Cancelling TV license

[Halfheadhighlights]

My husband wants us to cancel our tv licence. We barely watch live tv, have had it on for the euros and will probably watch some of the olympics.

I watch Netflix and Amazon but I’m not bothered about having live channels.

just wondering people’s experiences of cancelling, did tv licence people bug you with letters and threatening to visit? I just can’t be bothered with any hassle, especially as it didn’t cost much really.

H is very passionate about not giving money to the BBC though.

He does watch live TV though. Is he planning to stop completely? If he wants to cancel let him deal with it.

The BBC have the rights to the Olympics this year, so if you want to watch it, you need to pay, and if you watch live TV like the Euros… you need to pay - if you just keep Amazon & Netflix etc then go ahead and cancel but it’s silly to say you use it but he doesn’t want to pay for it 🤦‍♀️

I mean for people who cancel and don’t use it no they’ll leave them alone, but why should/would they if you want to cancel but keep watching it?

Yes, was not going to do anything until after olympics anyway. We barely watch it, we couldn’t find our remote for the virgin box which is where we receive our channels.

If I cancelled the licence (which is in my name) I would make sure no live channels or streaming could happen, I’m a stickler for rules and wouldn’t want to be at risk of fines or anything.

You fill this in, the declaration

I had one letter saying they might check but you're not obliged to let them in

https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/telling-us-you-dont-need-a-tv-licence?WT.mc_id=r001&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-ai0BhDPARIsAB6hmP49Tw2bDiTkElzP0JMFiRLB12nqRazCO-Tk9bGvu24dQmeefMxMKFkaAnCBEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Tv license have been sending endless letters to me for 9 years, always addressed "to the occupant" as they don't know my name. I haven't declared that I don't need a license, I don’t, but don’t want to give them my name as I’m aware that they still follow up to "check". It's an endless round of escalating letters then backing down and just sending generic ones. They have no right to know my name. Honestly google this, for all of their "legal" threats, they're full of shit and have no right to enter your home unless you invite them in. They can try to fine you if you show them the apps on your tv and happen to be logged in.
I’m not buying into their bullshit. You can read extensively online about that.

They can’t check if you’re watching live TV/iPlayer unless they come into your house, so it’s pretty much up to you to make sure you don’t watch live TV after you cancel your licence.

I’m not sure whether you’ll get letters from them, as I don’t know how they decide who gets a letter from them, but you’ll be fine as long as you don’t watch live TV.

If you’re not using it just fill in the declaration to say so, and the letters will stop, you’ve nobody to blame for the escalating letters but yourself, just save yourself the bother.

You’re not really achieving anything by them just not knowing your name since they’ve been sending you letters for almost a decade I hardly see you’re winning here.

This. We filled in the declaration years ago and never heard from them again. It’s really not a problem.

I didn’t have one in a second home that I had for work. I just watched ITV catch up on my laptop.

They never bothered me after I sent the form to say I wasn’t watching TV/didn’t need a licence.

Why haven't you declared you don't need a TV license? Why be martyrish about it all? Do you enjoy the drama or something?

I filled in the declaration and haven't heard from them in years

Thanks for your responses. The people who filled the declaration in, did you previously have a tv licence? @Treelichen @Wotcher @SeismicSalad @EmeraldRoulette @Chucklit

I filled in the declaration around 4 years ago, haven't really heard anything since

Everything about the TV license is an anachronism. Cancelling it should be as easy as cancelling Netflix.

We’ve not had a TV licence since 2019, Netflix is so much better. We get a letter every month where they usually threaten court action, & give a date when they will be out, or say they will be out at any time of the day or night. But they’ve only ever come out once & shoved a card through the door to tell us, but we were out.

My mum cancelled her TV license earlier this year.

I filled in the declaration for her and she's heard nothing since.

She's gutted.
She's been brainwashed by Youtube lunatics who've convinced her that the BBC will send burly aggressive men round.
She's desperate for these men to appear at her door so she can film them, upload the video to Youtube (both of which she has no idea how to do) and then rant about the mainstream media.

But, she's heard nothing.

I cancelled my licence several years ago and filled in the declaration. I get asked if my circumstances are still the same every couple of years but don’t have any further communication from them at all.

We don't have a tv licence. We get letters all the time despite filling in the thing online to say we don't have a tv or laptop. But no one has ever come round despite saying they will in the letters so you'd probably be fine cancelling it and just binning the letters which is what we do.

Stopped paying for TV licence years ago, didn't declare it, I don't watch live TV, they send me letters every 2 weeks threatening to come round, or take me to court.

So just do the declaration, like everyone on the thread whose done it has confirmed, they then leave you alone.

It is, you stop paying and complete the declaration to say you don’t need one, as many people have confirmed that’s all you need to do, no drama.

I love your Mum and your username!

I had one (continuing) at my own home, but completed the declaration for my second home through work. So no, I didn’t cancel one, just said I don’t need one at this particular address once I moved in.

I don't have a TV licence they send letters every couple of weeks threatening to come round but I'm never in and I don't watch TV

I read somewhere - I have no idea if this is true or not - that a large number of specifically women (as opposed to men) prisoners are there because of non payment of TV licence.

I tried to not pay mine last year but the escalating letters and threats of imprisonment/prosecution alarmed me so in the end I did pay it.