Live aboard TV license

[The Dreamer]

I have searched the forum, and could not find an obvious thread on this, but if it has been done before, I apologise!

 

All the recent political talk about TV licensing, has reminded me that our license is still registered to an address we no longer own.  Furthermore we no longer have a bricks and mortar place to house a TV in!  Morally, I feel no guilt as Aunty continues to get our 150 squid every year, but this needs to be sorted.  We do have a marina c/o at the moment, but as we will be CC from February, really need to license to the boat.

 

Looked at the website, and this reminds live aboard people that they are not exempt, but does not really explain what to do.  Logged into my account and found the change details page, but the only real option is for a proper address with a postcode.  Not worried about this for delivery, as I opt for email comms, so have entered the boat name and CRT number, hit the save button, and hoped for the best.

 

Anyone else had this experience, or otherwise got advice?

Edited December 17, 2019 by The Dreamer

[matty40s]

If you speak to an actual person rather than a robotvor computer, it is quite easy.

[GUMPY]

1 hour ago, The Dreamer said:

Anyone else had this experience, or otherwise got advice?

I left my tv licence registered at my previous address when I moved onto the boat.

I waited for them to send me a reminder that I needed to renew the licence.

It never arrived so I never sent them any money, it remained that way for 20 years until I bought a house again

 

[robtheplod]

Maybe a good time to evaluate if you still want to have a licence?  So many ways to consume content nowadays without the need.....

[GUMPY]

To get a TV licence you need a postcode, if you don't have a postcode you don't need a licence.

 

[Jerra]

4 minutes ago, Loddon said:

To get a TV licence you need a postcode, if you don't have a postcode you don't need a licence.

 

I suspect you need a tongue in cheek emoji for that one.

 

You know as well as I do that is not the case.

[GUMPY]

1 minute ago, Jerra said:

I suspect you need a tongue in cheek emoji for that one.

 

You know as well as I do that is not the case.

Ok try applying for one without an address, lets see how far you get.

I suspect not very far.

 

[MtB]

This is something to ask one's MP about. 

 

If you can work out which one is yours!

 

[Jerra]

Just now, Loddon said:

Ok try applying for one without an address, lets see how far you get.

I suspect not very far.

 

That doesn't alter the fact that you need a licence to watch.

 

The law says you need to be covered by a TV Licence to:

• watch or record programmes as they’re being shown on TV, on any channel
• watch or stream programmes live on an online TV service (such as ITV Hub, All 4, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Now TV, Sky Go, etc.)
• download or watch any BBC programmes on iPlayer.

You will notice there is no mention about you not needing one if you have no post code.   It might be a good defence if it ever came to court but it isn't the case (particularly when you prove it).   It is clearly a case of either them not understanding there are people who watch TV and move around or the left hand not knowing what the right is doing.

[Alan de Enfield]

38 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

This is something to ask one's MP about. 

 

If you can work out which one is yours!

 

There is a more than 50%v chance He / She will be a Tory tho'.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Easiest way round this is not to watch BBC stuff, or broadcast TV. Non Beeb catch up and other stuff only. No huge loss. No license, no problem!

My current mooring is residential and has a proper postal address. When this was first set up I had two letters in my post box the next day. One was from Royal Mail saying "Welcome to your new postal address." The second was from the telly license people saying "We know where you live. Pay up."!

 

Jen

 

[ditchcrawler]

16 minutes ago, Loddon said:

Touring Caravans and boats are covered by the licence holders house licence, if they have a house.

Static caravans and boats normally need to apply for a separate licence.

There is no mention of mobile caravans and boats that don't have a home address.

There is very little chance of a CCer being caught with no TV licence........

Besides which our beloved Fascist leader is going to decriminalise not having a licence

Following his problems with interviews I'm surprised he isn't removing all their funding as well

[dor]

3 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Following his problems with interviews I'm surprised he isn't removing all their funding as well

Give him time.

 

Then you will start to discover what the joyful content of American TV has to offer.

[GUMPY]

4 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Following his problems with interviews I'm surprised he isn't removing all their funding as well

That will happen, possibly sooner rather  than later.....

 

[Wanderer Vagabond]

5 hours ago, Jerra said:

That doesn't alter the fact that you need a licence to watch.

 

The law says you need to be covered by a TV Licence to:

• watch or record programmes as they’re being shown on TV, on any channel
• watch or stream programmes live on an online TV service (such as ITV Hub, All 4, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Now TV, Sky Go, etc.)
• download or watch any BBC programmes on iPlayer.

You will notice there is no mention about you not needing one if you have no post code.   It might be a good defence if it ever came to court but it isn't the case (particularly when you prove it).   It is clearly a case of either them not understanding there are people who watch TV and move around or the left hand not knowing what the right is doing.

I tried getting a TV licence a couple of years back, but got into a sort of circular discussion with the nice lady from Capita and eventually rather lost the will to live regarding this post code lark. She began the conversation by insisting that I needed a licence, which I was quite accepting of. She then asks what my post code is, to which I tell her that I don't have one since I'm on the move all the time, this doesn't compute with the system. I asked if I could use a PO box no as a an address, no I can't. My postal address from which my post was forwarded to me already had a licence owned by the person living there, did that cover me? No I needed a licence of my own. But other than my postal address I didn't have a post code to give her, and without a post code she couldn't see any way of me getting a licence, at that point I gave up. There is no point in buying a second licence for the postal address that already has a licence registered there since it will be on Capita's files as an address already with a licence so they won't be knocking on the door to check anyway.

 

In the vanishingly small prospect of anyone asking me for a TV licence on the boat, my reply is going to be my postal address is my home address and I'm just on a very long holiday on the boat.

 

Just as a query to your above quote from the law regarding the need for a TV licence, how does YouTube come up on the list? Unless it has changed in some way, my understanding is that everything on YouTube has been uploaded, so by definition cannot be 'live' can it?

[robtheplod]

14 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

Just as a query to your above quote from the law regarding the need for a TV licence, how does YouTube come up on the list? Unless it has changed in some way, my understanding is that everything on YouTube has been uploaded, so by definition cannot be 'live' can it?

YouTube does occasionally stream live - Sky News etc (these need a licence). Not all live streams are covered, so if it does not appear on a terrestrial service at the same time, like the Sun/LBC sometimes streams events and these don't need a licence. Its all a bit of a mess and the BBC licence terms are struggling to keep with the times. I especially like the fact that even if you have a licence at home and your son/daughter goes to uni, they can watch live TV on their phone/tablet device, but its against the law for them to plug it in to charge whilst watching!

[alias]

18 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

Just as a query to your above quote from the law regarding the need for a TV licence, how does YouTube come up on the list? Unless it has changed in some way, my understanding is that everything on YouTube has been uploaded, so by definition cannot be 'live' can it?

It is possible to live stream on youtube: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2474026?hl=en-GB

[Jerra]

16 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

 

Just as a query to your above quote from the law regarding the need for a TV licence, how does YouTube come up on the list? Unless it has changed in some way, my understanding is that everything on YouTube has been uploaded, so by definition cannot be 'live' can it?

It is there by virtue of being copied and pasted from:

 

https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one?&&WT.mc_id=mec_Search_Brand&gclid=Cj0KCQiAuefvBRDXARIsAFEOQ9E_Bg2R1LAkc9bU6V0oZzwLxHUraPtcc0yLBXg8E71g-NNB_pbhjJAaAin0EALw_wcB

[mrsmelly]

1 hour ago, Loddon said:

That will happen, possibly sooner rather  than later.....

 

Lets hope so.

[Jerra]

Just now, mrsmelly said:

Lets hope so.

Lets hope not.  I hate adverts and the BBC seems, to my eye, to produce better programs than other channels.   Once reliant on advertisers it will drift down to the mediocre level of all the others because of the influence of the paymasters over content..

[Wanderer Vagabond]

23 hours ago, Jerra said:

Lets hope not.  I hate adverts and the BBC seems, to my eye, to produce better programs than other channels.   Once reliant on advertisers it will drift down to the mediocre level of all the others because of the influence of the paymasters over content..

Think I'd tend to agree there, when looking for anything worthwhile to watch my first port of call is usually BBC4, but sadly these days there really isn't much worth watching on any of the channels, it is what happens when you dilute the production to the level we now have, endless repeats of stuff I didn't bother to watch the first time around. Rather brings to mind this track from 1992

 

 

[robtheplod]

I used to like BBC for documentaries, but these are few and far between now - I suppose they are more expensive to make?  We don't seem to get the investigative journalism that we had many years ago? I get my main viewing from YouTube these days, with so many knowledgeable and enthusiastic people making interesting content. I especially the 'The History Guy' ...

[nbfiresprite]

I don't even have a TV, Yet despite how many time I enform the clusless thicko's at  Capita, I still get every two or three days yet another threat letter arrives or one of their enforcers turn up demanding excess to search. One in Ten Court cases is to do with the TV licence, most are throw out.

[robtheplod]

1 minute ago, nbfiresprite said:

I don't even have a TV, Yet despite how many time I enform the clusless thicko's at  Capita, I still get every two or three days yet another threat letter arrives or one of their enforcers turn up demanding excess to search. One in Ten Court cases is to do with the TV licence, most are throw out.

If you call BBC Licencing you can declare yourself licence free and they will stop letters/visits for 2 years....

[nbfiresprite]

6 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

If you call BBC Licencing you can declare yourself licence free and they will stop letters/visits for 2 years....

Does not work, I have repeated told the thickO's at 'BBC Licencing' which is run by Capita. Yet the letters keep coming, as do the enforcers.