Homeless in Need UK CIC: April 2026

Name and type of organisation: Homeless in Need UK CIC (registered company no. 15587220).

Fundraising method: Collections – public (cash).

Code themes examined: Fundraiser behaviour, licences and permissions, and processing donations.

Code breach? Yes.

The complaint

The Fundraising Regulator received intelligence from a local authority about fundraising carried out by a fundraiser on behalf of Homeless in Need UK CIC. The local authority said the fundraiser was collecting cash without the relevant permissions. It also raised concerns about the fundraiser’s behaviour and whether the collection bucket was properly sealed. These concerns suggested there may have been breaches of the Code of Fundraising Practice. 

What happened?

The local authority told us that on 27 March 2025 one of its officers visited a shop in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire and saw a fundraiser collecting cash from members of the public outside the rear entrance. The fundraiser was wearing branded clothing and using a branded collection bucket. The local authority officer said the bucket showed no charity number or collection permit. It confirmed that it had no record of an application from the CIC to fundraise there. It also said that shop staff could not confirm that permission had been granted for the collection.

The officer approached the fundraiser and explained that permission was needed from the relevant licensing authority before fundraising could take place. The local authority said the fundraiser refused to provide their address, contact details or the CIC’s contact details. It said the fundraiser only showed a letter and claimed this was identification. The local authority described the fundraiser’s attitude as extremely aggressive. When the officer asked the fundraiser to move on, the fundraiser refused. When the officer later returned with police officers, the fundraiser had already left.

We wrote to the CIC asking for information. The CIC said the fundraiser had verbal permission from the shop and accepted that the fundraiser had been rude. It said it had removed the fundraiser and explained its training and collection procedures. 

Our decision

We found that the CIC breached the code in several areas. The fundraiser’s behaviour did not meet the standards expected, and the CIC accepted that the fundraiser acted inappropriately. 

We also found that the CIC did not have the necessary permissions to fundraise on public land. While it said it had verbal permission for the private site, it could not evidence this. 

There was not enough evidence to confirm that the collection bucket was not sealed correctly, so we did not find a breach in this area. However, the fundraiser did not show appropriate identification, which was a breach of the code. 

Code sections considered

Section 1.1 General behaviour 

• Standard 1.1.1: breach identified
• Standard 1.1.2: breach identified

Section 4.1 Cash 

• Standard 4.1.4: no breach identified

Section 8.1 Behaviour when collecting money or other property 

• Standard 8.1.1: breach identified

Section 8.2 Licences and permission 

• Standard 8.2.1: breach identified

Section 8.4 Further standards that apply to particular locations and activities 

• Standard 8.4.15: breach identified
• Standard 8.4.20: breach identified
• Standard 8.4.21: breach identified

Our recommendations 

We recommended that the CIC:

• Obtains the correct licences and permissions from the relevant local authority before conducting any street fundraising.
• Secures written permission from the relevant private site before fundraising or attempting to fundraise at that site and maintains a written record of this permission.
• Reviews its onboarding and training materials to include explicit expectations of compliance with the code and standards required by fundraisers operating with the public, both in the street and on private sites. This should include standards of behaviour while fundraising.  
• Consider introducing written training materials and resources which communicate these expectations. The code was updated in November 2025, standard 1.1.2 has been revised to require fundraisers’ behaviour to reflect positively on fundraising in general, therefore any training and associated materials should reflect this update.
• Ensure its fundraisers operating in the street or on private sites wear ID badges that are authorised, clearly visible, include key details (identity, organisation, contact number), and meet accessibility standards. 

Outcome

The CIC has accepted our findings. We will liaise with them regarding our recommendations and compliance with these. We will be sharing our findings with the local authority that submitted the complaint. We will also be sharing our findings with the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies. We have also recommended that the CIC contact it in light of our findings and recommendations.