House to house collections
House to house charity collections includes going house to house to collect donations, or collections of unwanted property such as clothes and toys.
To apply for a house to house collection permit, you will need to:
- sign in or register for an account
- complete the application
- upload your supporting documents
- submit the form
To complete the application, you will need:
- contact details for your organisation and any other organisation benefitting
- your planned dates, location(s) for the collection and details of the collection (such as how many collectors you will authorise)
- your plans for expenses and payments
You can only hold one house to house collection permit during any given calendar year (1 January to 31 December).
You must include either the constitution of the charity you are collecting for, or a letter of consent from them authorising your collection.
Within one month of your collection, you need to supply a house to house collection return, to inform us of:
- how much you collected
- any expenses you incurred
- how the charity are using the proceeds
You also need to publish a statement within one month of the collection. The statement needs to include:
- who was responsible for the collection or sale
- the charity or fund the money was donated to
- the date of the collection or sale
- the amount you collected
- your expenses
- the amount you donated to the charity
Which system to use
We have upgraded our application system on 10 July 2023. This means that if we granted you a licence under the old system (before 10 July), you need to report your return under the old system.
If we granted your licence under the new system (on or after 10 July), you need to report your return using the new system.
If you applied for a licence using the old system
To supply a house to house collection return, you will need to:
If you are having trouble downloading the application form, you can read our guidance.
If you applied for a licence using the new system
To supply a house to house collection return, you will need to:
- sign in or register for an account
- select 'return'
- complete the application
- upload your supporting documents
- submit the form
To complete the house to house return form, you will need:
- details of proceeds
- details of any expenses or payments
- information on how the balance was distributed
If you carry out house to house collections without a permit, you could receive a:
- prison sentence of up to six months
- fine of up to £1,000
You could also receive a fine of up to £200 if you don't give your details to a police officer if they ask for them.
In some circumstances, such as national disasters or global appeals, we can process collection applications more quickly. You can contact us for further information.