Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Who should pay for TV licence

64 replies

TeddyBare · 02/10/2012 17:12

My DN is a student living in a house with other students. Her new house mates have decided to get a TV for downstairs and therefore need to get a TV licence. DN has been presented with a bill for her share of the licence although she doesn't want to watch TV and therefore won't need a licence and wasn't consulted in the decision to get one. She is going to pay "her" share in the interests of having a peaceful house but as it's about £35 each it's going to mess up her budget or come out of her overdraft and she is a bit miffed about it. Of course smooth relations in the house are more important than quibbling over this, but I can't help but feel like she is being taken advantage of a bit. AIBU to think that the house mates who want to watch TV should be the ones to pay for the licence?

OP posts:
Toombs · 03/10/2012 00:18

The mistake you made was in talking to them, you should have shut the door.

The police give clear advice on this. You should never engage a doorstep caller, you should always dismiss them giving no information and requesting they write for an appointment. Why is this so hard to do?

EllenParsons · 03/10/2012 01:57

LRD I am not "rich" and I'm not sure why youve decided I am Hmm I'm a student and don't consider £35 to be a huge amount over a whole year in the scheme of things. No one i know would think it was. If it was £35 per month then yes it would be worth making a fuss about, but this is about 50p a week, really not a big deal. As others have said, if her budget is really tight there are easy ways to make the very small savings needed to cover the bill. Even if not a big Tv watcher I'm sure she will watch the odd thing e.g. The news every now and again.

Titty, students only have to get a licence each if they have their own separate tenancy agreements and their doors lock individually e.g. In halls. In a normal shared flat one licence is enough and it does not matter whose name is on it.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 03/10/2012 06:22

Evidently, you are richer than most people I know - or you choose to spend your money differently. Ours went on stuff like rent.

If you don't have to budget, that's nice for you, but not everyone does think 'pah, 35 quid? Nothing!'

Brycie · 03/10/2012 06:56

No TV in my students houses either but that was a long time ago.

MatureUniStudent · 03/10/2012 19:49

LRD - students do workyou know, and can then spend their money and student loans as they see fit - I don't think that is the issue here - as to who you assume to be rich or not.

It is the fact that the OP's DN was not apparently included in the initial discussion concerning buying a TV and then needing a licence.

I would want to ensure that she was in a household where she was happy and those around her talked to her and there was no attrition - £35 is a small price to pay for that in my opinion, as this is clearly a case of "shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted" in that the deed is done. The TV is in the shared house.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 03/10/2012 19:56

I wasn't suggesting students couldn't spend their money as they see fit. Confused

I was pointing out we can't all afford TV licenses. Making out that 'everyone' can afford them is silly - no, we can't all.

Toombs · 03/10/2012 22:54

No, not everyone can afford it so don't pay it.

whois · 04/10/2012 00:05

tittytittyhanghang that is incorrect.

The tv license is for the residence. In a shared house, that is for the house. In a flat with your partner, that is for the flat. In a halls of residence or a nursing room where each room has a lock and is an individual residence, then you need a separate license. Nothing to do with names.

spookytoo · 04/10/2012 00:43

So she won't watch the final of X factor (or similar) with them she will be alone in her bedroom.

Original poster
TeddyBare · 04/10/2012 11:03

Spookytoo - of course I don't know for sure but as far as I'm aware she doesn't do much at home but cook and sleep. She is very involved in a sport which takes up 3 evenings a week and takes her away from uni most weekends. That is also where she met most of her friends. The house mates are from her course rather than team mates. I think she spends quite a lot of her socialising time with the sports friends rather than course friends too so I would imagine she wouldn't have time or interest in watching TV with her house mates.

OP posts:
tittytittyhanghang · 04/10/2012 11:09

whois, im only saying what the tv licence officer told me when he came to my door. I had a tv licence in my married name, and was surprised when they came to the door (and knew that i had just bought a new telly - talk about big brother !) When i said there was a tv licence at this address and showed him it and surely their systems showed this, he told me that they had to come out and check as the licence was in a different (sur)name from who bought the telly and that i may have been a student sharing a flat.

mollymole · 04/10/2012 11:12

'She wasn't consulted in the decision to get one'
She has the choice of not paying and making damn sure she NEVER looks at the TV
or
She pays up for the sake of peace and makes it clear that any further 'extra expenses' are discussed and voted upon.

TittyWhistles · 04/10/2012 11:15

My DS lives in a house with 3 girls. He pays a quarter of the water bill despite the fact he doesn't shower or wash his hair 16 times a day as he reckons the girls do. Grin

Viviennemary · 04/10/2012 12:08

It is really difficult to share a flat with people who quibble over everything. It just doesn't work and causes lots of disagreements. I agree with what TittyWhistles says.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread