Tips for leafleting door-to-door – including how to deal with blocks of flats

Got flyers? Great! Grab your friends and project team, and…

You can leaflet wherever you want, any time.

This handy guide is for anyone interested in going leafleting door-to-door.

If you are leafleting with a friend, leapfrogging (doing alternate houses each on the same side of the road) is friendlier than doing opposite sides, and makes sure you stay close together.
Post leaflets right through the letterbox. Leaflets which are left sticking out cause annoyance. Don’t leave leaflets in gardens or under car windscreen wipers.
Always shut the gate.
Be aware of houses divided into separate flats which share a letterbox. Deliver one leaflet per home – up to a maximum of three leaflets in one letterbox. More than three is most likely just wasting leaflets.
Ignore “no junk mail” stickers. These are usually aimed at fast food leaflets. Election/political leaflets are not junk mail – democracy is important in this country!

Take care – always push the leaflet ahead of your fingers. Some letterboxes have very sharp edges and some are spring loaded – very occasionally there is a silent dog waiting to bite. Some people fold the leaflet round a ruler (or similar) to push it through awkward slots.
Beware of steps and slippery paths.
If a dividing wall between two properties can be very easily be stepped over that is ok; but never step on plants, knock over flower pots or leave footprints on soil.
Beware of fresh concrete – try not step in it!
In general don’t accept invitations in, particularly if you are alone, but you can stop to answer questions if you’re comfortable doing so.

Getting past the security front door in a block of flats can be slightly challenging, but fear not…

Check the door is indeed locked – push or pull it hard first!
A ‘trade bell’ for a block of flats – often the unmarked button at the end – will generally open the main door up to 11am (some have different time settings).
If you can’t gain access that way, then don’t be too shy to press a resident’s doorbell and lightly ask them over the intercom to buzz you in:
- All political parties do it, and it’s part and parcel of living in flats with a security front door and intercom that delivery people sometimes need to do this.
- Press one buzzer at a time, and allow time for the resident to answer your buzz. When someone answers, all you need to say is “Sorry to bother you, I’m just delivering some community leaflets door-to-door, would you mind buzzing me in to the block?”
- If they refuse or hang up don’t worry, don’t argue; just try a different bell. It’s usually possible to gain access that way without too much difficulty.