Television Licensing

[xraanswerban]

In the uk the law says that if you don't own a television you don't need to buy a licence. If this is correct then why do the TELEVISION LICENSING ENFORCEMENT people [thugs] send threatening letters out to uk residents who don't have or want a television.
My brother receives these letters on a regular basis and he isn't very happy about the situation, he says there is no contact phone number or address on these threatinging letters, does this make them ilegal and how can they be stopped?

[saxy_jag]

Chances are that the previous occupants of his house owned a TV, with or without a licence.

If he does not have one on the premises, and has never had one there, he has nothing to worry about.

[xraanswerban]

Hi saxy_jag, thanks for your answer, he has no television on the premises, he has sent letters to the BBC explaining the situation but these awful letters keep arriving, he has lived there for some time and the letters say that they intend to gain entery by force, what can he do?

[marwel7]

He could get in touch with Watchdog on the BBC.This sounds like the kind of story they couldn't resist.

[xraanswerban]

Hi marwel7, good idea, there was a case on Watchdog some time ago about an old lady who didn't own a television but went and bought a licence just to get the enforcement agency off her back. she was receiving these letters and it worried her.

[Mattk]

but surely we could all simply say its not my tv,it was bought for me by a friend ?!

[jno]

doesn't matter who bought it, Matt, only who uses it. Has he tried a Citizens Advice Bureau?

[Llamatron]

I seem to remember reading of a guy who replied to these letters and pointed out that under English law he is innocent until proven guilty, that the burden of proof rests with them and as they have no such proof what they are doing amounts to little more than harrassment and bullying and that if they persist he will sue.
I think they stopped.

[xraanswerban]

hi Mattk, the law is that if you have a television on the premises you must have a current licence for it, it dosn't matter who owns it.
If there is no television on the premises no licence is required but try telling the enforcement thugs that, they harass many 100s of people and they should be STOPPED.

[kempie]

There is no point in your brother sending letters to the BBC since they do not deal with licensing issues directly.

As a result of The Broadcast Act 1990, the BBC were made responsible for licence administration. TV Licensing is a trading name used by entities contracted by the Licensing Authority (the BBC) to administer the collection of television licence fees and enforcement of the television licensing system. The majority of the administration of TV Licensing is contracted to Capita Business Services Ltd.

Contact details for TV Licensing are not difficult to find...

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/gethelp/contactus .jsp#anchor1

[xraanswerban]

Hi kimpie I have contacted the numbers on this site but same as usual nothing ever happens, they just keep on sending out these threatening letters, even the police won't intervene.

[saxy_jag]

For a start, no-one - not even a bailiff - has a right to enter by force, although they can obtain a warrant to enter from a court. If they're on unsteady ground to start with, though, it's unlikely they'll do that.

If your brother has thugs (and by that, I take it, you mean bailiffs?), on the doorstep threatening to enter by force, then he should call the police on 999.

If they're actual TV licencing people, then they should have records to the effect that there is not, and has never been, a TV on the premises whilst your brother has been there. All he would need to show is some evidence of when he took over ownership/tenancy. They have the technology to be able to know whether or not there has been a TV there during that time.

I think all TV licencing people can do is to confiscate the telly if he doesn't have a licence, so he may as well invite them in to see if they can find one to take.

Bailiffs should only be calling if the matter has been through a court and a fine has not been paid. If they're allowed onto the premises, they can seize any goods to the value of the fine.

In some ways it would be good if the licencing people did take it to court, because then he could just put his case forward with his supporting evidence and make fools of them.

If he wants to make it public, he needs to contact his local TV stations and also his local paper. I know from experience that things get done very quickly once the media get involved.

[xraanswerban]

Reply to saxy_jag, the [thugs] I refer to are the tv licensing enforcement agents, if you have not had the pleasure to meet them or had letters or phone calls from them you won't know how evil they are, they don't give a dam who they upset so long as they get results, I know a lot of people they have harassed.

[Memore]

are the letters addressed to him personally? I found out when I bought a telly on credit years ago that the shop or credit company tells the licence people that a tv has been bought and who by etc and then they know the details etc so it could be like someone said earlier that it was a previous owner or someone using that address?

[Bedsit-Bob]

saxy_jag says "I think all TV licencing people can do is to confiscate the telly if he doesn't have a licence"

they can't confiscate anything.

saxy_jag says "If they're allowed onto the premises, they can seize any goods to the value of the fine."

Only certain things can be siezed.