January 2007 Licencing Terms & Conditions

[Allan(nb Albert)]

Hands up who has licenced a boat in the last year.

 

When you signed as having "read and accepted" the terms and conditions did you read the new conditions introduced in January 2007.

 

Are you happy that BW now considers that "Private licences are strictly for boats kept for personal use by the licence holder"?

 

Thought not!

[norman18grp]

Hands up who has licenced a boat in the last year.

 

When you signed as having "read and accepted" the terms and conditions did you read the new conditions introduced in January 2007.

 

Are you happy that BW now considers that "Private licences are strictly for boats kept for personal use by the licence holder"?

 

Thought not!

 

Have you read your insurance terms ?

 

A private boat is to be used by the owner or his family

 

Sorry if you thought you may be able to run a hire fleet with just an ordinary licence and insurance

[Allan(nb Albert)]

Have you read your insurance terms ?

 

A private boat is to be used by the owner or his family

 

Sorry if you thought you may be able to run a hire fleet with just an ordinary licence and insurance

 

I'm obviously overinsured then - do you think my insurance company will give me a discount?

 

Under BW licencing conditions am I allowed to take my family with me? Is my wife allowed to use the boat or does she need her own licence?

[gralyn]

Hands up who has licenced a boat in the last year.

 

When you signed as having "read and accepted" the terms and conditions did you read the new conditions introduced in January 2007.

 

Are you happy that BW now considers that "Private licences are strictly for boats kept for personal use by the licence holder"?

This is how they can charge a higher licence fee for shared ownership boats.

[Allan(nb Albert)]

This is how they can charge a higher licence fee for shared ownership boats.

 

Well actually no - but that is what is was designed to do. However of an estimated 300 shared boats in 2007, only 30 converted to business licences. Twenty seven of those are Challenger who have just gone belly up. BW's Sally Ash has posted on Emergency Challenger Wesite details of how those 27 boats can be converted back to private licences.

 

What I would like to know is has anyone ever seen the Terms & Conditions that BW added in January 2007. My guess is very few. I would have thought that anyone signing a licence application or renewal form has a right to know what they are accepting?

[David Schweizer]

We bought our boat in the names of both myself and my wife, and it is registered, licenced and insured in both our names. However it always seems to be my boat when something expensive has to be paid for!!

[carlt]

We bought our boat in the names of both myself and my wife, and it is registered, licenced and insured in both our names. However it always seems to be my boat when something expensive has to be paid for!!

Mmmm..for me it's "your car's broken, again". I have never owned a Peugeot 406, though title shifts, temporarily, when it needs servicing and when it has to move more than 20 miles.

[1066]

Hands up who has licenced a boat in the last year.

When you signed as having "read and accepted" the terms and conditions did you read the new conditions introduced in January 2007.

Are you happy that BW now considers that "Private licences are strictly for boats kept for personal use by the licence holder"?

Thought not!

 

I normally read these things, but can't understand half of what I'm reading [so much for the 'Plain English' campaign].

 

Unfortunately, I need the license, so just accept anyway

[redfastlad]

Hands up who has licenced a boat in the last year.

 

When you signed as having "read and accepted" the terms and conditions did you read the new conditions introduced in January 2007.

 

Are you happy that BW now considers that "Private licences are strictly for boats kept for personal use by the licence holder"?

 

Thought not!

Might sound a little glitch but " Am i Bothered" talk about enjoy the water ways grow up u lot will kill the bloody thing before Bw can ever think up the ideas

[GRPCruiserman]

Hands up who has licenced a boat in the last year.

 

When you signed as having "read and accepted" the terms and conditions did you read the new conditions introduced in January 2007.

 

Are you happy that BW now considers that "Private licences are strictly for boats kept for personal use by the licence holder"?

 

Thought not!

 

The term 'Use by' is what needs definining.

 

If you own a boat and use it, and as part of that use you occasionally let other people drive it or even sleep on it, or sit on your settee within it, then as that personal use, your licence permits it.

 

If you lend it to someone as you may always have done as part of your use of that boat, ie it gives you pleasure to lend it to your friend, then surely that's part of your use of the boat as well.

 

If you are to apply stricter use of the term 'personal use by' then when the boat is moored up and you are at work, then it is NOT in use, and therefore not licenced.

 

That means every single boat that is moored up on it's own mooring is unlicenced as soon as you step off it, and if you decide to work the lock whilst your spouse drives the boat through, then again you have an unlicenced boat. Also if you empty your toilet leaving your spouse aboard, then the situation is the same.

 

This is a really silly statement that would not stand up if challenged in court and I believe is just to stop people operating businesses on private licences, but certainly could have been worded much better.

 

I cant see them taking someone to court under this clause.

 

I've said it before, a boat is a boat and licences should cost £xxx per foot per month, times 12 for yearly with say a 10% discount, with no restrictions, no minimum lengths, no 'bandings', just so much a month per foot. That way those with the financial means to buy bigger boats can pay the appropriate licence, and those of us on limited means could actually afford to keep a boat on the canal, and not have to trail it about to use it. No penalties for early cancellation, just so much a month per foot (or probably one third of a metre these days!!). Personally I think this should apply to moorings too, for similar reasons. If this scheme were brought in, and we take the average size of a boat to be say 40 feet long and who could pay £40 per month, then a 70 footer owner would pay £70 and I would pay £10 for my ten foot day boat. I would actually pay that, as I could afford it, as I am sure many others could, and suddenly BW would have many more customers with small boats and still fetch in the big bucks from the shiney narrowboaters. I also believe this would encourage the production of smaller boats again, say 20 footers for £20 a month licences. I am sure BW would receive more revenue for having all these extra customers instead of driving us low incomers off the waterways. It would be simple and you'd know before upgrading your boat exactlly how much it would cost to keep.

 

Sorry, I've gone off topic now!!

 

If they had no restrictions as to the actual purpose of the boat, ie pleasure, busines, residential, etc, then why would that be an issue? A boat still uses the same wear and tear on the banks and the locks. You don't see Sales Rep man paying a higher road tax than retired man who goes to the shops twice a week and to collect his pension from the post office on a Thursday paying any different road tax? Perhaps we should be campaigning that if the tax on Red Deisel is brought in, and the current tax on petrol boats continues, then that tax should be fed back to the waterways, so as to bring in more revenue and be fairer to those who use the canal more or less. How this would be measured, I don't know, but there are counters on the cut to Llangollen and elsewhere, so who knows??

[Allan(nb Albert)]

The term 'Use by' is what needs definining.

 

What they mean is that if you are a sole owner then its ok for you to licence the boat as private. If the boat is owned by more than one person then a private licence then extra conditions apply. For example, if you are a sole owner they are not bothered what name you have on the insurance certificate. If the boat is jointly owned then you have to have the name of the licence applicant.

[pwl]

What they mean is that if you are a sole owner then its ok for you to licence the boat as private. If the boat is owned by more than one person then a private licence then extra conditions apply. For example, if you are a sole owner they are not bothered what name you have on the insurance certificate. If the boat is jointly owned then you have to have the name of the licence applicant.

 

If the boat is in joint names (Mr & Mrs not 2+ unrelated parties) cant you apply in joint names?

 

P

[Allan(nb Albert)]

If the boat is in joint names (Mr & Mrs not 2+ unrelated parties) cant you apply in joint names?

 

P

 

The 1/1/2007 T's & C's say up to two names but the application form has never been amended for two owners/aplicants/register keepers or whatever BW is currently calling them.

[Pete of Ebor]

Hands up who has licenced a boat in the last year.

 

When you signed as having "read and accepted" the terms and conditions did you read the new conditions introduced in January 2007.

 

Are you happy that BW now considers that "Private licences are strictly for boats kept for personal use by the licence holder"?

 

Thought not!

Interesting. Does that also mean then that you can't lend your boat to someone else.. Say for example, you take you boat for a fortnight's cruise and arrange for friends to take their fortnight to bring it back to your base. You, the Licence holder, won't be using the boat...