House to house permit

If you want to carry out a house to house collection of money or items to later sell for a charity you will need a permit. This is under the House to House Collections Act 1939. 

A house to house collection permit usually lasts for a period up to 1 year. You must apply to us at least 28 days before a collection begins but you can start collecting on the assumption we will grant the permit. This means tacit consent applies. 

Some of the larger well-known charities such as Christian Aid and Help the Aged have a Charity Commission exemption from having to apply for a permit. 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 house to house.

Apply for a house to house collection permit

You can apply for a permit by downloading the form from the related documents section of this page, completing and returning to us. There is no charge for your application or permit. 

If you do not belong to the charity you want to collect for you'll need to send a letter from them with your application. This needs to say they approve of you collecting for them. 

You can not claim travel expenses to get to the place you want to carry out the collection. 

We aim to review and make a decision on your application within 7 working days. 

You can send your completed application to: 

Licensing Team
Ashfield District Council
Council Offices
Urban Road
Kirkby-In-Ashfield
Nottinghamshire
NG17 8DA.

Notify us of the results of the collection

Within 1 month of completing the collection you are asked to tell us how much you collected. 

The notification you send should be signed by an accountant and you will have to list the names of the people who collected for you and how much was collected. We will also ask how much of the collection you claimed as expenses and how much went to the charity. 

You can notify us of the results by downloading and completing the form from this web page, and returning it to us. 

Appealing a permit decision

If we refuse you a house to house collection permit you can appeal against our decision. 

The grounds for refusal are set out in the House to House Collections Act 1939 and we recommend you read this before appealing. Your appeal is to the Secretary of State. 

Other ways to contact us about the permit

If you have questions about the permit or applying you can contact us by: 

• email: licensing@ashfield.gov.uk 
• telephone: 01623 457589