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The rights of the tv licensing scumbags
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Right, so we don't have a tv license as we don't watch tv.
We do however have a huge tv that has been owned by us for many years when we lived at different addresses and did have tv licenses.
We're not going to get rid of the tv because it is fantastic for watching dvds and playing computer games, and we've got this nifty little cable that means anything played on the computer (i.e 4od etc) can appear on the tv in very good quality.
However, i'm sure the owning of this tv will mean we will be accused, if it is seen, of needing a tv license.
So - to the point.
We've had all those threatening letters. And today there was a buzz on our entry thing.
Man in suit at the gate to our car park - I can only presume this is the tv licensing man.
So of course I ignore the buzzer. But afew minutes later the buzzer goes again, this time it sounds different - meaning the person is at the entrance to the building, not the grounds.
Unless someone lets you in, or you have a electronic key, the only way to get this far is to slide yourself under the gap in the car gates.
Then a few minutes later there is a knock on my very apartments door. (I completely ignore this also)
So either he let himself in as unless you ensure to pull the buildings door shut, it doesn't lock, or he got in when someone was on their way out.
Anyway, what i want to know is, if this was someone from tv licensing, did he have any right to do this?
The property is completely private, hence the electronic gates to even get into the grounds.
Are they going to try this again? Even if I didn't have the tv, I wouldn't want to co-operate with these intimidating, and I presume law breaking, bastards.
They have no right to be in my home, and they ain't coming in without a warrant.
So anyone know what the law is on them letting themselves into our grounds, and then our building?
We do however have a huge tv that has been owned by us for many years when we lived at different addresses and did have tv licenses.
We're not going to get rid of the tv because it is fantastic for watching dvds and playing computer games, and we've got this nifty little cable that means anything played on the computer (i.e 4od etc) can appear on the tv in very good quality.
However, i'm sure the owning of this tv will mean we will be accused, if it is seen, of needing a tv license.
So - to the point.
We've had all those threatening letters. And today there was a buzz on our entry thing.
Man in suit at the gate to our car park - I can only presume this is the tv licensing man.
So of course I ignore the buzzer. But afew minutes later the buzzer goes again, this time it sounds different - meaning the person is at the entrance to the building, not the grounds.
Unless someone lets you in, or you have a electronic key, the only way to get this far is to slide yourself under the gap in the car gates.
Then a few minutes later there is a knock on my very apartments door. (I completely ignore this also)
So either he let himself in as unless you ensure to pull the buildings door shut, it doesn't lock, or he got in when someone was on their way out.
Anyway, what i want to know is, if this was someone from tv licensing, did he have any right to do this?
The property is completely private, hence the electronic gates to even get into the grounds.
Are they going to try this again? Even if I didn't have the tv, I wouldn't want to co-operate with these intimidating, and I presume law breaking, bastards.
They have no right to be in my home, and they ain't coming in without a warrant.
So anyone know what the law is on them letting themselves into our grounds, and then our building?
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Comments
No they won't, you have to be watching a live television broadcast to have to pay the license fee. As yet, you're all good to watch the shows on iplayer and what not.
I'm so unsure of what may or may not be allowed, and so against these people presuming guilty until proven innocent (and then using threatening methods in an attempt to prove me either way), that they are not coming into my home without a warrant, end of.
Now we have a computer monitor and play dvds on that and the TV licencing people have been round and seen it and been fine with that too. No mention if it was capable of this or that. They saw it wasnt being used for that so its fine.
Mind you, it might depend on how much of a jobsworth the licencing guy is
Won't you be able to prove that to someone if they come round? Just show them all the cables and what they do and that nothing is plugged into an aerial or whatever and there you go. If you have nothing to hide then why worry about it so much?
I think though they shouldve sent you a letter or a phone call to say they were coming round.
Doesn't actually, there was an interesting point about this on the bbc's website. This might change shortly though.
O. Cause I'm pretty sure last time I checked it said that it did count.
Ah well, I have a license anyway so it's all good.
Interesting read: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2008/01/iplayer_does_not_require_a_tv_1.html
Also TV licence people are just ordinary people and have no executive powers to enter your property, I don't know the rules with trespassing on communal property though.
Thanks for the heads up on TV-on-demand though, as I do sometimes watch Deal or No Deal on 4oD.
The TV License man can't access your property unless you give him permission to. He could be at your front door and you could slam it in his face because he can't come in unless you say so.
You still need a license to watch TV on the internet. It's just like getting your mate to tape Eastenders and then you watching it on video and saying "I'm not watching TV"
Basically what they'll say is, you might say you're not watching TV, but you still have the ability to. The only way you can get rid of them for good is to have your TV altered by a specialist TV person so that it cannot receive a TV signal and you'll prolly get a certificate for this.
Or tbh, just ring up the main office in Bristol (Think the number's on the website) tell them you aren't using the TV to watch TV, they'll prolly send someone round to check and you won't be bothered for about a year
Sorry for the ramble lol!
True. Even better, you can write to them, and withdraw their implied right of access to your property, and they can't even come and knock your door to request to see your equipment.
Not true. The license is needed to receive a live broadcast, not to watch something recorded elsewhere from a broadcast. It makes no odds whether your equipment can or cannot receive a live broadcast - if it isn't receiving a live broadcast, there is no need for the TV License. You can legally own a TV capable of receiving live broadcasts, watch DVDs or other pre-recorded material, and also own a PC and watch content already broadcast on iPlayer or an equivalent, and not have to pay for the TV license - so long as you don't watch a live broadcast.
Watching something recorded elsewhere from a BBC transmission would likely be a breach of copyright, but this has nothing to do with the TV license.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licensing_in_the_United_Kingdom