Do I need to inform that I don't need a TV licence?

B0bbyEwing

So last year I filled out the thing online & told them I don't need a TV licence. Job done so I thought.
Shortly after they send a big guy knocking on my door. To be fair to him he didn't come with an attitude so I politely told him I wouldn't be letting him in. And this was the end of it ... or so I thought again.

Last week I got a letter to say that my declaration is due to expire & I need to tell them again (or buy one).

If I tell them I don't need one then they may send someone to me to see whether that's the case.

So I start Googling whether this is accurate because the vibe of all this contact is that you should be buying a licence. 

Google seems to say that I don't need to contact them this year & subsequent years at all. My contact last year is THE contact until such time that the situation changes, which it hasn't. 

So my main reason for posting this is to see if any knowledgable folk can tell me either way - do I need to contact them every single year?



Secondary question is - so they send someone out to see whether I have anything capable of watching live TV or BBC iPlayer. 
Well thing is, who doesn't these days? Some but not many. So I have a smart TV, or firestick, or mobile phone or whatever else. Who cares, so what? How do they know whether I'm using it for live TV or not?

kinger101

You don't need to tell them and even if you do, there's no point because they won't believe you.

But you got need one if you are watching iPlayer.

If you are watching without a licence when you should have one, then I think many of the people who do pay care.

Mee

My understanding from my comms with them is they will contact you which seems to be every one to two years - they state in my comms "We won’t be writing to you again until just before your No Licence Needed declaration expires. However, if circumstances change, we may need to get back in touch earlier."

FAQs are covered by Martin 
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/broadband-and-tv/tv-licence/

JSmithy45AD

As you can see from the multitude of threads on here (loads just on the first page), no.

MikeJXE

I have filled in the I don’t need a tv licence form for the last 6 years, it stops the letters

Never had anyone knock at my door 

B0bbyEwing

MikeJXE said:

I have filled in the I don’t need a tv licence form for the last 6 years, it stops the letters

Never had anyone knock at my door 

Do you do that because you feel you have to do it annually or because it's no hassle for you to do it each year or what? 

Because if I don't HAVE to tell them every 12 months, even though their letter implies that I do have to (declaration ending...) then I won't. Sure it's no bother to fill out a form or make a phone call or whatever but I don't want to do it just because someone is asking me to if I don't have to do it at all anyway. 

About to read the FAQ mee posted.


Edit to add - that FAQ didn't answer my question at all. 

Unless I missed something in it that did.


But going off Google & then another couple folk here it seems I don't have to tell them even though they're basically saying I do.

I'll see if I get another knock at the door then. 

Cornucopia

B0bbyEwing said:

So my main reason for posting this is to see if any knowledgable folk can tell me either way - do I need to contact them every single year?

You don't need to inform them of your Licence-free status ever.   The only reason to do it is right at the beginning, if you are due a refund or you need to cancel your DD.

B0bbyEwing said:

Secondary question is - so they send someone out to see whether I have anything capable of watching live TV or BBC iPlayer. 
Well thing is, who doesn't these days? Some but not many. So I have a smart TV, or firestick, or mobile phone or whatever else. Who cares, so what? How do they know whether I'm using it for live TV or not?

They aren't really looking to examine AV equipment - that's way too time consuming, and might lead to legitimate objections.

What they are anticipating is that people will readily admit their guilt - and enough people do to make the exercise worthwhile for them.    The process is verbal rather than technical.

Cornucopia

B0bbyEwing said:

MikeJXE said:

I have filled in the I don’t need a tv licence form for the last 6 years, it stops the letters

Never had anyone knock at my door 

But going off Google & then another couple folk here it seems I don't have to tell them even though they're basically saying I do.

I'll see if I get another knock at the door then. 

The thing is that BBC/TVL have no legal powers in their day-to-day enforcement activities so it's therefore up to you to decide what to do.    It won't make a great deal of difference to the outcome.

MikeJXE

B0bbyEwing said:

MikeJXE said:

I have filled in the I don’t need a tv licence form for the last 6 years, it stops the letters

Never had anyone knock at my door 

Do you do that because you feel you have to do it annually or because it's no hassle for you to do it each year or what? 

Because if I don't HAVE to tell them every 12 months, even though their letter implies that I do have to (declaration ending...) then I won't. Sure it's no bother to fill out a form or make a phone call or whatever but I don't want to do it just because someone is asking me to if I don't have to do it at all anyway. 

About to read the FAQ mee posted.


Edit to add - that FAQ didn't answer my question at all. 

Unless I missed something in it that did.


But going off Google & then another couple folk here it seems I don't have to tell them even though they're basically saying I do.

I'll see if I get another knock at the door then. 

I do it because it’s no big deal, 2 minutes of my time every year

Plus I don't have to spend time asking/googling all the questions you are asking 

oldernonethewiser

I get "investigation" letters every month. Been going on for five years now.  

Straight into the recycling.  


No need to tell them so I don't. 

Cornucopia

I think it's important to bear in mind that any confusion about TV Licences is the fault of the BBC (not of individual members of the Public), and at least some of it is probably entirely deliberate.  The other option is that they are incompetent in a conveniently self-serving way - a distinct possibility.

Their enforcement regime consists of three main things: letters, "No Licence Needed" and domestic doorstepping.  None of these measures or the overall regime is prescribed by law.   That means that they can be ignored at householders' (sole) discretion.   It also means that anything BBC/TVL say that states or implies some kind of official authority is untrue.    In some cases, you can spot the weasel-words, in other cases it is a bit more opaque.  

Personally, I find it difficult to come to terms with doing business with an organisation that communicates with me (and the rest of the public) with such bad faith... so I don't.    

To help the OP's decision making:-

Pros of "No Licence Needed" 
- It should stop the letters for the new time limit of one year.

Cons of "No Licence Needed"
- You will be giving BBC/TVL personal data, which they may not otherwise have.
- NLN only lasts for a year before having to be repeated.
- You agree in their wording to have them "call to check".
- If they subsequently accuse you of an offence, they will treat you more harshly than if you hadn't done NLN.
- It's not a legal declaration, and only has meaning because the BBC says so.