House To House Collection Licence
What is a House to House Collection Licence?
A permit is required to carry out a collections on behalf of charity, either door to door, or from one public house to another. It is issued under the House to House Collection Act 1939. A permit is granted by us to charities or organisations.
A house to house collection permit can be granted for any period up to one year, although in practice most permits are issued for periods of between one and two weeks. With regard to vetting and checking to ascertain whether the organisation applying is genuine or not, the same procedures apply as for street collections.
As with street collection permits there is a requirement for the promoter of the collection to make a return (to include total proceeds collected) within one month of the expiry of the licence.
Who should apply for a licence?
Some of the larger well-known charities such as Christian Aid, Help the Aged etc, have a Charity Commission exemption from having to apply for a permit, but by and large most of the smaller, and particularly local groups and organisations need a permit before they can collect money (or articles which they intend to sell later), from door to door.
Refusal of a licence
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. So, for instance, where an applicant intends to claim a fair proportion of the proceeds of the collection for expenses, a permit could be refused. There is no statutory guidance to local authorities on what would be a reasonable amount for expenses.
Right of Appeal
Unlike street collections, there is a statutory right of appeal against the refusal to grant a house to house collection permit. In this case, the right of appeal is to the Secretary of State, and the grounds for refusal are set out in the Act itself.
How do I apply for a licence?
A licence application form can be obtained from the apply for it page or by contacting us. The application should be submitted not later than one month before the date on which the collection is proposed to start. The application must be signed by the appllicant who will be the person responsible for the collection and for submitting the return. There is no cost involved, but there are rules to be followed in applying and regulations which govern this type of collection (please see the application form and regulations for further details).
Further Information
Further details of the regulations can be found on the apply for a house to house collection page.
If you are seeking information about a registered charity or the procedures involved in setting up or running a charity please contact the Charity Commission 
.
News from the Charities Commission concerning Clothing Collection 'cons'
A new consumer awareness drive has been launched across England and Wales to help people check if a clothing collection is for charity or not. The aim is to ensure that people who want their donated clothes to go to a charity know what information to look out for on leaflets and bags that come through their letter box.
The initiative is being driven by a group of bodies including the Charity Commission, Cabinet Office, Trading Standards, local authorities and the Association of Charity Shops.
The group of bodies has produced a leaflet for householders with top tips to help check clothing collection leaflets. The leaflets are being delivered to households in particular areas where problems have been reported; the West Midlands, North-East London, Bristol and Gloucester.
Additional top tip leaflets can be printed off from all the participating group websites including <http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/watch_out/scams/bogus-charity-collection >.
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