To just ignore the TV licensing people?

[unlucky83]

So I bought a house, previous occupants had moved to a home - would have been over 75 or whatever and on free TV licence.
Currently house is empty - being renovated, resembles a building site - no tvs etc. They sent me a letter that I can only assume was a licence renewal (addressed to previous occupant so didn't open) in September. In retrospect I don't know why I bothered - it was a lot of waiting and pressing this number for this etc - a pain- but I phoned them up, explained the situation and said I would be transferring mine from present house when I moved in...the guy said that was all fine, just to let them know when I wanted to transfer.
Now I keep getting letters from them saying I need a TV licence etc - latest one is 'visit is being authorised' 'Ignoring this could cost you more than a TV licence', you have been transferred to our investigations team etc - all quite threatening...
So IABU to think fuck you just to ignore the letters - bear in mind I've already told them the score and they don't seem to believe me - let them waste their time and effort to investigate, and come and see for themselves - maybe more than one visit as there will probably be no-one in when they do call anyway?

(Do have to say have a bad experience of TV licensing inspectors anyway - shared house, licence was in someone who had moved out name but we had renewed it (with a cheque in my name!) - inspector (creepy) told me that meant we didn't have a licence, read me my rights, looked at TV etc and then said something about if I was nice to him, cup of tea and biscuits etc (winked) he might turn a blind eye and not report us ...Yuk! -I didn't so he must have and we heard no more about it anyway.)

We have two houses knocked into one, but had absolutely no problem with the TV licence. In fact, the lady on the phone didn't ask for proof or anything - I was full expecting to be asked for photocopies of Council tax bills, utilities, etc.

Made me wonder if it wouldn't be worth people in semi-detached routinely sharing a licence

of course if too many do this, no BBC and we will truly find out the meaning of shit TV.

Why? There are some networks creating fantastic series, HBO and Showtime spring to mind.

Ds lives in Houses of Residence as a student, it's a huge complex with 3 bed-to 5 bed flats yet if you want live tv every single person has to have a licence.
Needless to say he or I haven't bothered.

It's not enforceable
You do not have to let in anyone except a police officer with a warrant

Google tv licensing youtube and watch how it's done

You only need itif you watch live tv so notmiplayer

We used to live in a block of flats whose address was something like 22 - 24 Smith Street.

We had a TV Licenses for 24 Smith street and our flat number.

Every year we'd get a letter telling us the inspectors were coming around because we didn't have a license, as they had us down as 22 Smith street.

We rang every year. Every year they said they got it. Every year we'd get a letter.

I finally just stopped ringing them.

If there's a license fee, there's a license fee. But their incompetence is mind boggling.

Right along with the incompetence of the Electoral Roll people who keep insisting I register even though I have no right of Franchise in the UK.

hopskipandthump - you are wrong, please don't continue to perpetuate that urban myth/falsehood, a quick google proves you wrong.

second, to the OP - ignore. we've had issues with this in the past as well, the first two or three times threatening letters came through i rang them, was very polite, by the 4th letter i gave up, now I just chuck them in the bin when they arrive. it's amazing how increasingly threatening/bolded/written in red they become!

(and to clarify, we do have a license! all paid up every year on the dot; they appear to think that there's an extra occupant or something here because the letters arrive at our correct address with "to the occupant" written on them. our certificate does show our correct names and address though. it's a total joke.)

Also, we hardly need the BBC any more. How many of you actually watch BBC produced shows more than you watch imports from around the world shown on other channels?

BBC should be like PBS in America: paid for by voluntary contributions and a small amount of the US Tax dollars.

Why do people think they have any real power?

Just because someone knocks on your door it does not mean you have to invite them in.

The tv license website states specifically that you do not need a license to watch Iplayer.

I don't have a tv, had a billion letters and inspections. Once I started renewing my I don't have a tv license online it all stopped.

I registered my lack of tv when I moved in to this house. In every other house I have been harassed and harangued with those nasty threatening letters that make you even more reluctant to pay.

None if that this time until a man a s a woman turn up and say we are from tv licensing.
Ordinarily I would have said "where's your warrant" but in this particular day I was struggling with two sick grumpy toddlers and severely other fairly immediate problems and decided or would be infinitely quicker to say shout
"well you really know how to pick your bloody moments don't you, come in, here is my lack of telly, there is my computer playing a DVD feel free to check my Internet browsing history and you will see I never watch live tv, happy? Right, now leave!" Followed by me ushering then back our of the house and saying "sorry I didn't mean to be quite so uppity" as I close the door

i thought you need a license just for owning a tv, whether it is uded for watching live tv or not? i had a horrible experience with them, an enforcement officer thumped on my door and started shouting that he wa the pilice (i wa upstairs and genuinely didnt hear him) so i let him in, i was shakung luke a leaf and he laughed saying that he had to say that to get people to open we didnt have a tv, he checked and left, but i had bad anxiety every time i heard the door again.

Yes, you need a tv licence if you own a tv, regardless of what you watch.
I think for owning video equipment too.

Sorry to hijack but does this mean if everything we ever watch comes through a Sky/Tivo box and is recorded can I cancel our TV license? We never watch live TV at all.

Lweji, you're talking crap. please read up the thread/check what you're posting :/

From the TV Licensing site:

"A TV Licence is not just for TV sets

Watching TV on the internet
You need to be covered by a licence if you watch TV online at the same time as it's being broadcast on conventional TV in the UK or the Channel Islands.
Video recorders and digital recorders like Sky+
You need a licence if you record TV as it's broadcast, whether that's on a conventional video recorder or digital box.
Mobile phones
A licence covers you to watch TV as it's broadcast on a mobile phone, whether you're at home or out and about. "

We started getting letters for a wrong/fake address - the postman delivered them to us because he 'had to deliver them somewhere'. What really pissed me off though was when we started to get letters offering provident loans to the same wrong address which had only ever been used by the tv licencing people. Do they sell mailing lists of people that haven't/can't pay?

To the people saying you need a license if you have a tv regardless of what you watch, NO YOU DON'T.

You need a license if you watch live tv. If you watch catch-up/Netflix/whatever but no live tv then you do not need a license. It is a myth!!

we get these letters and they are very threatening. They worsen until they start to pretend you are being summoned to court. the letter tells you what documents you will need to bring with you. I think the aggressive manner is disgraceful. I don't need a licence and should not be treated as though I were guilty of deceit. I dont have a car, either but I don't have go out of my way to prove I dont. I don't have to prove I dont need a pilot's licence or a licence to keep big cats, or to practice medicine or brew whiskey.
they have no reason to think I have a tv yet their tone remains so threatening.

The letters also state that inspectors find 1 in 5 vusirs revesl the occupier DID need a tv licence. So in other words, 4 in 5, or 80% DIDN'T. Yet the aggressive manner continues.

But you need to prove you don't watch live TV Antoinette. Can be hard to prove if your TV is hooked up to anything that can receive live TV.

Better if we start a campaign to do away with licenses altogether.

That's a good point Learn.

The whole system is fucked.

Check your circumstances and then use there online form www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/how-to-tell-us-you-dont-watch-tv-top12/

I'm surprised they hassle you as we had a signal issue so couldn't get any channels and so they agreed that we didn't need one with no hassle whatsoever .The problem still isn't resolved but we now can use our internet connection so we need a license. There are lots of circumstances where you might not need one but you need to let them know otherwise they will just assume you need now and keep sending letters.

Oops here's that link again

Erm... Last try www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/how-to-tell-us-you-dont-watch-tv-top12/

We currently have a TV but no licence, and keep getting letters. If we only watch catch-up/netflix through our TiVo, does this mean we don't need a licence? It looks like we need one if we record TV to watch later though...

And... I meant "their" online form, not "there"

This is why I am a lurker most days.