If you are looking in to cancelling your TV licence you probably have a lot of questions. Here I answer some of the most common ones.
I also answer some of the different questions on my YouTube channel. You can watch the videos here
Can I still own a TV if I don’t have a TV licence?
A. You can yes. Many people still believe that if you own a telly then you must pay for a licence, this is not true. You can own as many TV’s as you like. The licence is required if you watch or record TV as it’s being broadcast or if you use BBC iPlayer.
I’ve heard of people getting huge fines or going to prison for not having a licence?
A. As I said on the first question above, the licence is required if you watch or record TV as it’s being broadcast or if you use BBC iPlayer.
If you don’t pay for the licence and are caught watching live TV then you will get in to trouble. If however you play by the rules you will be fine.
Will I get visited by a scary inspector?
A. You may get a visit yes. The ‘inspectors’ are paid agents who earn commission by selling you a licence. They also like to scare people sometimes.
I have been visited multiple times, so have the people I have helped. The thing to remember is not to worry, open the door, be polite. If they say they are from TV licensing just close the door with a ‘no thank you’ and never sign anything.
They do not have the right to enter your property, so don’t be scared of them, just shut the door.
Won’t they send me scary letters with threats of court?
A. If you choose not to declare you don’t need a licence you will get loads of letters yes. But they are empty threats. Don’t worry, just throw them in the bin.
If you declare yourself licence free, the main way I recommend on this site, then you will get a letter every now and then asking if you need a licence yet.
Do I have to cancel my Sky / Cable subscription if I go licence free?
A. If you are cancelling your TV Licence why do you need a service that mostly provides live TV? Without a licence you can’t use that service.
Cancel it and move to another service, NowTV for instance will give you all the Sky content at cheaper price and all on demand.
What about those TV detector vans?
A. If you are sticking to the rules of not having a TV licence then you have nothing to worry about.
Also, the vans were fake! They never existed really, the myth of them was promoted to scare people in to buying a licence.