TV licence in shared house?

[Brananan]

If dd (third year uni shared house) watches iplayer on her laptop does she need a tv licence? Or would she be covered by ours if she's not actually watching a tv?

I think she needs a licence for the house she's in, shared with the other residents.

She says the other members won't pay for one!

Then she may have to bit the bullet and pay it herself.

She will be covered by your license as long as she only watches live tv/iplayer on a battery powered device. Viewing iplayer is fine as long as the laptop isn’t plugged in.

www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/for-your-home/students-aud1

She can get her own. I think if its HMO, each tennant is meant to have their own. The link another poster shared does say if she's watching on a phone/laptop, not plugged into mains, she'll be covered by the one from home. Never knew this. Why it makes a difference if its plugged in or on battery, I have no idea!

When I was in student halls, each resident had to have their own TV licence. According to the paperwork.

(They didn't, of course).

Though if it's on a tv in the shared space I recon you'd get round that.

Realistically, you don't have to let the licence people in though.

It's probably because it's then classified as mobile rather than fixed - it's the equivalent of using it on a bus or in a cafe.