TV Licence one

[Haveimessedup123]

currently providing respite for my mum so my bro can go on holiday

he wants to live “off the grid” as possible (not caring that it makes mums life unpleasant and uncomfortable)

one thing is that he has stopped playing the tv licence he’s v strict about it - even though I’ve offered to pay

while I’m here I’ve been watching David Attenborough on iPlayer with mum on an iPad - I’ve a TV licence and thought it was covered.

now I’m concerned that it’s the address not the device which I was sure it was and they’ll get a fine

should I pay the tv licence (Aibu)
or respect my brothers decision that he does not want to not pay as he is the resident (ainbu)

I wouldn't give it a second thought to be honest. Its very unlikely anyone will check.

I'm in a holiday let at the moment but I watch ITVx. I have a tv licence at home and assume I am covered.

But if your mum wants to watch TV, surely she can choose to buy her own licence. Your brother doesn't have to watch.

Ah I think they might… I think they have come round while I was at work

the thing is I do have a licence so I was sure I can watch on portable devices but now… I’m not so sure

Who have come round, the TV licencing people?

I am no fan they are outright liars, but it's the property that is licenced,not the iPad or whatever.

My brother is rather controlling

I don’t like to annoy him and it makes it worse for mum who needs 24/7 care and has dementia

I am going to annoy him on mums behalf fairly soon so want to minimise any other damage (and a £1k fine or getting a Tv licence would come under this category)

According to this it looks like it depends whether the iPad is plugged in or not.

If it's not plugged in you're covered by your own TV Licence. If you've got the charging cable plugged in you're not covered.

Realistically they won't know. You'd have to be caught in the act. They won't get a fine in the post just because you're watching iPlayer, they'd have to physically catch you.

thats what I’ve read - it’s on its internal batteries but it has been plugged in while I’ve been here just to recharge

I genuinely thought I was covered as long as not plugged in while watching

she’s enjoyed it so much I’m just now panicking

it could be traced by ip address but the wifi is a mobile dongle so I guess no evidence it’s here or in my home or in a field or on a boat in the North Sea

this half off grid does my head in I’d just pay it but know he’d be furious

They are not going to come around just because you watched iplayer once. How would they know?

Do they have a TV and he won't pay the licence or has he not got a TV at all? If its the first then just leave him to deal with it, it's his decision and problem.

If you are really that bothered you could always pay it but get the licence emailed to you then he wouldn't know would he?

Just pay if you want. Let him be furious. He sounds like an idiot. If it means your Mum can watch TV when she wants and there's no worry of fines, it's worth every penny.

I watch stuff on Iplayer all the time and I haven’t had a license in a good 6 years.

No one has come banging on my door demanding money n

You will be fine. I feel very sorry for your poor Mum having to go without TV because of your brother.

I once lived in a very chaotic house share. We hadn't got round to sorting out things like a licence.

There was a knock on the door and it was the TV licence people asking if we had a TV. My housemate said "I don't know, I'll just go and look". He then went back and told them that we didn't have one. The theme from Coronation Street was blaring out in the background as he said it. Despite this, they took his word for it and we never heard any more about it.

They don't do stuff like trace your IP address, they are just chancers who knock on doors of people who don't have a licence and hope they cooperate.

Your poor Mum. People with dementia often find their world shrinks and watching TV is pretty much the only thing they can do. My dad got so much pleasure out of watching sport on the telly, even when his dementia meant days out and other activities weren't possible.

Your brother is an utter arse for making it about him.

I don't have a TV Licence.

I don't watch live TV at home, though nobody would know if I did.

What I do enjoy is watching mindless drivel like Come Dine With Me whenever I go to a hotel. It reminds me how I don't need live TV.

Be careful with iPlayer, as in theory your TV licence will only cover your address and an alert may be triggered from the IP address where you are staying right now. The ISP could notify the authorities, so its a risk I would not take. £1000 fine in a cost of living crisis is not a risk worth taking but the choice is yours.

I chose not to pay my TV License and I have to avoid iPlayer like the plague. Not paid it since 2014 so I saved myself a lot of money since then.

it could be traced by ip address

No, it couldn't. The only people who can determine which physical location your ip address has been assigned to are the ISP themselves. The are laws which prevent them disclosing that to anyone, including the BBC.

You are worrying about absolutely nothing, honestly.

Honestly you don't have to let them in if they do come round.
Look it up on youtube. They have no legal right to entry into your house.
If - and it's a big if - they come to the door you just say sorry I'm not letting you in. It's not my house & my mother is ill. - and shut the door.

They can only fine you IF they see a TV in the house.

This is not something you need to be worrying about, I’ve had threatening letters every month from the Tv Licensing people since moving in 2 years ago (we don’t need one as just use streaming services and play video games) and there’s nothing they can do unless you open the door to them with BBC/live TV blaring behind you! Detector vans aren’t real and they certainly aren’t coming in to check if you’re charging your iPad watching BBC or not. Don’t stress! TV Licensing are chancers and rely on scare tactics (the threatening letters) and people not knowing their rights, which sucks. Still remember how they kept calling up my man’s house demanding to know why the direct debit was cancelled, when we were dealing with her affairs after death. The ‘fine’ they sent to us for my dead nan being too dead to pay the licensing bill went promptly in the bin!

When you log into iPlayer it asks YOU if you have a tv licence. You do. You're covered. I don't know how you think they can tell that you've plugged the iPad in or not, because they can't. Forget about it, you're doing nothing wrong.

Your brother sounds awful and I feel sorry for your poor mum having to live with him.

Not true. She's covered by her own licence.

If you already have a TV Licence for your address, you are already covered to download or watch on BBC iPlayer when you’re on the go, provided the device you’re using isn’t plugged into the electricity mains at a separate address.

Is your mum over 75 or receiving pension credit? I thought if she is, then she might get a subsidised license or possibly even free.

How does your brother plan to go 'off grid' whilst caring for your mum? Do either of you have a power of attorney in place for her? Does he manager her finances?

We have been renovating a property that had been derelict for years. No one came to the door- but we did get a letter asking about the TV licence.

Thank you all - I’ll stop stressing and watch final blue planet with mum and enjoy her memories!

I find things we watched together do make her happy as she remembers - I hate dementia and the illnesses that have made her bedbound and then left her like this for years.

I disagree with a lot of what my brother believes and does, he’s very difficult and quite assertive about his pov - mum has suffered from terrible depression since he moved which I have found hard but I’m now better at dealing with. She’s happy now bless her.

We have joint POA but he deals with everything financial as he is here. I haven’t ever asked for accounts but will if he raises anything about me paying for extras like better cat food/ cat litter, magazines and books.

I don’t think there’s much I can do - mum isn’t neglected. She would never stand up to my bro and would be terribly upset. It’s sad but … off topic

no TV fine as it’s my licence and it’s a portable dongle so no proof!

the thing is I do have a licence so I was sure I can watch on portable devices but now… I’m not so sure

No of course it doesn’t cover your brother’s house! Even students in halls need a TV license; they are not covered by their parents’ license in their permanent home!