|
Who
needs a television licence?
Everyone who uses
(or installs with the intention to use) a television set, video
recorder or
computer which is capable of receiving authorised broadcast
programmes (that is, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, cable or
satellite television), needs a television licence.
How much is a television licence?
Annum price:
Black and white TV-set:
£40.50
Colour:
£121.00
In case of color TV-set you can pay
by installments.
There is no discounts for students.
How to buy a television licence?
Fill up the form in narest post
office. Similar form you will get by post when your licence will run
out.
When can you get a refund for a television licence?
You can only get
a refund for a television licence in limited circumstances. These
are where:-
- you are
exchanging a black and white licence for a colour licence. You can
get a refund at a post office or by post from TV Licensing Refund
Centre (see under heading
TV Licensing); or
- two licences
have been bought by mistake and only one is needed. You can only
get a refund by post from TV Licensing Refund Centre (see under
heading
TV Licensing); or
- the licence is
no longer needed, for example, because you are
moving abroad or after a death. A refund will be made provided
the licence is valid for at least another three months.
- you are aged 74
or over and have applied for a short term licence – see under
heading People who are aged 75.
If you have a
television set or video recorder which is not licensed, TV Licensing
may find out:-
- because any
trader who sells or rents televisions or video recorders must give
TV Licensing the customers’ names and addresses, and these will be
checked against the record of who already has a television licence;
or
- by sending a
routine enquiry letter. The letters are sent to addresses where
there is no record of a television licence being held; or
- because a
television licence is not renewed; or
- because a
detector van or other detecting equipment picks up a television
signal to an address which is not on TV Licensing’s records as
having a television licence. Detector vans can tell whether
someone is using a black and white or colour television set.
You may be
visited by a TV Licensing enquiry officer if TV Licensing suspect
you do not have a television licence or if you have not responded to
an enquiry letter or licence reminder. All enquiry officers carry
identification cards which they should show. The enquiry officer
must state the purpose of the visit. You do not have to let the
enquiry officer into your
home. However, if you do not let the enquiry officer in, they
may apply to a magistrate for a search warrant.
If the enquiry
officer is satisfied that you do not have a television licence and
that you should have one, a statement will be taken under caution.
The enquiry officer should not suggest that if you buy a licence
within a certain period, no action will be taken.
You can be
prosecuted for having or using a television set or video recorder
and not having a licence for it. You can be prosecuted even if you
are not the owner or hirer of the set, for example, in a case where
the set belonged to a husband but was switched on and watched by the
wife, the wife was prosecuted. However, if you are prosecuted,
producing a valid licence in court can be used in mitigation. A copy
of the licence should therefore be sent to the court.
If TV Licensing
decide to prosecute, the case will be heard in the magistrates court
(District court in Scotland). If you are found guilty the maximum
fine which can be imposed is £1,000. The court cannot confiscate the
television set or order you to pay the television licence fee
arrears.
In rented accommodation, the tenant is
responsible for obtaining the licence unless the landlord installed
the set, in which case the landlord is expected to obtain the
licence. However, the user of the television set or video recorder
will always be ultimately responsible for ensuring there is a
television licence and could therefore be liable for prosecution. If
you are the tenant, make sure there is a licence, either by ensuring
the landlord buys the licence or by buying it yourself.
A landlord who lets more than one unit of
accommodation with a television set and/or video recorder in the
building for overnight, as opposed to long-term, accommodation, may
be eligible for a
hotel licence - see below.
If a building is divided into bedsitters or
flats, each separate unit of accommodation is regarded as one
household unit. This means that each household unit with a set needs
a separate television licence. Lodgers, paying guests and other
residents, including relatives, who occupy separate accommodation at
the same address count as separate households and need a separate
licence for their own use of a television.
Where people jointly rent a flat or house only
one licence is required as long as they all live together as part of
the same household, sharing all the facilities and the bills. People
who live under this type of arrangement may have to produce evidence
of this, for example, the joint tenancy agreement. The licence will
need to be in the name of one individual and if that person leaves
the flat they are entitled to take the licence and transfer it to
their new address. A television licence is not transferable from one
person to another except in the case of a free over 75 licence (see
under heading
How much is a television licence).
If a tenant installs a television set, their
landlord is under no obligation to ensure that the tenant has a
licence.
TV Licensing can
deal with any enquiry about television licences. The address is:-
Customer Services
TV Licensing
Bristol BS98 1TL
Customer Enquiries: 0870 576 3763
Direct Debit Applications: 08705 22 6666
Change of Address: 0870 524 6246
Minicom: 0870 575 8604
Cash Easy Entry: 0845 728 9289
Monthly
Cash Plan: 0845 056 7567
Website:
www.tvlicensing.co.uk
The TV Licensing
Refund Centre deals with television licence refunds. The address is:-
TV Licensing
Refund Centre
PO Box 410
Bristol BS99 4HP
Customer Enquiries: 08705 763 763
Direct Debit Applications: 0870 522 6666
Change of Address: 0870 524 6246
Minicom: 0870 575 8604
Cash Easy Entry: 0845 728 9289
Monthly
Cash Plan: 0845 056 7567
TV Licensing (Northern
Ireland)
TV Licensing Regional Centre
9th Floor
Chamber of Commerce House
22 Great Victoria Street
Belfast BT2 7LX
Tel: 0870 5000 1017
|
