TV licence question

[MorningCoffeeAfternoonTea]

I have always paid it but this year I remain the only person at home & I hardly ever switch it on. It has been since Christmas thst I last turned on my tv. I do listen to BBC Radio in my car on my way to work. When it comes to renewing my licence, can I just not be pay, and close my account? Do I have to have my aerial disconnected?

You can fill in a "No licence needed" declaration form. You have to fill it in every two years, but it's worth it to avoid the amount of "You must buy a TV licence!" letters pouring through the front door.

I'm not sure about having your aerial disconnected (I staunchly refused a TV and licence as soon as I moved out), but I'm sure that someone more knowledgeable will be along soon.

I filled in the No Licence Needed twice as we dont have a tv but still get bombarded with letters and threats. They cant seem to comprehend the possibility that we might just be telling the truth. Someone was supposed to be visiting in April and again last week to investigate but unfortunately they didnt carry out the threat. I just ignore the letters now.

Just don’t renew.
Yes they bombard you with increasingly harassing and threatening letters , but since you don’t use their ‘service’ you are under no obligation to pay.
Just ignore.
In the unlikely event they turn up at your house (still hoping they’ll turn up at mine so I can tell ‘em to feck off) you just don’t answer the door.
With all their rubbish programmes and woke ‘news’, we don’t have a licence, don’t watch their junk, so they can feck off to the far side of feck, then feck off. some more..

Oh that’s helpful about the No Licence Needed form, I didn’t realise this. Will get one of those sorted. Thank you @Lathemistressand @TheeNotoriousPIG.

Yes, @KittyCorncrakeI was thinking that. They might bombard me and visit, but I’m not here all the time anyway, and even if I were - don’t watch TV!

Thank you for help.

Co-incidentally just received this!
Straight into recycling

I've have them turn up at my house twice! They just asked a load of questions then asked to me in. I said no. They left. Had letters and threats but I ignore them.

You're meant to fill in the no license needed form and they supposedly don't bother you but we've filled it in multiple times and still been bombarded with letters so genuinely I just wouldn't bother.

Now on earth do they know if you’re watching live TV on streaming services like Amazon Prime or Sky?

Anyway I have a licence so I’m ok for now but I think TV Licensing is out of control. If I lived alone, I wouldn’t have a TV or a licence and I would just watch catch up TV on my iPad, same as now. The BBC wouldn’t get a penny of my cash to pay the salaries of their perverts and ideologists.

Well done!
Do not bother to fill in their forms.
You don’t subscribe to them - no contract with them - so you don’t have to fill in a form to tell them you don’t😃

I had no licence for a year and it was quite easy. We didn’t miss live tv or iplayer at all. There is so much other tv these days. I filled in the form online. We haven’t got an ariel.

We moved from a flat to a 2nd home 2 years ago and I filled in the details to move the licence to the new house. Renovations were started but due to multiple issues, the flat is empty with no TV. The licensing letters come on a cycle of escalating severity along the lines of:
-pay your licence and complete this form
-final warning
-officers could be visiting day or night
-pay your licence and complete this form etc

I cancelled mine recently (after seeing that advert they put out with Romesh Ranganathan).

funnily enough you cannot cancel online, I had to phone them up, and got questions about what we watch and what devices we have. Fed up paying it just for the Traitors!

Thanks for these extra posts. Good to know about the escalating letters of doom. I have Prime but never even watch that either. I only have it because one of my DCs added my name to their account (they don’t live here).

So if you don’t have a contract with them, technically speaking you don’t need to complete this form?

I haven’t even seen the advert (obviously, as I don’t watch tv!) but I heard it on the radio . Sounds rubbish.

It only occurred to me recently that I haven’t actually watched the TV for ages and ages. I tend to read the internet on my phone. I might have accessed YouTube links but that’s through my phone, I don’t even think I’ve used my laptop for thst as it’s so slow.

All these years I’ve paid it automatically, I prob watched a couple of hours a year. Gawd.