TV License Worried

jt_2007

Thanks for all your advice! I guess it isn't anything to worry about, as long as I keep him from putting the TV in my room

TVLA used to pester me in my undergraduate days, and when they came to my college the JCR President told everyone that they were coming. All the TVs in college were soon piled up in the communal areas!!!

NovaBlack_2

my friend had a tv n kept gettin pestered about not having a license. however he only used his tv for his playstation. he actually emailed the tv licence people and printed off their reply saying you didnt need a licence for consoles/dvds only if the tv was tuned in to recieve broadcasts.

as long as they arent tuned in, if they come knocking let them come in n turn the damn thing on, see its not tuned. as some1 said earlier THEY have to prove you ARE receiving broadcasts.

hmm anyone know if this only applies to bbc broadcasts...?

MarkyMarkD

No, it doesn't only apply to BBC broadcasts.

NovaBlack_2

hehe i knda knew the answer before i asked that.. lol. was just hopin maybe could sneakily just tune in ITV lol ah well. anyway. email them n print off a copy of a reply sayin its ok to have one not tuned in. if anyone comes round just show em that n tell em to go!

azjh77

We only have a telly so the kids can watch DVD's and use the play station, we can't pick up any kind of broadcast on it. (Actually the telly is so crap we often can't get a picture at all !!) We've not had a licence for 3 years and we haven't had any trouble from the TVLA ....yet.

moonrakerz

NovaBlack wrote: »

as long as they arent tuned in, if they come knocking let them come in n turn the damn thing on, see its not tuned. as some1 said earlier THEY have to prove you ARE receiving broadcasts.

hmm anyone know if this only applies to bbc broadcasts...?

Not quite correct - it doesn't matter if the TV is tuned to a million TV stations and you are receiving all of them - what counts is whether you are WATCHING or RECORDING any of them, if not, you don't need a licence !

Sorry to be nit picky ! but the wording on a lot of TVLA stuff is deliberately confusing !

belfastgirl23

Most students I know just didn't give their real name to the tv licence guy, by the time the paperwork caught up they were long gone anyway. Or claimed to be only visiting when the guy called around. Not recommending you do this of course

barrymung

From the TV licencing website:

"If you are going to be sharing a house, a separate tenancy agreement would normally mean your room is classified a separately occupied place. In this case, if you have a TV in your room, you will need your own TV Licence.
However, if there is only one TV in a communal area, then only one TV Licence is required. Similarly, if your house can be treated as one place shared by all, then only one TV Licence is required - a joint tenancy agreement would normally indicate that there is only one separately occupied place.

Ultimately, if your address is unlicensed, both you and your landlord could face prosecution and a fine of £1,000 regardless of your tenancy agreement."

Best ploy from your point of view is to deny all knowledge if a TVL officer calls.

goshdarnit

So whats the current status of watching internet TV without a licence? (and I don't mean what do TV Licencing think it is, I mean what is it legally)

newfoundglory

Personally, if I was living alone I wouldnt buy a TV license. The reason being is that I dont think its worth the money and I dont watch TV enough to justify having it (although I would probably be prepared to pay a small fee for BBC online).

It’s rather unfortunate and silly that its treated as a criminal rather than a civil issue in law. Whilst I am sure that TVL "detector" vans do exist, I would question their workings and accuracy, especially in a built-up area and houses in london.

But, do not open your door to an inspector.... do not allow a tv to be seen from the letterbox. To gain entry they are going to need a warrant from a magistrate - and for that they are going to have to evidence or a basis for such a request. Unless of course you let them in.

If you do let one in by accident, ask them to leave, do not answer any questions, do not confirm your name – and do not sign anything. They already know you don’t have a license, the only reason they would be paying a visit is to find out who YOU are… if they already knew that they wouldn’t be visiting in the first place.

Currently, its possible to legally watch TV if its STREAMED across the Internet, without a license as long as its not being received or processed into your computer via a digital or terrestrial aerial.