House to house collection permit

To carry out house to house collections for charitable purposes in Sunderland you will need a permit from the council.

A house to house collections permit is required to carry out a collection on behalf of charity, either door to door, or from one public house to another.

Permits are issued under the House to House Collections Act 1939 and can be granted for any period up to one year.

House to house collections can involve the collection of money, clothing or household items from house to house.

Once a permit is granted, there is a requirement for the permit holder to make a return to the council within one month of the expiry of the permit.

The return must include information regarding the amount collected and distributed to the charity.

Eligibility criteria

Applications must be in the form prescribed by the council.

You must be a fit and proper person.

Application evaluation process

The council will consult with the relevant authorities to determine whether the application is suitable.

The council may refuse to grant a permit if it appears that any of the following applies:

• The total amount likely to be applied for charitable purposes as a result of the collection is inadequate in proportion to the value of the proceeds likely to be received
• Remuneration which is excessive in relation to the total amount aforesaid is likely to be, or has been, retained or received out of the proceeds of the collection by any person
• The grant of a permit would be likely to facilitate the commission of an offence under section three of the Vagrancy Act 1824, or that an offence that section has been committed in connection with the collection
• The applicant or the holder is not a fit and proper person to hold a permit by reason of the fact that he has been convicted in the United Kingdom of any of the offences specified in the House to House Collections Act 1939
• The applicant or the holder of the permit, in promoting a collection in respect of which a permit has been granted to him, has failed to exercise due diligence to secure that persons authorised by him to act as collectors for the purposes of the collection were fit and proper persons
• The applicant or holder of the permit has refused or neglected to furnish the council such information as they may have been reasonably required for the purpose of informing themselves as to any of the matters specified above

The council will refuse applications for house to house collection permits where it appears that the total amount of money likely to be applied for charitable purposes is less than 60% of the amount collected.

In such cases, the applicant will need to demonstrate that there are exceptional circumstances why their application should be granted.

Application fee

There are no fees for this permit.

Apply for a house to house collection permit

Tell us about the result of a house to house collection

Will "tacit consent" apply?

Tacit consent does not apply to applications for house to house collection permits. The council must ensure that, should we be minded to grant an application:

• The applicant is a fit and proper person
• The amount of money to be applied for charitable purposes is adequate in relation to the likely proceeds received

Our target completion period for applications for house to house collection permits is 60 working days from the time when all documentation and fees have been submitted.

If you have not heard from us within this period, please contact our City and Neighbourhood team.

Failed application redress

Please contact our City and Neighbourhood team in the first instance.

You have the right to appeal to the Minister for the Cabinet Office. Appeals must be lodged within 14 days of our decision.

This service is provided in partnership with the European EUGO network.