With A-level results confirmed this month, TV Licensing is working with UCAS to help new students and their parents from the South West understand the law around watching TV before moving into university halls or rented student accommodation.  Information has been sent to 160,000 new students in UCAS confirmation packs and further resources are available for both students and parents at www.tvlicensing.co.uk/studentinfo

Just two out of five students ask their parents for advice about the TV Licence according to new research by TV Licensing*.  It’s important for students and their parents to know you need to be covered by a TV Licence to watch or record programmes as they are being shown on TV, on any device. Anyone caught watching TV without a TV Licence can face prosecution and a fine of up to a £1,000.

As 99 per cent of students own a device capable of streaming live TV*, it’s crucial freshers understand the law so they’re covered to watch the TV they love for the academic year ahead. Getting a TV Licence is an important part of the ‘to do list’ before students leave home.

When you need a TV Licence

A licence is needed if you’re watching or recording television programmes at the same time as they are being shown on TV. This is true no matter what device you’re watching on (including TV sets, laptops, mobile phones) and no matter how you’re receiving the programmes (including terrestrial, satellite, cable or digital television channels or via the internet). Anyone without a valid TV Licence who watches or records television programmes as described aboverisks prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.

• If you live in halls of residence and use a device to watch/record TV in your own room, you need your own separate TV Licence, it’s the law
• You also need your own licence if you are sharing a house with other students and use a device to watch/record TV in your room, and your room is a separately occupied place (a separate tenancy agreement would normally indicate that this is the case).
• If you have a separate tenancy agreement but a television is only being used in a communal area, then only one licence is required.
• If you are sharing a house with other students and you use a device to watch/record TV in your own room, but the house can be treated as one place shared by all, then only one TV Licence is required (a joint tenancy agreement would usually be evidence that the house is a single licensable place for this purpose).
• In the majority of cases, your parents’ TV Licence will not cover you.  You would only be covered by your parent’s licence if:
  ·         Your out-of-term address has a licence
  ·         AND you only use TV receiving equipment that is powered solely by its own internal batteries
  ·         AND you have not connected it to an aerial or plugged it into the mains.

How much is a TV Licence?

A colour TV Licence currently costs £145.50, and a black and white licence is £49. They will remain at these rates for the next few years as the TV Licence fee has been frozen until 2017.   

If you are moving back home for the summer from university and no longer need a TV Licence over the holidays, and there are three full calendar months before your licence expires, you are entitled to a refund for the unused, quarter of your licence, as long as you don’t need it again before it expires.

You will need to ensure you buy a licence early on, by the end of September or early October, in order to allow enough time at the end of the academic year to qualify for a refund. The refund on a TV Licence bought in 2013 will be £36.37.

To arrange your refund, or for further information, simply visit www.tvlicensing.co.uk/studentinfo where you can complete an online form, or call TV Licensing on 0300 790 6090.

More information

Richard Chapman, TV Licensing spokesperson for the South West, said “Starting university for the first time can be both exciting and daunting. With so much to think about, TV Licensing is on hand to clearly explain when a TV Licence is needed. A TV Licence can be bought online in minutes and costs £145.50 for the year. There are many ways to pay including weekly, monthly and quarterly payments. 

“Finance savvy students who move out of their term time address over the summer could be eligible for a refund of around £36, as long as your licence is still valid for at least three full calendar months and you don’t need it again before it expires.”

Lee Fellows, IT and Communications Officer for the Association of Student Residential Accommodation (ASRA) says, “Students and their parents will be spending the next few weeks planning, preparing and getting ready for university life. For many students, this will mean living away from home and their first experience of financial independence in their new digs. Just as ASRA provides support for student accommodation staff, TV Licensing is on hand to offer advice and information for both students and their parents when it comes to the TV Licence.”

TV Licensing works each year with universities, student publications and money advice services to provide literature and information to students starting university.

*Research was conducted by Harris Interactive among 220 students spread across universities in the UK in May 2013.