Advice needed/new uni student/TV licence

lucylucky

atypical wrote: »

The above 3 posts make it seem that your son will definitely need a TV licence, this isn't the case. You said he will be taking a portable TV; provided it is powered solely by its own internal batteries and is not connected to an aerial or plugged into the mains he will be covered by your TV licence (assuming you have one) and will not need to buy one for himself.

The bit I've italicised above is a murky area. It is TV Licensing's interpretation of the word 'installed' - the law says that as long as a portable TV is not installed there is no need for another TV licence. You may not think that plugging something into a socket can be considered an installation but you probably would be be best sticking to TV Licensing's interpretation.

If the OP did not have a licence, because they did not need one, and the son went to uni and did not use a TV to watch programmes as broadcast then he could have it plugged into the mains and not need a licence either.

LindaJones

At uni they will send lots of warnings and stuff aswell, assuming you havent paid your tv lisence, all different colours and stuff etc, to try and assume you are watching tv live, so you pay up.

I finished my first year at uni, although I only really tend to watch small amount of tv on catchup.

CallumG

Am I covered by my parent's license?

Only if you consider your parent's house to be your 'permanent' address and you are watching tv on a device not plugged into mains electricity (ie. a laptop).
TV Licenses are per house, so if you move out of your parent's house you will not be covered by their license. If you have signed a seperate tenant agreement when moving into a new house then you will need your own personal license if you have a TV in your bedroom.

Do I need a license if I am in university halls?

Most likely yes. If you have a joint tenancy agreement with your housemates then you only need 1 licence between you all. If you have a seperate tenancy agreement then you will each need your own licences.

Do I need 2 licences if I am in a shared house and have a TV in my own room and a communal area?

No. As long as 1 of you has a licence it can cover their bedroom and a tv in the communal area.

Do I need a TV licence if I watch tv on a laptop?

If you are using a laptop (or any other device) to watch live television then you still need a license, unless the laptop is unplugged from the mains and operating from battery power in which case you will be covered by your parent's license (see above).

Do I need a TV license to watch on a portable tv?

The use of a television set, which is powered solely by its own internal batteries will be covered for any address by the user’s main home licence. However, if the user plugs the set into the mains or connects it to any external power source such as a car battery, a separate licence would be needed.

What about foreign TV?

It used to be the case that televisions receiving a broadcast from outside the UK (e.g. Satellite from Germany, Italy, Greece, Turkey and the Netherlands where many channels are Free to Air) did not need a licence, but this was changed by the Communications Act (2003), so that the reception of television from any source requires a TV licence.

Do I need a license to watch DVDs/Videos/Streaming videos/iPlayer etc?

No, you do not need a license to watch anything which isnt live broadcasted television. Streaming applications such as bbc iPlayer and 4od are not USUALLY live broadcasted and so do not need a license unless you choose to watch the channels live.

Do I need a license if I only use my TV for playing consol games?

Nope

What should I do if i recieve a letter from the license inspectors and I dont have/need a license?

If you do not have a TV license and do not need one (as in the examples above) then you should do nothing. You do not need to contact the tvla for any reason. You do not need to 'inform' them of the situation. Their letters will state you have to call them to say you don't need a TV license, however this is incorrect and has been proven in parliment.

Do I have to let a license inspector into my house?

NO!! Without a search warrent, TV license inspectors have no more right to enter your home then any other stranger on the street. You are under no obligation to let them in unless they have a search warrent (Which 99.9% of the time they wont have).

Wont it make me look guilty if I dont let them in?

Not at all. It is their job to prove your guilt, not your job to prove your innocence. The licensing inspectors are not the police, they are not the judge or jury. They are a private company hired to do a job and as such have no more powers then a private citizen. Refusing them entry is not an admission of guilt.

---

Having just finished my first year of university, I recieved a total of 8-9 warnings from the TV licensing people, threatening visits, legal action / court action etc (I ignored all, nothing happened).

In reality, a TV license isn't required, anything I wanted to watch live (Football, Rugby, Superbowl etc) we watched down the pub or at the union, any other TV show just watch on the BBC iPlayer, ITV, 4oD. And if you really want to watch something live & have a laptop, unplug it while you watch it

I had a TV with me which I used for Xbox etc.

lucylucky

Where does all that stuff come from as it is now out of date?

e.g iplayer now streams live TV

CallumG

lucylucky wrote: »

Where does all that stuff come from as it is now out of date?

e.g iplayer now streams live TV

It is sourced from another forum "The Student Room" which is used by thousands of students, it still states No, you do not need a license to watch anything which isnt live broadcasted television. And so is still relevant. It is very easy to tell if you're watching on the iPlayer if it is live TV or not.

lucylucky

CallumG wrote: »

It is sourced from another forum "The Student Room" which is used by thousands of students, it still states No, you do not need a license to watch anything which isnt live broadcasted television. And so is still relevant. It is very easy to tell if you're watching on the iPlayer if it is live TV or not.

I take it whoever authored it didn't study English? license??

Anyway it does state "Streaming applications such as bbc iPlayer and 4od are not live broadcasted and so do not need a license." Which is of course incorrect.

CallumG

lucylucky wrote: »

I take it whoever authored it didn't study English? license??

Anyway it does state "Streaming applications such as bbc iPlayer and 4od are not live broadcasted and so do not need a license." Which is of course incorrect.

Considering the BBC iPlayer has only recently started streaming live TV, yes it is currently out-dated on THAT section, HOWEVER it is still very clear in saying that unless it is LIVE TV you don't need a licence and therefore, is still very relevant. Anyone who has the ability to read through the FAQ will have the ability to notice when they are then watching LIVE TV as opposed to a recorded program on the iPlayer.

FAQ has been updated and I'll inform the author of the update required.

lucylucky

Perhaps the author would care to correct it, including the spelling mistakes?

What is your definition of "recently"?

Live streaming on the iplayer has been available since November 2008.

Lokolo

lucylucky wrote: »

Perhaps the author would care to correct it, including the spelling mistakes?

What is your definition of "recently"?

Live streaming on the iplayer has been available since November 2008.

It doesn't matter if it can or not, it's just a matter if you use it for that ir not.

A TV can watch live TV, doesn't mean if you have one you need a licence.

lucylucky

Lokolo wrote: »

It doesn't matter if it can or not, it's just a matter if you use it for that ir not.

A TV can watch live TV, doesn't mean if you have one you need a licence.

True

Which is not a point I have disputed anywhere.