TV License Q:

RedPlanet

I'm a new tenent and dont own a TV.
I DO have a NTL account for broadband only.
I DO NOT have a TV Card in my pc.

Received a letter called "Television License - Statutory Declaration".
On the back its got the following questions:

1. Do you have a current television licence? No
2. Is there a television set at this address? No
3. Is there a television reception aeriel on, or at these premises? Don't think so
4. Are these premises connected to a communal aerial or cable system? YES

So, whatabout that last question.
Are they suggesting that if the house is connected to a cable system I have to pay for a television licence?
It strikes me as a leading question.
What do you think?

Berty

I will answering quickly before the AH crew take over.

A TV license is only for a device capable of receiving a signal.

If you do not have one then dont worry. Wait till the license inspector arrives and ask him to come in and if he finds one you will pay.

SoWatchaWant

What are you doin on NTL? Too cheap to pay for Sky, I suppose?

Vain

As far as i know if your from Barbados you dont not need a tv license

LEIN

Berty wrote: »

Wait till the license inspector arrives and ask him to come in and if he finds one you will pay.

Get hooked up to some CCTV and if you see him coming hide it before he arrives!

LEIN

SoWatchaWant wrote: »

What are you doin on NTL? Too cheap to pay for Sky, I suppose?

Sky is the same price is it not?

dr.bollocko

Berty wrote: »

I will answering quickly before the AH crew take over.

A TV license is only for a device capable of receiving a signal.

If you do not have one then dont worry. Wait till the license inspector arrives and ask him to come in and if he finds one you will pay.

But dude! You're a part of the AH crew!
C'mere.
/hugs.

GAAman

RedPlanet wrote: »

I'm a new tenent and dont own a TV.
I DO have a NTL account for broadband only.
I DO NOT have a TV Card in my pc.

Received a letter called "Television License - Statutory Declaration".
On the back its got the following questions:

1. Do you have a current television licence? No
2. Is there a television set at this address? No
3. Is there a television reception aeriel on, or at these premises? Don't think so
4. Are these premises connected to a communal aerial or cable system? YES

So, whatabout that last question.
Are they suggesting that if the house is connected to a cable system I have to pay for a television licence?
It strikes me as a leading question.
What do you think?

If you have no tv to decode the signals from communal aerial then you dont need a license, if there is a tv in the premises (i know you said no you dont) then one is needed but the landlord would be liable

Oh and cos this is ah, kill the inspector if he shows up and take his place, see how long it takes people to notice the switch

monkeyfudge

SoWatchaWant wrote: »

What are you doin on NTL? Too cheap to pay for Sky, I suppose?

For broadband???

Berty

dr.bollocko wrote: »

But dude! You're a part of the AH crew!
C'mere.
/hugs.

ugh get off get off get off :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:




when your not banning me :mad: Two Faced ***** **** **** ****** ******** *********** *********** **** :D::D

:D:D:DLOL dont ban me

dr.bollocko

Berty wrote: »

ugh get off get off get off :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:




when your not banning me :mad: Two Faced ***** **** **** ****** ******** *********** *********** **** :D::D

:D:D:DLOL dont ban me

Banned.
/still hasnt stopped hugging.

Berty

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Banned.
/still hasnt stopped hugging.

I just dont know where I am with you *Sniff

LEIN

Sorry about that post Dr. B. Thought it was appropriate.

Some hugs offered as an apology?

dr.bollocko

I accuse you all of dragging this thread horribly off the topic. It certainly was not me that started this shambles. :P

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

What about TV streaming on the net? You know we will need TV licences for kettles, electric razors soon enough... conspiracy tbh.

I just rang them today, had the TV here a month, never got around to it but when the DD mandate arrives it will be sent back the same day

The fines not worth it tbh.

Mossy Monk

GAAman wrote: »

the landlord would be liable

No he isn't. It is whoever lives at the address that is liable.

BaconZombie

Even if the TV is broken but repairable.

Mossy Monk wrote: »

No he isn't. It is whoever lives at the address that is liable.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

I'm gonna go around pretending to be a tv license inspector, accepting bribes.
Who needs a job, when there's plenty of stupid people to scam?

IvySlayer

CaptainNegative wrote: »

I'm gonna go around pretending to be a tv license inspector, accepting bribes.
Who needs a job, when there's plenty of stupid people to scam?

Great, you can start in Tallaght.

slimjimmc

CaptainNegative wrote: »

I'm gonna go around pretending to be a tv license inspector, accepting bribes.
Who needs a job, when there's plenty of stupid people to scam?

If you want to be convincing you'll need to be able to speak multiple languages.

dioltas

Mossy Monk wrote: »

No he isn't. It is whoever lives at the address that is liable.

Would it not be whoever owns he tv no? What if 5 people lived in a house and the landlord owned the tv.
Does the money go to RTE then?
If thats the case it's a bit of a joke having to pay if you have a tv hooked up to a dvd player and no aerial.

slimjimmc

dioltas wrote: »

Would it not be whoever owns he tv no? What if 5 people lived in a house and the landlord owned the tv.
Does the money go to RTE then?
If thats the case it's a bit of a joke having to pay if you have a tv hooked up to a dvd player and no aerial.

Landlord is only responsible if its a hotel, guest house, B&B or digs. If you're renting a flat or house then it's classed as separate address. The law doesn't care who got the license so you could do a deal with your landlord, however AFAIK the main tenant would be held responsible if caught without one.

The license is for any device that is capable of receiving a TV signal. Whether or not it is actually used to receive a signal is irrelevant so your TV would need to be licensed even if it's only for DVDs or games.

I think there was a recent ruling that receiving TV over the internet on a computer was exempt.


UPDATE
=====
Done some research into the Statutes and it looks like it's up to the occupier or occupiers to prove there is a license for the TV. So either don't answer the door, escape & get someone else to answer, or get rid of the tele. (Actually now that I think of it I remember something on the radio about if you're away on hols for a few weeks to make sure anyone looking after the place can show the license if asked otherwise they could be fined.)

ShooterSF

dioltas wrote: »

Would it not be whoever owns he tv no? What if 5 people lived in a house and the landlord owned the tv.
Does the money go to RTE then?
If thats the case it's a bit of a joke having to pay if you have a tv hooked up to a dvd player and no aerial.

Get a good size computer screen and hook up the laptop and watch your dvd's. Now your license free yay!

Lillyella

Must be a bit crap not having a telly.

ShooterSF

Why ya can find must shows online and most movies. All you need is a good PC screen and you're advert free as well!

GAAman

Mossy Monk wrote: »

No he isn't. It is whoever lives at the address that is liable.

Not to disagree with you mossy, but the my current landlord said he was liable for the tv which came with the house. Said it was because the tv was his and not mine. Now this is in derry might be different, only goin by what i was told

bloo

Do TV license ppl actually have the legal right to demand we answer any of their questions or allow them into our homes without some sort of written notice/legal warrant should they call round?

I mean, i dont care who they say they are, or what kind of ID card they show, but unless they are known to me or accompanied by the law i dont see why i should even open my door.

slipss

If you really don't want to pay a TV license then don't, regardless of whether you have a TV or not. There is nothing they can do. The only way any one can enter your home without your permission is if they are a member of the Gardai and they have a warrant signed by a judge, it violates the constitution of the nation. So when the inspector comes to your home and says "have you got a tv" say no, when he asks if he can come in and check, laugh and close the door.

Sam Vimes

slipss wrote: »

If you really don't want to pay a TV license then don't, regardless of whether you have a TV or not. There is nothing they can do. The only way any one can enter your home without your permission is if they are a member of the Gardai and they have a warrant signed by a judge, it violates the constitution of the nation. So when the inspector comes to your home and says "have you got a tv" say no, when he asks if he can come in and check, laugh and close the door.

and then he comes back with the gardai.........?

slipss

Sam Vimes wrote: »

and then he comes back with the gardai.........?

Because the gardai are going to be willing to sit around in court getting warrants signed so they can look for tellys, judges are going to be willing to sign them all and then the garda will have the time to drive round doing all these raids?

Sam Vimes

slipss wrote: »

Because the gardai are going to be willing to sit around in court getting warrants signed so they can look for tellys, judges are going to be willing to sign them all and then the garda will have the time to drive round doing all these raids?

they are breaking the law after all. i'm sure they have some kind of stream lining system set up. they could probably do 100 at a time or something

Zapho

OP you're all in the clear and don't have to worry about a TV licence. Friends of mine
have the exact same situation. No TV or tuner equipment installed in a PC but do have
NTL broadband. The spoke to the post office and don't have to pay the licence.

On saying that, they did have to go out of their way to prove that they are exempt from
getting a licence....pretty ghey huh?

Mena

slipss wrote: »

Because the gardai are going to be willing to sit around in court getting warrants signed so they can look for tellys, judges are going to be willing to sign them all and then the garda will have the time to drive round doing all these raids?

The Irish Times wrote:

Over 10,000 prosecutions were taken by An Post in 2005 against TV licence offenders, and it began to target those with unlicensed TVs in holiday homes in the last year. Since 2003, 167 people have been jailed for non-payment of the television licence fee after they refused or were unable to pay it.

Source

slipss

Sam Vimes wrote: »

they are breaking the law after all. i'm sure they have some kind of stream lining system set up. they could probably do 100 at a time or something

Yeah maybe your right, I just don't plan to ever pay it.

bloo

"Currently, An Post, which collects TV licence revenue on behalf of RTÉ, may only issue a fixed payment notice to a homeowner after it has sent two reminder letters 56 days apart."

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0501/1209592339828.html

Sorry not sure how to do the quotes.

So according to that article, you may as well just wait till they send you a reminder anyway.

who007

AFAIK - you need a licence for any apparatus capable of receiving a signal - which includes a radio! Or it did when I was at college (qualified as a Radio Officer) but that may have changed over the years...

S.I.R

any form of screen you need a t.v licence


but the funny thing is, he knocked on my door, i refused to let him in ( had a licence, cba to listen to him due to me hang over )

he said " be prepared for legal action " and walked away...


havent heard from him since. :rolleyes:

MOH

S.I.R wrote: »

any form of screen you need a t.v licence

Huh? Not true. Don't need a license for a PC monitor if you've no TV.

Ponster

MOH wrote: »

Huh? Not true. Don't need a license for a PC monitor if you've no TV.

Nope. And interestingly enough here in France you don't need a licence even if you have a tv-card in your PC.

Sam Vimes

S.I.R wrote: »

any form of screen you need a t.v licence

that's not true. it has to be a device capable of receiving a telegraphic signal. a monitor with only a vga input and no tuner can't receive a telegraphic signal.

but if you put a tv card in your computer you do need a licence. that's not covered under the exemption for viewing broadcasts over the internet.

skywalker

Presuming you know its the licence inspector at the door, is there any onus on you to actually answer it? Im not plannning on using this strategy to avoid paying it, Im just curious.

We recently got a reminder & got the licence. About a week later we got a buzz on the intercom thing (apartment) someone at the front door asking to have a word with me. It was a voice I didnt recognise so I just didnt go down. Afterwords I twigged that it was probably the tv licence guy. Whoever it was just fecked off anyway. Their very sneaky not announcing who they are initially. In any case no ones been back so I presume theres no onus on the homeowner to actually open the door to them, despite them being aware that someones home.

RedPlanet

If a TV License Inspector calls around to my door, can I ask him or her for ID to prove their credentials?
It would be an easy ruse, for someone to pretend they're a TV License Inspector in order to gain access to my house to have a snoop around to see if it's worth breaking into.

Has anybody ever demanded to see some ID?

pipsqueak

what bugs me about those adverts for not having a tv licence is this, Yer man (licence man) walks into the gaf starts asking questions and then starts threatening that will get a large fine!. first up wheres your id?, wheres your warrant to enter? and thirdly who made you judge, jury and executioner? P**s off !

Sam Vimes

RedPlanet wrote: »

If a TV License Inspector calls around to my door, can I ask him or her for ID to prove their credentials?
It would be an easy ruse, for someone to pretend they're a TV License Inspector in order to gain access to my house to have a snoop around to see if it's worth breaking into.

Has anybody ever demanded to see some ID?

of course you can. and even if he is an inspector you don't have to let him in unless he has gardai and a warrant with him

useful_contacts

I wonder with the recession and loads of people not working will they still be threatning to fine people for not having one ( i.e - saving up the stamps like i am) when a lot of people just cant afford it

dioltas

What's the story with the inspector seeing a tv through a window? I mean are they allowed to walk around to the back of someones house and look through the windows? If they do spot a TV does that mean your going to court, assuming of course you don't have a license?

greenman09

Got a letter in this morning looking for some info within 5days apparently came round 14th. Do u think ive been snagged. Gonna get a licence anyway. Ignored the last few warning letters

kowloon

CaptainNegative wrote: »

I'm gonna go around pretending to be a tv license inspector, accepting bribes.
Who needs a job, when there's plenty of stupid people to scam?

Wouldn't work, everyone knows what he looks like from the TV box machine.

Noopti

So, how does it work if you don't get a license and they find out?

They send a letter? You ignore it.
They call around? You ignore them
They call around with Gardai? You answer the door, and are forced to pay for a license and a 50 odd quid fine?

Surely it is worth it to just ignore it? Seeing as they mightn't actually catch you, and if they do you just have to buy one anyway and pay a small fine.
It is only if you fail to pay for the license and the fine within 3 weeks that further action (court) is pursued.

RaverRo808

I refuse to pay TV lencense on principal,the sh*te that we are subjected to on standard cable,particulary RTE,the all Ireland talent show,cabin fever,jigs and reels,dire cringe worthy comedy shows etc,I just use a clothes hanger and watch the news,which is a shame since I have a 50'LG LCD,I have got letters from TV license crowd,but I reckon its all smoke and no fire,If they knock on the door,I wont answer,or Ill just throw it in the closet and claim I have not telly!