House to house collection licences
A house-to-house collection licence grants you permission to collect money or clothing for charity door-to-door in London. This also includes shops and pubs, although you should always ask permission from the shop or pub owner first.
If you’re planning to knock on some doors for charity, find out below how to apply for a house to house collection licence, the rules around collecting donations and how to report your takings afterwards.
Before collection
To make your application, please go to our how to apply for a charity collection licence page. For a house to house collection licence you'll need the following items:
- a letter from your charity authorising you to collect, and manage collections on their behalf
- details of the people who will be collecting
- the charity’s membership details for the Institute of Fundraising or the Fundraising Regulator
- if the charity is collecting for the first time: a synopsis of the charity’s background and objectives, and plans for the funds raised
These details can take some time to gather together, so we recommend starting your preparations as early as possible.
Also, bear in mind we must receive applications by the first day of the month before the month of your chosen collection date. For example, if you’re planning to collect on 20 September we need to receive your application no later than 1 August.
Please only apply using our online charity collection licence service. We won't accept any applications or documents sent by post. If you have any queries not covered in the online service, please email us.
After collection
Once you’ve raised some money as part of your house-to-house collection licence you need to submit the details below within three months.
Submit your accounts using our Schedule 5 form for cash collections or Schedule 6 form for goods collections (see downloads below for both forms), showing:
- the total amount collected
- the names of all collectors and amounts collected by each
- any expenses or payments incurred
- certification by two of the people responsible for the collection
- certification by a qualified accountant
Please scan your completed Schedule 5 or Schedule 6 and email it to us.