TV Licence Letter

Mark Hamill

Lets say someone received a TV Licence letter, one address to "The Occupier" and saying that an inspector called when no-one was in and that the database says that their address is not covered by a tv licence. The letter requests for the occupier to contact the tv licence office if they hold a licence, don't have a tv, or if the name and address are incorrect.

If that person has never had a TV at that address, or at all, is there any legal obligation to call the tv licence office and tell them anything at all? Can a warning or fine letter be address to "The Occupier"? Can a court summons?

If they do call the office to inform them that the is no tv at the premises, would they be legally obliged to give their name?

(For instance, I would not want to give my name to them because I had problems last year with a tv licence inspector lying about me owning a tv and trying to bring me to court, so I simply wouldn't want to have any dealings with them in my name again.)

Gatling

In theory I believe they could get a warrant to enter to prove you have a TV and in this day and age it's hard to believe any household is TV free or at claimed to be the free

Mark Hamill

Gatling wrote: »

In theory I believe they could get a warrant to enter to prove you have a TV and in this day and age it's hard to believe any household is TV free or at claimed to be the free

I don't have a TV.

beveragelady

Gatling wrote: »

In theory I believe they could get a warrant to enter to prove you have a TV and in this day and age it's hard to believe any household is TV free or at claimed to be the free

I don't have a TV, haven't had one for nearly ten years. I bought a house that has a satellite dish and some other crap on a chimney. I haven't taken it down and I've had to explain myself to the TV licence man twice in the last eighteen months.
It's funny the way people's reaction is either incredulity or distrust when they find out you don't have a tellybox, and I don't just mean the TC licence man.

Speedwell

I also don't have a TV. I haven't had a TV since I was a poor college student in 1986 and couldn't afford one, and found out I was better off without one. My husband watches his shows on the Internet. I don't pay for a TV plan and never have, and they could search my house from top to bottom and see nothing but a disconnected coax cable sticking out of the wall. The TV license man also asks me questions, because we rent a house on a street where every house has a satellite dish, but he clearly thinks my snarky Yank "idiot box" snobbery and my perfect cluelessness when I talk about Irish and British TV are funny.

Discodog

A friend built an extension on his house. The TV went in a cabinet where it appears at the push of a button. All the cabling is under the floor. After lots of tv license letters he invited the Inspector in. The guy looked around & asked to see in a cupboard. He left knowing full well that there was a tv in there somewhere but the letters stopped :pac:

goz83

I have a TV...a large one at that, but no tv package and I haven't used the minix box in nearly 2 years. TV is only used for kids to play the playstation. It's quite ridiculous to pay a tv license under many circumstances and it should be added to tv plans instead of screwing everyone for owning a piece of equipment capable of receiving a signal. If i ever watch anything, I stream on the pad.

jenny smith

Speedwell wrote: »

I also don't have a TV. I haven't had a TV since I was a poor college student in 1986 and couldn't afford one, and found out I was better off without one. My husband watches his shows on the Internet. I don't pay for a TV plan and never have, and they could search my house from top to bottom and see nothing but a disconnected coax cable sticking out of the wall. The TV license man also asks me questions, because we rent a house on a street where every house has a satellite dish, but he clearly thinks my snarky Yank "idiot box" snobbery and my perfect cluelessness when I talk about Irish and British TV are funny.

Don't you need a licence if you have internet? I know someone who has a computer but no internet and no TV and they said they have to have a licence. I have a TV but do not watch TV, i use it to watch movies

Speedwell

jenny smith wrote: »

Don't you need a licence if you have internet? I know someone who has a computer but no internet and no TV and they said they have to have a licence. I have a TV but do not watch TV, i use it to watch movies

I was told that it depends whether your computer is capable of receiving TV signals directly (whether or not you use it for that), as opposed to streaming through the Internet. None of our computers can directly access TV.

yosser hughes

Gatling wrote: »

In theory I believe they could get a warrant to enter to prove you have a TV and in this day and age it's hard to believe any household is TV free or at claimed to be the free

I don't have a TV. I know quite a few people who don't. It's more common these days than ever I'd say

Miaireland

We got a letter like that at work a couple of years ago. They never seem to answer that phone!. I just sent them a note saying there is no tv on the premises (which there isn't!).

jjpep

Gatling wrote: »

In theory I believe they could get a warrant to enter to prove you have a TV and in this day and age it's hard to believe any household is TV free or at claimed to be the free

Also don't own or have a TV in the house

endagibson

jenny smith wrote: »

Don't you need a licence if you have internet? I know someone who has a computer but no internet and no TV and they said they have to have a licence. I have a TV but do not watch TV, i use it to watch movies

No. Back in the day when TV cards where a thing, a PC would need a license if it had one. Whether or not a license inspector would recognise a TV card if you slapped him/her in the face with it is anyones guess.

beveragelady

jenny smith wrote: »

Don't you need a licence if you have internet? I know someone who has a computer but no internet and no TV and they said they have to have a licence. I have a TV but do not watch TV, i use it to watch movies

If that was the case then every person who owns a smartphone would need a separate licence.

endagibson

beveragelady wrote: »

If that was the case then every person who owns a smartphone would need a separate licence.

You should check out some of the rules regarding phones and the TV license in the UK. They may have changed now, but you were covered by your own license to watch TV in another house on your phone, but if you connected it to a charger while there, a separate license for that house would also be needed.

How that would be enforced I have no idea.

Donutz

Don't think they can send a fine or summons to the occupier.
Lets say they send a fine addressed to Santa. There is nobody by that name living at your address, therefore they have sent a fine to a person that does not exist.
Same if they send a fine to "The Occupier". Is there anybody with that legal name living at your address?

Allinall

Donutz wrote: »

Don't think they can send a fine or summons to the occupier.
Lets say they send a fine addressed to Santa. There is nobody by that name living at your address, therefore they have sent a fine to a person that does not exist.
Same if they send a fine to "The Occupier". Is there anybody with that legal name living at your address?

What's a "legal name"

If you are the occupier, then the fine or summons is for you.

endagibson

Anything I get that has "The Occupier" written on it is generally junk mail and goes straight into the green bin or up the chimney. I have a TV license.

Donutz

Allinall wrote:

What's a "legal name"

Allinall wrote:

If you are the occupier, then the fine or summons is for you.

What if you are in a house share with 3 or 4 other adults?
Which person living at the house is "the occupier" for the purpose of any possible summons or fine.

mynamejeff

Cant summons the occupier to court

as long as your not silly enough to give someone your name i wouldn't worry about it

this is the organisation that delivers your post laughable really

Mrs OBumble

Gatling wrote: »

In theory I believe they could get a warrant to enter to prove you have a TV and in this day and age it's hard to believe any household is TV free or at claimed to be the free

You're a bit behind the times on this one.

Generation NTV (no TV) is one of the fastest growing social trends. Another name for it is cord-cutters.

Some watch the internet instead. Others have just more to do with their lives than blob in front of The Idiot Box every night.

jenny smith

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

You're a bit behind the times on this one.

Generation NTV (no TV) is one of the fastest growing social trends. Another name for it is cord-cutters.

Some watch the internet instead. Others have just more to do with their lives than blob in front of The Idiot Box every night.

can't imagine sitting at that rubbish soap opera/celebrity aireads/cooking programs/ silly games

endagibson

endagibson wrote: »

Anything I get that has "The Occupier" written on it is generally junk mail and goes straight into the green bin or up the chimney. I have a TV license.

Bah! Just realised I don't have a TV licence as a reminder letter has just come through the door. Will get one.

Still don't get any RTE channels mind.

Donutz

mynamejeff wrote:

this is the organisation that delivers your post laughable really

Why is it laughable?

endagibson

Donutz wrote: »

Why is it laughable?

They should already know who lives there.

Donutz

endagibson wrote:

They should already know who lives there.

The postman might know but it would be a breach of data protection if he were to give names of people living at addresses to a tv licence inspector.

mynamejeff

Donutz wrote: »

The postman might know but it would be a breach of data protection if he were to give names of people living at addresses to a tv licence inspector.

you do know the tv licence inspectors work for an post right ? are a part of an post ?


they sometimes work out of the same buildings

Donutz

Doesn't change the fact that it would be a data protection issue..

If the postmen were allowed to pass on information, nobody would be getting a letter addressed to the occupuer. They would be getting letters with actual names on the tv licence letters.

mynamejeff

that that is what is laughable donutz

that one section of a organisation can not share data with another section of the same organisation.

its like the gardai in dublin not being allowed to share information with the gardai in wicklow

It really took 6 posts to clarify that ???

beveragelady

Donutz wrote: »

Doesn't change the fact that it would be a data protection issue..

If the postmen were allowed to pass on information, nobody would be getting a letter addressed to the occupuer. They would be getting letters with actual names on the tv licence letters.

I got a TV licence letter to the last house I lived in. They had my first name correct, and it's a slightly unusual name. They had my surname almost right (a bit like the difference between McDonagh and Donaghue). I assumed the postman had taken a vague stab at passing on my name to the relevant authority.

GM228

Donutz wrote: »

The postman might know but it would be a breach of data protection if he were to give names of people living at addresses to a tv licence inspector.

Donutz wrote: »

Doesn't change the fact that it would be a data protection issue..

If the postmen were allowed to pass on information, nobody would be getting a letter addressed to the occupuer. They would be getting letters with actual names on the tv licence letters.

Data Protection does not apply to any data which is disclosed for the purpose of preventing, detecting or investigating an offence, not having a TV licence is an offence and the DP Act does not apply in such cases.

lawred2

Mark Hamill wrote: »

Lets say someone received a TV Licence letter, one address to "The Occupier" and saying that an inspector called when no-one was in and that the database says that their address is not covered by a tv licence. The letter requests for the occupier to contact the tv licence office if they hold a licence, don't have a tv, or if the name and address are incorrect.

If that person has never had a TV at that address, or at all, is there any legal obligation to call the tv licence office and tell them anything at all? Can a warning or fine letter be address to "The Occupier"? Can a court summons?

If they do call the office to inform them that the is no tv at the premises, would they be legally obliged to give their name?

(For instance, I would not want to give my name to them because I had problems last year with a tv licence inspector lying about me owning a tv and trying to bring me to court, so I simply wouldn't want to have any dealings with them in my name again.)

I responded to one of those saying that Hugh Jazz lived in the house. Subsequent letters arrived for Hugh Jazz and were simply stockpiled in the Hall.