TV Licensing somehow know our name

LazyTyper

Today we received the routine monthly letter asking us to get in touch as we do not have a license at our address (we are legal I will mention).

For the past 3+ years the letters were always addressed to "The Legal Occupier", but today the letter was addressed to my partner's name.

I'm curious as to how they obtained my partner's name. Does anyone have any idea?

We never responded to any communication from TV licensing and we never contacted them.

elsien

Electoral register?

teddysmum

Have you bought a new tv recently ?

[Deleted User]

If you have a license why not just tell them that?

jadziad

Many years ago I bought a FreeView box. Argos forwarded on my full details to TVL, so I received a letter addressed to me even though the house already had a license under a different name. There are also lots of legal (& not so legal) means to buy personal data on the open market, as well as services run by credit checking agencies and so on.

cajef

Colin_Maybe wrote: »

If you have a license why not just tell them that?

As the OP has been getting these letters monthly for the past three years plus I think it may be safe to assume they don't have or need a licence.

LazyTyper

Just to clarify, we do not have a TV License and we do not require one as we do not watch live TV (and BBC iPlayer).

We are both opted out of the edited electoral register.

We have not purchased a new TV for a few years. The last one was purchased in my name anyway.

LazyTyper

In fact, we just double checked and my partner is actually on the edited roll... not sure how or when this happened, but will get this sorted.

Thanks for the replies all.

Cornucopia

BBC/TV Licensing has confirmed via Freedom of Information that it has recently begun purchasing marketing data commercially that enables it to identify householders' names.

It's not clear whether TVL's use of the data for this purpose matches the marketing consent with which the data will originally have been provided, or whether (more generally) proper consent procedures are being observed.

Coincidentally, Which? has recently been investigating the commercial resale of such data, which ISTR hearing on the radio is against ICO guidelines.

[Deleted User]

cajef wrote: »

As the OP has been getting these letters monthly for the past three years plus I think it may be safe to assume they don't have or need a licence.

Ahh, yes they confirmed that after your post. When they said they were legal I read it as having a license.