get up to 40% in savings when hiring an attorney from our network.

Your Power of Attorney comes with a checklist of helpful tips to follow while finalizing your document. As a Rocket Lawyer member, you may edit it, download it in PDF format or as a Word file, or sign it. Finally, your agent(s) and financial institutions should get copies of your fully executed document.

The guidelines and restrictions will be different in each state; however, in Vermont, your document must be signed by one witness and a notary public. If your agent(s) will have the authority to engage in real estate transactions, the Power of Attorney will need to be notarized and recorded with the county. Finally, as a basic rule, your witness(es) will need to be over 18 years old, and no witness should also be designated as your agent.

See Vermont Power of Attorney law: Title 14, Ch. 123