To carry out house-to-house collections for charitable or philanthropic purposes will require a licence issued under the House to House Collections Act 1939 by the authority in whose district the collection will take place.
There is no fee payable for a house-to-house collection licence. You must be deemed by the licensing authority to be a fit and proper person to hold such a licence, the licensing authority may carry out checks to ascertain if the organisation applying is genuine or not. There is a requirement for the promoter of the collection to make a return following the collection. Collections generally take place from door to door or from one public house to another.
Larger well-known charities with a Home Office exemption certificate do not need to apply for a licence. Smaller, local groups and organisations that do not hold the exemption certificate will need to be granted a collection licence before they can collect money or articles with the intent to sell later, door to door.
After applying you will need to complete the form of statement.
House to house collections form of statement
Or you can download and complete the application form and return to us:
Before completing your application, your attention is drawn to our privacy and data retention policy.
If you don’t get a licence before starting house-to-house collections you could face:
If you or anyone collecting on your behalf does not give a police officer their name, address and signature when asked, they could be fined up to £200.
The Minister for the Cabinet Office is responsible for the national exemption order scheme for house-to-house collections under the House to House Collections Act 1939 (as amended). National exemption orders are generally available to charitable organisations that have obtained house to house collection licences in at least 70-100 local authority licensing areas for the two preceding years and are able to provide evidence of licences and collection returns.
Details of the application process and a list of exemption order holders can be found on gov.uk.
There is a statutory right of appeal against the refusal to grant a house-to-house collection licence and the grounds for refusal are set out in the Act itself.
One of the key grounds for refusal would be where the total amount likely to be applied for charitable purpose as a result of the collection is inadequate in proportion to the value of the proceeds likely to be received.
Where an applicant intends to claim a fair proportion of the proceeds of the collection for expenses, a permit could be refused, however, there is no statutory guidance to local authorities on what would be a reasonable amount for expenses.
It is in the public interest that East Cambridgeshire District Council must process your application before it can be authorised. If you have not received a response to your application within a reasonable period, please contact us using the contact details on this webpage.
If you are an applicant or a third party, you should always contact us in the first instance if you have any queries, concerns or cause for complaint preferably in the form of a letter with proof of delivery. If you are not satisfied with the outcome and are located in the UK, Citizens Advice Consumer Service will give you advice. If you are from outside the UK, please contact the UK European Consumer Centre.