TV Licences

• If you have your own individual tenancy agreement for a room in halls or for a room in a shared house and you use a TV in your room, you will need your own TV licence;
• If you have individual tenancy agreements in a shared house BUT you only have one TV set which is being used in a communal area, then only one licence is required;
• If you have a flat or a bedsit and your own tenancy agreement, you will need your own TV licence;
• If you live in a shared house and have a joint tenancy, one TV licence for the whole household will be enough and will cover all the sets in the house;

You must remember that you need a TV licence to watch or record TV programmes, irrespective of what device you are using and how you receive them. So, you still need a licence if you are using a computer, laptop or mobile phone for example to receive pictures. Equally, receive them by cable, satellite, terrestrial, internet or any other way and you need that licence!

REMEMBER - if you get caught without a TV licence you could face prosecution and a fine of up to £1000 plus the cost of the licence and court costs.

Moving out?

If you are moving out of halls or other student accommodation, your licence does not automatically go with you, you need to notify TV Licensing of your new address for this to happen. You can update your details by visiting www.tvlicensing.co.uk/students2008 and following the instructions. You can update your details up to 90 days in advance.

Leaving Uni for the summer?

If you are not staying at university over the summer and therefore don't need your TV licence again before it expires, you are entitled to a refund of any unused quarters which means three full calendar months. So, as long as you buy your licence in October and don't need it for the whole of July, August and September, you could be eligible for a refund.

To check if you are eligible for a refund, call 0844 800 6734.

Remember: The fine for not having a licence when you are using television receiving equipment is up to £1,000, plus court costs and the price of a licence too!

For more information see the Advice Centre leaflet entitled 'Council Tax & TV Licences'.

You might also want to check out www.tvlicensing.co.uk for the latest prices and methods of payments. Current costs (April 2008) are £139.50 for a colour TV and £45.50 for a black and white one.