TV License

InchicoreDude

Ok, SO I moved into a new place about a month ago with no TV. But I had an old TV at home (Just sitting there doing nothing), So I decided to bring that to my new place last Sunday. Two days later, We get a letter stating there is no TV license registered to that address (My new place). Did they know I have a TV there now? Or was it just coincidental? I only have rabbit ears on the TV so I just get RTE & TG4 & sometimes TV3.
To be honest, I never even thought of the license. I will buy one now (As it will be good to have a proof of address here too) but am curious as to if that letter was just coincidental...

fat-tony

the black helicopters are circling ...

wreckless

an post use a lot of different ways of detecting new residents in places...

you can leave it as a long as possible if you want. if the letter is only addressed to "the occupants" then that could be anyone really.

aidan_walsh

If you had a license and its still valid you can transfer it to your current address.

Irishrossoblu

They probably sent it to you because the last people cancelled their TV and their licence.

InchicoreDude

They probably sent it to you because the last people cancelled their TV and their licence.

Yeah, I thought of that while I was typing my post. But they are gone over a month and I thought it was a bit too much of an coincidence that we received this just after I brought the TV in! I was hoping there would be some cool technological explanation! :-) But maybe it is just coincidence.

It was addressed to the occupants. But I will buy my license at the weekend, I see you can change address on it half way through anyway...

Out of interest, If I had the internet, I would also be able to access rte via my pc. Would I need a TV license in that case as well?

holidaysong

The licence is just for owning a TV. If you just used your computer to access RTÉ online and had no TV then you wouldn't need a licence. However even if your TV wasn't even connected to an aerial you'd still need a licence.

InchicoreDude

The licence is just for owning a TV. If you just used your computer to access RTÉ online and had no TV then you wouldn't need a licence. However even if your TV wasn't even connected to an aerial you'd still need a licence.

oh really? I never knew that....

Wonder would they consider bringing in a computer license now that so much TV is available on the internet...

L1011

Its been discussed!

watty

To death, here too.

Mike 1972

holidaysong wrote: »

The licence is just for owning a TV.

Nope the licence is for possesing a TV which isint necessairly the same thing.

dxhound2005

Were you getting other mail already? The licence people in An Post could have found out the house was newly occupied from the postperson. Just coincidental that the letter arrived when it did, they write to all occupied addresses with no licence.

Gerry Wicklow

What about MPEG2 TVs that don't/can't get RTÉ?

Mike 1972

Silly as it sounds MPEG2 TV's, SECAM-L only TV's even 405 line TV's still need licences under Irish law.

Baird 30 line mechanical scanners might be a grey area though ?

The Cush

Mike 1972 wrote: »

Silly as it sounds MPEG2 TV's, SECAM-L only TV's even 405 line TV's still need licences under Irish law.

Baird 30 line mechanical scanners might be a grey area though ?

The definition in the Act

“television set” means any electronic apparatus capable of receiving
and exhibiting television broadcasting services broadcast for general
reception (whether or not its use for that purpose is dependent on
the use of anything else in conjunction with it) and any software or
assembly comprising such apparatus and other apparatus;

Mike 1972

The Cush wrote: »

The definition in the Act

Covers all of the devices Ive mentioned above.

The set is capable of receiving 405 line (or whatever) transmissions. The fact that there are no stations in Ireland (or anywhere) making such transmissions is entirely besides the point (under Irish law)

Dont just take my word for it
Ask anyone with a set up only capable of receiving Polish/Hungarian/etc television whose had a run in with the licence inspectors.

watty

The TV licence came in before there was any Irish TV.

fat-tony

...and a licence is required for households who have PCs with TV tuners

channelsurfer2

do they warn you these days when the licence inspector visits the house like they used to ie give you a week or two to get a licence and then call back to see it was bought? or do you just get fined straight away on the first visit?

BugBlaster

As far as i know, you need a licence to receive transmissions once you have a device that can operate with them. If you have a radio in your home, you should in theory have a B/W licence at least( dunno if that licence even exists anymore)

watty

No licence needed for radio sets anymore.

danjo-xx

they are writing (an post) I presume to every householder and telling us to have our tv licence ready for inspection. Wonder what happens if you don't have it to hand....and keep them waiting while you dig it out. I suppose they will drum up some sort of offence for that.




____________________________
Don't u just love living in this country.

We never had a TV in work and were never asked to buy a licence. However a few months ago the owner of the company was moving house and left some of his personal belongings in the company premises, including a TV. We never used it but a couple of weeks later we got the letter from An Post saying we were unlicensed. I cut the plug off just in case, but then they declared that we needed a licence whether the TV was operational or not, we promptly asked the owner to take it away.

I found it far from coincidental but I wouldn't think they'd have any way of knowing.

dowtchaboy

danjo-xx wrote: »

they are writing (an post) I presume to every householder and telling us to have our tv licence ready for inspection. Wonder what happens if you don't have it to hand....and keep them waiting while you dig it out. I suppose they will drum up some sort of offence for that.
____________________________
Don't u just love living in this country.

AFAIK there is no obligation on you to have it "ready for inspection" - they are trying to put the frighteners on people. My understanding is they are required to prove you have a TV not vice versa, and it's not clear how they would do that since the TV licence inspector has no right to enter your home.
If a licence inspector turns up at your door with a Garda and a writ I suppose they might have some right, though you could always say hang on a mo while me wife gets dressed... and go on the 'net and get a licence and wave it at them?

ted1

if you have sky they can see the dish and guess you have a tele. They can also see if your being billed by a utility provider. But mainly they just guess you have a tele. No need to show it they'll have it on their data base and just target those that aren't on it.

atellyer

ted1 wrote: »

if you have sky they can see the dish and guess you have a tele. They can also see if your being billed by a utility provider. But mainly they just guess you have a tele. No need to show it they'll have it on their data base and just target those that aren't on it.

I think the 'guessing' bit is most likely. How many homes in this country do not have a TV? It must be a very small %age. Therefore it is a good chance that all addresses probably need a licence. I am guessing that An Post simply write to every address that does not have TV Licence as a matter of course.

KeRbDoG

I wonder if it the case that AnPost, once a residential address is registered with them they automagically presume that you have TV and when it comes around to 'scaring the locals' time they just cross check the list of registered/current TV licences against residential addresses. Any that don't tick both lists are marked for a house call and letter drop.
I've had polish friends of mine who save themselves hassle of going to court to prove they don't have a TV, just buy a licence.

Always thought it woud be better to call the licence a TV Tax.

Our man in Havana

The local postman is their source of information. When someone new moves in and starts getting post, postie sends a report to the licensing gestapo office for follow up.

hobbit stomper

Total coincident that you just received the letter within the days you actually got the TV.
You might as well have had a TV the day you moved in, or not have a TV at all and still received the letter.

I was living in Tallaght for a while in an apartment block. 5 months after I moved in I found a letter pushed under my door. It said something like: TV license inspector was here and tried to contact me, but I wasn't around. Will be back within 5 days. Should I have a TV I must buy a license.

Due to my odd working hours I was basically gone from 7am till 10pm and was never around when he would have been there. Lived there for 2 years and never paid anything, nor did I ever hear anything from them.

HappyHarry

danjo-xx wrote: »

they are writing (an post) I presume to every householder and telling us to have our tv licence ready for inspection. Wonder what happens if you don't have it to hand....and keep them waiting while you dig it out. I suppose they will drum up some sort of offence for that.

Having the piece of paper doesn't mean much. They have a record of what addresses have a license. No much point in bull****ting them.

HappyHarry

Did the dreaded "TV detector van" ever exist in Ireland?

If so, how successful at detection was it? Was is precise enough to use on apartments?

Is it still in use and does it work with Flat Panel TVs?

I think the way they try to prove you have a TV is by asking questions like "Does the landlord own the TV?" to get you to admit that there is a TV.

Sam Russell

HappyHarry wrote: »

Did the dreaded "TV detector van" ever exist in Ireland?

If so, how successful at detection was it? Was is precise enough to use on apartments?

Is it still in use and does it work with Flat Panel TVs?

I think the way they try to prove you have a TV is by asking questions like "Does the landlord own the TV?" to get you to admit that there is a TV.

In the UK, you had to be caught with the TV actually working but in Ireland even a non-working set was enough to need a licence. In the UK, the detector van could tell from the IF which station you were watching.

95% of households have a licence. I would assume more than half of those left should have. It should be on the electricity bill.

Our man in Havana

No, I don't believe they ever used them in Ireland. They did in the UK, but they were not very acurate and certainly useless against apartments etc.

http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/10/31/bbc-admits-that-tv-d.html
http://www.bbctvlicence.com/Detector%20vans.htm

An Post rely on old fashioned methods as described, postman, searching rubbish, asking neighbours etc.

FREETV

Haddockman wrote: »

No, I don't believe they ever used them in Ireland. They did in the UK, but they were not very acurate and certainly useless against apartments etc.

http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/10/31/bbc-admits-that-tv-d.html
http://www.bbctvlicence.com/Detector%20vans.htm

An Post rely on old fashioned methods as described, postman, searching rubbish, asking neighbours etc.

Don't forget that when you buy a tv, stb with tuners that your details are forwarded and are on the system, especially when you buy up the North.

KTRIC

I got a letter from them addressed to the "occupier" today. What happens if I send it back with "not at this address" on it

What is the next step they will take ?

FREETV

KTRIC wrote: »

I got a letter from them addressed to the "occupier" today. What happens if I send it back with "not at this address" on it

What is the next step they will take ?

Ignore it and don't answer your door. They would need a warrant to be allowed access to your place. They may call around when you are at work during the day or early in the evening. Pretend you are not in, close your blinds and curtains. They will keep sending further notices. Aerials and sat dishes and a flashing picture will be a dead give away.:D I keep renewing my license every year so luckily I don't have to duck and dive. The Inspector may creep up on you when you return from work or the shops though. If he/she does, play dumb and ring the door bell as if you are a visitor to the place and tell them nothing.

atellyer

FREETV wrote: »

Ignore it and don't answer your door. They would need a warrant to be allowed access to your place. They may call around when you are at work during the day or early in the evening. Pretend you are not in, close your blinds and curtains. They will keep sending further notices. Aerials and sat dishes and a flashing picture will be a dead give away.:D I keep renewing my license every year so luckily I don't have to duck and dive. The Inspector may creep up on you when you return from work or the shops though. If he/she does, play dumb and ring the door bell as if you are a visitor to the place and tell them nothing.

Or, if you genuinely have a telly, why not just pay your licence and save all the hassle.:D

dowtchaboy

HappyHarry wrote: »

Did the dreaded "TV detector van" ever exist in Ireland?

.....

Customer:
I bleeding got one, look! What's that then?

Shopkeeper:
This is a dog license with the word 'dog' crossed out and 'cat' written in in crayon.

Customer:
The man didn't have the right form.

Shopkeeper:
What man?

Customer:
The man from the cat detector van.

Shopkeeper:
The looney detector van, you mean.

Customer:
Look, it's people like you what cause unrest.

Shopkeeper:
What cat detector van?

Customer:
The cat detector van from the Ministry of Housinge.

Shopkeeper:
Housinge?

Customer:
It was spelt like that on the van. I'm very observant!. I never seen so many bleeding aerials. The man said that their equipment could pinpoint a purr at four hundred yards! And Eric, being such a happy cat, was a piece of cake.

Shopkeeper:
How much did you pay for this?

Customer:
Sixty quid, and eight for the fruit-bat.

Our man in Havana

FREETV wrote: »

Don't forget that when you buy a tv, stb with tuners that your details are forwarded and are on the system, especially when you buy up the North.

I simply pick a name from the phone book and give their details.

mossie

KTRIC wrote: »

I got a letter from them addressed to the "occupier" today. What happens if I send it back with "not at this address" on it

What is the next step they will take ?

Unless the house is verifiably vacant you will keep getting these. Every house that is lived in has an occupier so marking it "not at this address" will gain nothing, if anything it would look suspicious maybe?

Our man in Havana

They will send someone round eventually.

messinkiapina

The inspector called around to my place today looking for a TV, I left him in and showed him that there was no TV on the premises. Does this mean they'll leave me alone now or do they randomly call back for further inspections?

Our man in Havana

They will keep coming back typically each year or so.

Cream_crackers

I just moved into a new house and was given a 14" portable by a friend who came to visit. I cannot get a reception on it and was going to keep it until I finally do get cable and a proper TV so I could use the portable in the bedroom. I left it on the kitchen table one day when I was trying it out for a reception with rabbit ears which doesn´t work. Of course, that was the day the TV licence inspector came around and must have walked around to the back of my house to look in the patio doors to see it. Are they allowed wander around your property looking in windows? I now have a letter saying that an apparatus was observed and I have to get a licence. I am not getting a licence and have got rid of the TV. What I need to know is if I contact them to say that:
I no longer have it as a friend had it when she visited, am I still liable just because a visitor had a TV for a week in my house?
Seems a bit ridiculous.
I am more than happy to buy a licence once I have a working TV with reception.

messinkiapina

Cream_crackers wrote: »

I just moved into a new house and was given a 14" portable by a friend who came to visit. I cannot get a reception on it and was going to keep it until I finally do get cable and a proper TV so I could use the portable in the bedroom. I left it on the kitchen table one day when I was trying it out for a reception with rabbit ears which doesn´t work. Of course, that was the day the TV licence inspector came around and must have walked around to the back of my house to look in the patio doors to see it. Are they allowed wander around your property looking in windows? I now have a letter saying that an apparatus was observed and I have to get a licence. I am not getting a licence and have got rid of the TV. What I need to know is if I contact them to say that:
I no longer have it as a friend had it when she visited, am I still liable just because a visitor had a TV for a week in my house?
Seems a bit ridiculous.
I am more than happy to buy a licence once I have a working TV with reception.

I don't see how they could prove that you had a TV in your house at the time unless he took a picture of the TV through the window.

Hoffmans

KTRIC wrote: »

I got a letter from them addressed to the "occupier" today. What happens if I send it back with "not at this address" on it

What is the next step they will take ?

just write No Contract on it and drop in the nearest postbox ,that will be the end of it...

mossie

messinkiapina wrote: »

I don't see how they could prove that you had a TV in your house at the time unless he took a picture of the TV through the window.

They only have to see the TV set for this to be accepted in court but some Judges will ask for a serial number.

Mike 1972

Cream_crackers wrote: »

am I still liable just because a visitor had a TV for a week in my house?

I would imagine it would be the visitor who was liable since they would have been in "possession" and the licence inspector didnt establish otherwise.

But if youre going to try and argue along those lines get yourself some proper legal advice first.

dxhound2005

HappyHarry wrote: »

Did the dreaded "TV detector van" ever exist in Ireland?

If so, how successful at detection was it? Was is precise enough to use on apartments?

Is it still in use and does it work with Flat Panel TVs?

I think the way they try to prove you have a TV is by asking questions like "Does the landlord own the TV?" to get you to admit that there is a TV.

The vans were used in Ireland a liftime ago. I was in the back of one once and it had an Eddystone VHF receiver. They were only useful when maybe a few houses in a street had a TV. Funny story:

A woman walking to the local shop spotted the TV detector van and approached it.
"I live in number 22" she says,"and I only got the license yesterday. My husband won't know where it is so tell him it's behind the clock on the fireplace".
So the man knocks on number 22.
Husband; "Hello"
Man : "Tv license inspector".
Husband: "The wife looks after all that, I don't know where it is".
Man : "It's behind the clock on the fireplace".
Husband: "Jaysus, that's some Fcukin van!".

cheapskate

Hey,

I used to stay in a rented 4 bedroom house in west dublin about 10 years ago, back then we'd had letters coming in through the letterbox on a regular basis which at first were addressed to the previous occupants but then they copped on an addressed it to the occupiers!
Every visit of the inspectors involved them asking for our names and our TV licence, we thought we were smart telling them that its not our TV and I dont watch TV etc. etc. Then one evening an inspector arrived at the door and informed us that they knew that there was two philips, a Sony, and a mitsubishi and all he wanted was a TV licence next time he visited or he'd confiscate the lot. I think we managed to come up with the money!
After travelling around the world as you do! I remember saying that I'd never complain about Irish television or having to pay for the quality of current affairs and news that was so lacking in the US and Australia.

CS

L1011

Hoffmans wrote: »

just write No Contract on it and drop in the nearest postbox ,that will be the end of it...

No, it won't

This "freeman" bull**** is just that, bull****.