I’m rarely at home, when I am I tend to be on my ps5 and do occasionally watch Disney +. I pay for a tv licence at the house my ex and son live at.
I keep getting their letters saying I’m not covered and they’ll visit and am not sure how serious to take them.
Money is a bit tight as I’m still covering costs at my ex’s so could do without paying tbh. Plus I’m rarely there so if they do come knocking they’re unlikely to get far and I’ve heard they need a warrant to enter the property and would then need to log onto my ps5 to see what I’m using on there – all seems very far fetched but I’m not 100%
Anyone had experience either way?
TV licence. Do I really need one or is it just their scare tactics?
byu/Srunner84 inFrugal
Posted by Srunner84
7 Comments
Why would you keep paying for stuff you aren’t using
I have not paid for one since 2007.
I tried to sign the exemption – refused, as my phone number was fake (it is not).
They send letters. Nothing ever happens.
You need it if you’re watching/recording anything live that is simultaneously broadcast (e.g. you stream football via Disney+) or if you’re using BBC iPlayer. This counts no matter what device you use.
You don’t need it otherwise. You can tell them on the website and they’ll leave you alone for a bit, or you can just tell them to get bent if they show up. You don’t have to let them into your house unless they have the police with them, which they won’t. Their job is to find any feasible way to nab you so don’t let them in, if they see that you *could* stream something they won’t care that you actually don’t.
I’ve been ignoring their letters for fifteen years. I told them once to leave me alone which lasted 18 months. Can’t be bothered now. They sent a bloke once when I wasn’t home and he left a note, but never came back.
So long as you are not listening to radio, using the BBC site, or watching any live broadcast **on any service**. So live Sport on Sky/Virgin etc, requires a licence.
I believe that it’s still the case that you don’t need a TV licence.
There was a form you could fill out to basically formally declare that, and inform them that that’s why you didn’t have a licence.
As an american, I am curious, how much is this TV license?
I am mostly curious because I see many people not wanting to pay it, so I assume it has to be decently expensive…unless its a principle thing. I have also seen people mention vans that drove around as a scare tactic, telling people they could tell if they were watching(which supposedly they couldnt, it was simply a tactic), now I am reading about people actually knocking on your door-wanting to be let in, no less…over a TV license???
Thats simply insanity(to an american, anyway)
I can’t imagine having to pay to watch broadcast TV.
Yeah, they come around right after the Cat Detector Van finishes their sweep