Guidance

Surety bonds: Public Guardian practice note

What the Office of the Public Guardian expects from companies that provide surety bonds to court-appointed deputies.

• From: Office of the Public Guardian
• Published: 6 December 2012
• Last updated: 23 June 2023 — See all updates

Applies to England and Wales

• Publication for Northern Ireland
• Publication for Scotland

Documents

Public Guardian practice note (SD15): OPG’s approach to surety bonds

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Details

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) supervises deputies appointed by the Court of Protection.

The court tells most deputies to get a ‘surety bond’ (also called a ‘security bond’). The bond is insurance that protect the assets of the person whose affairs and property the deputy is managing.

With effect from 1 April 2023, the Scheme is now administered by Howden Insurance Brokers Limited; Marsh Limited and Insync Insurance Solutions Ltd.

Insync Insurance Solutions Ltd are currently not in a position to offer bonds and are working closely with OPG to establish earliest possible date for provision of  bonds.

This practice note (SD15) explains what OPG expects from a bond provider, so that its surety bonds are suitable for deputies.

Published 6 December 2012
Last updated 23 June 2023 + show all updates

1. 23 June 2023

   Change to the available bond providers.

2. 17 April 2023

   Uploaded PDF.

3. 11 April 2023

   Updated to reflect changes to the 'Scheme' - a framework of three providers instead of the single provider previously available.

4. 8 August 2019

   We have made a change to the section 'Expectations for the Bond' to reflect a recent court ruling.

5. 31 August 2017

   Added Welsh-language translation

6. 20 September 2016

   Practice note has been updated to reflect a change to OPG's approved bond supplier from October 2016.

7. 6 December 2012

   First published.