Residents of West Yorkshire are being warned to make sure they are correctly licensed before settling down to enjoy live TV programmes.
An article in the Bradford Telegraph and Argus states that TV Licensing "officials", whatever they are, will be making unannounced spot checks on unlicensed properties within the area.
But rest assured that anyone visited by a TV Licensing salesman is well within their rights to turn the undesirable away. TV Licensing goons have no more visiting rights than any other peddler of immoral wares and we strongly recommend slamming the door on their noxious enquiries.
Matt Thompson, spinner of TV Licensing yarns, explains: "We've been meeting with local community groups over the past couple of weeks explaining the need to be correctly licensed and the risks associated with evasion.
"We would always prefer people to be licensed rather than risk prosecution. The actual rate of evasion continues to remain low, at between just five and six per cent, so we know most people are correctly licensed."
Further information about TV Licensing's rights of access can be found in our earlier post.
8 comments:
It's been a year now and I'm still waiting for someone to come and bang on my door, had plenty letters in that time but not a single visit
You've learnt first hand that TV Licensing threats are all bunkum!
If a tvl goon has a warrant with a police officer has the tvl goon got the right to search everyroom and move or touch your items ?
In the exceptionally rare event that a goon does have a search warrant, then the warrant grants them the power to enter and test any "television receiver" found on the premises. That would include touching.
TV Licensing's own policy is to only search the normal living areas of the property (e.g. the lounge, kitchen and possibly bedrooms). Even in the event of a warrant, they should never be rummaging about in drawers, attics, cellars and suchlike - there is no realistic prospect of a TV receiver being found in any of those places.
There is a lot more information about search warrants in our free ebook, which we encourage you to read and share:
http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html
Note that warrants are exceptionally rare. Anyone who does not legally need a TV licence should not be overly concerned about the threat of a warrant.
They can check every room,they may ask you to move item,but.you are not obliged to help them in any way,the police are mot allowd to search either as its mot there warrent and that should ne made clear,dont even think the police can he gain entry
Although they like to call themselves 'Officers' for these sort of visits they have no more right to question you or enter your property than the milkman has a right to inspect the contents of your fridge or ask you whether you drink semi-skimmed milk. Search warrants are granted in very rare occasions - in a large city such as Sheffield for example only 6 warrants in total were granted for the three years 2011, 2012 and 2013 ie. on average 2 per year for a city with a population of more than half a million (see https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/instances_of_evidence_submitted for the details). The enforcement procedure is based on self-incrimination ie. getting people to sign a 'confession' on their own doorsteps that they watch broadcast TV.
I'm worried.
Just had the guy at the door. He asked my name before declaring who he was. I stupidly gave it to him. I told him I did not need a license and told him he wasn't getting in. He said someone would be back. The problem is I was watching netflix in the background. Does this give them grounds for a warrant?
Warrants are very rare, so you're probably worrying over nothing.
They really need two pieces of evidence in order to obtain a warrant. If the goon thinks he/she heard you watching live broadcast TV programmes, then that could be offered as evidence. They'd need something else too.
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