So glad it was helpful Martyn. We did take our time to work through how to do this calmly and legally and it's great to share what we did with similarly minded people.
I learnt from other licence cancelling videos that it`s best not to use the rights of access line on the goons because they could use it as a reason to get a search warrant because they`ll think you`ve got something to hide, most of us havn`t but you still don`t want the inconvenience of them calling with one and snooping around everywhere... that said never had a visit from them in 5yrs and counting.
@@alangthorpe To get a search warrant requires them to present evidence that you are watching broadcast TV. Denying assumed right of access isn't evidence of watching broadcast TV. Since we are 100% legal, the only way they could get a warrant would be to commit perjury. Once it was proved that we don't break the law (which is all that the warrant would do) there would be a subsequent investigation into how that warrant was obtained😉
@@EnglishCountryLife Fair enough, i was just stating what other youtubers have said in the past and shall pass on your wisdom as and when required in the future too 😀
There's plenty of ad supported streaming services too like pluto tv, freevee, plex and more. Especially if your not that bothered about the latest films/series.
We also cancelled our Tv license about 5 years ago. One of the things we ever did. Hope you’re both keeping well, and Fiona is having a speedy recovery xx
Over 12 years since I had a TV licence - I now have more entertainment than I have time to watch! Glad you haven't had any problems with TV Licencing harassment - that was certainly NOT the caase for me!
@@EnglishCountryLifeThanks for your thoughts. It was just a tirade of threatening letters. You know the sort of thing that you or I would get locked up for - but not them! Luckily many do not have to go through this, but a lot of us do. I don't understand why we should be treated as criminals when we unsubscribe from a service we no longer want. Liked you video though.
@@EnglishCountryLifeI totally agree. Having received them there is simply no way I would ever pay a penny to the BBC! This is a shame as they used to produce some really good rograms.
I just cancelled my TV licence. I don't watch live broadcasts or BBC iplayer. If the BBC wish to waste their money checking up on me then they can knock themselves out.
I never owned a TV when in the UK much preferring listening to music or reading a book. We have one here but that is only used by my partner as she is an avid film watcher, I just cannot sit still long enough to get to any of the credits! Useful upload for UK residents and I am sure many will take note and follow what you have done. Have a good weekend.
Brilliant. I used your letter as a template and have cancelled my TV license online and by letter. They responded to my letter in a very similar vein to the response you received. Thank you both 🙂
@@EnglishCountryLife Public broadcasting stations are funded by a combination of private donations from listeners and viewers, foundations and corporations. Funding for public television comes in roughly equal parts from government (at all levels) and the private sector. And let's not talk about how expensive cable is. We gave up cable years ago. We just subscribe to various streaming services depending on what we are watching. Once we have watched what we want we cancel.
@@EnglishCountryLife We haven't got there yet, I really wanted to wait for the final bit of Yellowstone. I'm in charge of the dipping in and out of streaming services as well -- I put a note in my diary to remind me to swap every few months 😁 We STILL fight the jackbooted thugs who leave notices under our (vacant) flat in the UK! Some folk can't believe you can 'do' without the BBC 🤣
Great video but would like to add a little info that may help everyone. A TV Licence is required if you record LIVE AS BROADCAST TV which includes +1 channels plus YOU WILL need a licence if you watch Live TV received in the UK from outside the UK (So any international sports events etc) via satellite.
You are smart to do what you are as the pricing is crazy! Smart couple, raising heritage chickens, featured columnists living the good life! Thanks for sharing tips on saving money! TV licenses?? Grocery rewards are the bomb!!
Thank you! We know people who spent over £100 a month on TV (between licence, subscription fees etc.). That's fine if you are really getting value but it's often just habit. There are better things to spend that on!
Removing implied right of access works with other agencies as well. Such as police (unless they have a warrant), bailiffs, utilities inspectors and more. A notice on the border of your property works or a convenient window near your front door. There are loads of online examples, some sensible, some not so.
I just cancelled my direct debit and removed the white arial lead from the room.Job done 👍 DO NOT be intimidated by bbc license letters and DO NOT let anyone from the bbc license department into your home without a warrant (which they will never have) You absolutely do not have inform the bbc about cancelling your payment and you absolutely do not have to explain to them why.Just completely ignore the threatening intimidating letters they send.
Well I've not had a television since February 2012, when I had a break-in and the telly was stolen. As a news and current affairs person, pretty much the only stuff I used to watch was BBC News 24/Sky News, Channel 4 News and Newsnight - in other words, the stuff most people don't watch. I never bothered replacing the telly as I was also a big radio listener too - particularly to stations suchas Radio 4 and the BBC World Service, which remains superb in it's news and current affairs output. It seems to me both television and the internet is 95% dross but that other 5% is good stuff but you have to dig a bit to find it - an example of the good stuff is the superb internet podcast The Rest is Politics with Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell. If the BBC still had a separate radio licence I would gladly buy one as I reckon Radio 4, the World Service, BBC 6 Music and parts of Radio 3 are generally highly impressive. Best wishes to you both and continued recovery for Fiona.
I think a subscription service for the bits that you want is a good thing. Fiona listens to a lot of podcasts (and indeed contributes to one), whereas I (Hugh) love audiobooks. Spoken word means we can do other things whilst listening
I cancelled 2 years ago and i received the remaining 5 months of money back. Today i received my first reminder letter. This is their first communication in 2 years. I love you tube on my tv. 3 years ago i had no internet on tv, and i was stuck with broadcast tv which i only watched for news, as no other stuff was worth watching. I thioght i would pine for it and i would want it back, but i can honestly say that cancelling was the best thing i ever did. Now i actually look forward to settling down in front of the tv. I feel sorry for people who are stuck with it in ignorance. Just like yourselves, i have detuned my sets and also removed all aerials and dishes. They went off for scrap, Thats how confident i am thst i shall never use it again, and even if they abolish it and advertise, i still shall not have it. I am still concerned about any visits though, so i shall execute that implied right of access clause. Very informative. Well done.
It's been almost 20 years since I've had a TV. I just download anything I want....I didn't get a computer to "pay" for stuff...lol. Pirate Bay, and Zlibrary are your friends!
Not possible to cancel this fee in Germany, unfortunatelly. Normally you just wouldn't believe that, but they assume, that every household posesses or is able to purchase devices, that can receive public brodcast services - therefore every household has to pay. I assume, the day will come our gouvernment regrets this "smart" move of enforcing payment.
I cancelled our BBC licence a few years ago. I'm guessing many others have had the same idea as the option to do it online had been removed. Instead it took one phone call, which was surprisingly easy (no threats to make us stay) and we even got a slight refund. I am quite happy just to watch a spot of Time Team or something that interests us on RUclips including some classic films. Plus I have picked up some great TV shows and movies from car boots and charity shops so we are never short of something to watch. Good luck with the leg, it's no fun hobbling around when it's a lovely day.
Thanks so much for the good wishes 😊. You can still declare no licence needed online but it's very hard to find! www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/telling-us-you-dont-need-a-tv-licence?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-_mvBhDwARIsAA-Q0Q6Drh8ALjA3ofZbg1JC5bv7KgCaJWCEAIUvCs2Dda7529Pva5xZ7CoaAi_oEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
I have not had a TV or a licence for well over twenty years. I just stopped paying. They regularly send letters to 'The Legal Occupier' as after seven years they assume that the occupant has moved. This also effectively removes your name from the database so they cannot legally address you as they have no personal name - it is the individual who is prosecuted, not the address. I drop all the letters straight in the shredder, and so there is no proof that I have had them - so whether they threaten or not I know not and care not.
Note the letter (time stamp 04:55) "We won't visit you again unless we're advised by you that it's ok to do so.... OR IF YOU DON'T RESPOND TO FUTURE COMMUNICATIONS" These are the mind games that they play. You'd think from what they say and the way they say it, the only way to stop threatening letters, threats of enforcement visits, court, criminal record, £1,000 fines etc - is to just pay £170 a year to shut them up, whether you use the service or not. Which other organisation or government department could get away with this?! And I say Government department carefully, I have it in writing from the Dept of Culture, Media and Sport that the 'Licence' is officially a 'Tax', so no arguing with that! As long as you are NOT breaking the law by watching live TV on ANY Channel, or using (at all) BBC iPlayer/catch up radio etc (BBC Sounds?) then you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Don't bother opening the letters and tell the licence inspector to take a short walk if they knock, and forget about it. Remember, they need to absolutely prove that you have broken the law, you don't need to prove that you HAVEN'T broken it. This is one of the truly rare instances of 'If you've done nothing wrong you've got nothing to worry about'. Imagine how much you could sue for if they showed up with the police (for which they would need 'foundation evidence' to get a warrant) and they checked and you'd not broken the law?
You are completely correct in what you say. Our choice was to avoid the hassle of letters and visits - we simply don't want unwelcome cold callers. Totally agree that it shouldn't be necessary
I havent watched live tv for several years.... it's full of rubbish ads and actually pretty boring! I grew up going to video stores ( later DVD ) I remember looking into streaming for movies. I picked out 5 and went looking to see which service had them all🤷♂️ None, is the answer. So I never went down that path. Maybe 8f there was a `1 to rule them all` i may have, anyway.... i actually opshop movies and shows I want....yes this takes longer, but I do own them!....besides that where I am in Australia the internet service is slow so the good old DVD I better for me. I do however follow your logic with music, I just signed up for 3mths of Deezer for the price of 1. Then I chop and change between having a discounted service, or only having my own music collection. Quite happy with that. Happy viewing.😀🙏
Thank you! You are right of course, streaming requires decent bandwidth. Of course I can get a streaming service for £5 a month - which is less than I used to pay for two DVD rentals!
@@EnglishCountryLife yes, true.... my bandwidth isn’t brilliant so that’s one issue. But I used to get a $7 deal. 1 new release and 3 weeklies 😉 I think as I mentioned, if there was a single outlet for streaming I may still opt in? 😉🙏
Did you write to them removing implied right of access? They confirmed to us, in writing, that they would not attend our property (you can see the letter on our website).
I opted out about 6 months ago as I don’t even watch any of it. I watch RUclips maybe too often 😂 Once you opt out they will send you a letter saying you won’t hear from them for 2 years.
I've never paid the licence and I've discontinued all subscription services. They are all pumping out so much garbage at the moment. Physical media of the things I actually want to watch is all I need
Where do you find the time to a) search through all the channels to see what's on and b) to actually watch all the programmes you have chosen. Bearing in mind all the things around the smallholding you have to do and all the filming and editing for you tube. Talking of which, did I mention it might make a good video show how you do this ? A sort of 'fly on the wall' type of thing. 😛
Honestly we don't search regularly. We try to have an hour a day before bed where we watch a hood show together. We have a few on the go at any one time (so for example the new adaptation of Shogun and Masters of the Air right now). As one show runs out (which takes a while if there are several seasons) we find another. We basically have an hour after putting the chooks to bed 🙂
I done mine 5 yrs ago too but the online site kept sending me round in circles so i could not cancel the licence so i rang them and done it over the phone, also they told me they could do it for 2yrs only and i`d have to get back in touch to re confirm i`m not using the live broadcast services for another 2yrs, i don`t know about you but once it`s cancelled i`m not telling them again every 2yrs, we don`t do it for anything else do we?
We just use the online form every 2 years Alan. It is tricky to find but this is a link. www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/telling-us-you-dont-need-a-tv-licence?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-_mvBhDwARIsAA-Q0Q6Drh8ALjA3ofZbg1JC5bv7KgCaJWCEAIUvCs2Dda7529Pva5xZ7CoaAi_oEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
We notified them about six years ago but when the 2 years was up it peed me off that I was expected to declare yet again that no license was needed. So We've never bothered declaring again, we receive letters to 'the occupier' which promptly goes in the bin. The amount of visits we were supposed to expect have come to zilch. If their goons do show up they won't be allowed in (we have nothing to hide) and we will just say no thanks and close the door. We never watch any live stream or bbc/iPlayer anyway so when we were paying it was just wasted money we can't afford.
When I cancelled I just told them, had a friendly email acknowledgment and no further comms. Think the days of visits, detector vans (!!) etc are over. Too expensive. However I believe in the bbc as a service and listen to the radio so have bought a licence for the last year. Good value considering what a daily newspaper would cost for example. Jan.
If it's a useful service for the individual I think it's great - very much an individual choice. For us we just weren't getting value. We do listen a lot - but it's audiobooks & podcasts for us
you can't always delete iplayer on some models, however you can reset your TV as if you were in another country .. that way iplayer won't be installed .. However ( again) you can have iplayer on your TV as long as you don't use it. I'm very near to being able to cancel my licence as I only watch youtube, netflix and amazon. but the wife watches some of the reality shite.. once i've weaned her off them I intend to just cancel my licence. The reason for this is that I don't see why I should tell the BBC why im not using their service.. I'll just return to sender the letters.
That's good information on iPlayer - we weren't aware of that. It worked on our devices but obviously there are lots of other makes and models out there
Are you sure that "livestreamed" content is compliant? There have been opinions that only on demand is compliant. If you are watching when they first "broadcast" then it is broadcast and straying into licence territory. Ive heard that even people receiving live foreign satellite programmes get caught out. I dont know , but it is worth being sure.
Any broadcast satellite is definitely out h from any location. Livestream is effectively broadcast TV so again to be avoided. These are covered on the TV Licensing channel. Effectively, if its live, its no.
We don't watch tv much...recently cancelled virgin tv because of it but we still can receive freeview. Cancelled our rip off licence decades ago....Was emailed they may send someone round just to check. I did exactly what was said in this vid...I emailed them that (under a certain act).. I'm removing their implied right of access & if they enter my property they will be prosecuted....they acknowledged this & said they would use other means of detection (lol). Never heard from them since! I remember the days when they had detector vans with aerials on top apparently going around..musta been a con because tech has moved on but yet no vans anymore? 😂
It's a subscription like any other, if you want to watch live broadcast you need a licence, you really do not need to be ringing these companies up to explain you don't require a tv licence subscription, let them visit and simply politely say no thank you and close the door, that being said if you are watching live TV broadcast uk then get a licence, I myself haven't had one in 15 years but still get junk mail regularly even though I did say I do not require one.. They do use very persistent bullying tactics, they are paid vast amounts to do so to keep their contract on behalf of the BBC, it's simple do not worry yourselves if you are not viewing live broadcast.
@@owenjones7620 Or spend less than 10 minutes and avoid all the junk mail, all the visits and just enjoy the peace. Personally, we aren't looking for drama (although it seems that some people enjoy it)
We only have internet service so we only stream what we want to watch commercial free. We don’t mind not watching shows that are not broadcast at the moment. Most of the shows here in the US aren’t worth watching today.
No current UK law requires a TV license, at an address, Your Not required to inform Anyone, Your Not required to modify the TV or remove any cabling, aerials, dishes etc, The TV license is Only for watching Live broadcast TV or BBC i player, nothing else... You are completely within the law to cancel or not purchase a TV license and not inform Anyone of your actions, in fact accomplishing a self declaration will require all of your personal details... Removing the rights of access assumptions would require informing not just the BBC but All of the subcontracted companies too. Been license free for over 10 yrs, the begging letters go in the bin and if they come round to attempt to gain access or gain information, it’s met with a polite, no thank you and the door is closed, Their agents have NO rights to enter your home, NO rights to request any information.
Quite correct (except that informing the BBC of removing rights of access also requires them to inform their agents). We just do the paperwork to avoid the letters and visits, which suits us. We removed the aerial because we have no use for it & it demonstrates our honesty
It's safer to remove the aerial or dish connection, if they ever obtained a warrant they'd claim it's equipped for watching live broadcast television and with the totally unfair so called single justice system where they often don't even consider evidence, you'd probably end up being another stamp and fine. That said the only way they'd ever obtain a warrant in the first place is if you engage with a goon that then stitches you up or they catch you red handed, E.g. live TV is visible when you open the door (that happened to a neighbour who was watching the cricket with his door open on a hot day lol), if you play a straight game and never engage with the goons there will never be an issue.
There is no legal requirement to inform them that you don’t require a license. What you do in the privacy of you’re own home is no one's business but your own.
We wanted to be legal and left alone so this was the right approach for us. Some people seem to enjoy the drama of letters and inspector visits but we prefer a quiet life
Those letters are no problem and they are not going to enter your house to check tv's, You seem to be living in a remote property just put some high gates and a fence up.
@@zog97xy Why would I do all that when 10 minutes of admin means that I don't need to? I really don't understand why people are willing to put up with visits and letters when they can make it all stop with a few minutes effort?
@@EnglishCountryLife The reason you got visits in the first place was because you engaged with them, anybody can own a tv you dont need to detune them, those letters are only junk mail I bet you still get junk mail.
@@zog97xy We never have had any visits - we took these steps to ensure that they didn't start. Five years in, never had a visit or a rude letter. Its worked very well for us. We have nothing to hide & are happy to write a letter to guarantee our peace & quiet 🙂
The law states equipment that is capable of receiving live feed requires a license i.e. If you have a computer, it's possible to watch a live feed from various channels and weather webcams etc....... I therefore feel you still need a licence ?
I suggest that you consult TV Licensing Website which states "You don't need a TV Licence to watch on demand programmes on Netflix." www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ104#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20watching%20a%20TV%20programme%20live%20on%20Netflix,on%20demand%20programmes%20on%20Netflix.
@@EnglishCountryLife I stand by my statement - You own a computer which is possible to watch a live feed - then you need a licence currently... I'm not talking about Netflix, I'm referring to any live feed...
@@john3LeeI'm sorry to say so, but you are simply wrong. This is from TV Licensing's own website. "You don't need a TV Licence to own or possess a television set. However, if you use it to watch or record programmes as they are being shown on TV or live on an online TV service, or to download or watch BBC programmes on demand, including catch up TV, on BBC iPlayer, then you need a TV Licence in order to do so." www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/foi-legal-framework-AB16#:~:text=You%20don%27t%20need%20a,in%20order%20to%20do%20so.
Just posted a comment on how to bypass ISP's blocking your access to content and y8ou t8ube cen8sored it...will repost using characters to obfuscate their anti-knowledge algorgithms
Not really....y8out8ube...they censor stuff constantly...I will send what I wrote to you directly as I've found your web site which youtube can't censor...cheers @@EnglishCountryLife
We live in a city, and gave up paying the licence fee 10 years ago Lots and Lots of letters, No visits .. No hassles. We don’t watch or record Live TV and we don’t use BBC iplayer. We stream Netflix,Prime, and catch up.
@@EnglishCountryLife No …..We just got fed up with all the repeated programming output at the time, decided enough is enough and stopped paying. Love the letters I photograph them and send them out to family and friends to prove I don’t pay. But if we did get a visit I’d just tell them I don’t require one and close the door. In order to get a warrant to enter they have to be able to prove you are watching or recording live TV ….. (not that we do), which is almost impossible to do. They rely on the occupiers to say something that would incriminate themselves when questioning them on a door step. You may wish to refer to the “blackbelt barristers” RUclips channel who is a KC and practices law in England and Wales, who has done many videos on this subject and gives a sound understanding of what your rights are. Especially about the implied right of access which is not totally an answer to unwanted visits.
No……. We love the letters, we photograph them and send them to friends and family to prove we don’t pay and ridicule them for doing so, it’s amazing how many of them pay through the fear of criminality, which the BBC pray on. As for any enforcement visits that may occur I assumed would have happened, we’d just say we don’t need one and close the door. The RUclips channel ”Blackbelt Barrister” a practicing KC in England and Wales is superb for understanding your rights.
@@henryjohn-vt3mw If that works for you, that's great 😃. We simply didn't want the letters and visits so did the paperwork to maintain the quiet life that we love 😊
How funny, I got a letter today saying they are going to come and check even though we don't have TV or watch it on demand and I have told them. I didn't realise about the law rights of your property. Thank you for that, very informative! 👍👌
So glad that it helped you. If they do turn up, you don't have to let them in unless they have a Search Warrant. If they haven't you are entitled to ask them to leave (and they must leave by their own rules, and the law)
Well I've not needed a TV Licence for twelve years and to be fair I've only had one visit in those twelve years. The letters can be intimidating at first but after a couple of annual reminders they tend to settle down and, as Hugh said, it's pretty much all done online now: a quick fill-in of the form and it's all done.
I don't watch live TV or BBC iPlayer and I therefore DONT need a TV license, simple. I also don't have a shotgun so I don't need a Gun license. I don't inform the police that I don't need a gun license, they would be very suspicious if I did because it wouldn't make any sense to do so. YET the BBC expect me to declare every 2 years that I don't need a TV license, Its not a legal requirement so stuff you BBC. TO BE CLEAR I don't watch live TV or BBC iPlayer EVER, I have a TV quite legally which is used to watch videos and Netflix etc and its also used as a computer monitor. I have not detuned it and the flat I live in has inbuilt Aerial and satellite equipment built in AND do you know what! That's ALRIGHT, because you can't be prosecuted for owning a TV. ITS WATCHING LIVE TV that's the offense, and even if I owned 50 TV's as long as I don't watch Live TV(or BBC iPlayer) that would be alright. Lets now talk about enforcement officers(GOONS to those in the know), They have no more authority than an insurance or double glazing salesmen or even a milkman(do you remember them lol) and if one turns up at my door I tell them to sling their hook! there is a large sticker on the entrance to my block of flats saying NO COLD CALLERS, and that's what they are! salesmen trying to sell you a TV license you don't legally need, or tripping you up so the BBC can prosecute you, both of which earns them a commission. So don't engage with them, if you want to be polite( I don't know why because GOONS are the scum of the earth) just say "no thanks" and shut the door, THAT IS YOUR LEGAL RIGHT! and don't let anyone tell you different. Above all, NEVER! I repeat, NEVER, let them onto your property or EVER sign anything. P.S. I'm 75 so could apply for a free TV license(I'm on pension credits) and choose NOT to. I don't want to watch Live TV(any channel but especially the BBC). I would love them to try to prosecute me, I would make them more of a laughing stock than they already are.(sorry for the rant)
Rant away 😁. You are right that we don't legally have to declare anything. We choose to because we don't want TV Licencing to come on our property at all. It's the price we pay for calmness and peace 😉
£170 per year doesn't sound much but added to the other yearly expenses, car insurance and similar, it all builds up. The people probably at risk of Capita's fraudulent activities are single mums. You can plonk the kids in front of the telly and get on with the chores. Capita knows this so single mums are the target group. This upload must be the clearest and most concise guide to stop paying the TV licence I've seen yet. Brilliant!
I didn't make the NLN Declaration, and I didn't do WOIRA. They've spent who knows how much money (none of which of course is mine 😊) sending me 140 letters, and visiting me at least a dozen times. I'm delighted to have cost them all this money.
All you have to do is cancel the direct debit and if anyone knocks your door just ignore it. I cancelled mine a few years back and I get letters saying they are coming to see me but they go in the bin and I have had 2 men come to ask if I have a licence and I just say not interested and close the door. These people are not from the bbc they are from capita and they get paid for each person who buys a licence so don't get anxious
@@AngelaVara-i4l You absolutely can do that - you don't have to prove your innocence. We went a bit further just to avoid letters and visitors that we didn't want
I love that additional letter to the BBC about withdrawing the right of implied access, that's absolutely great. I'll definitely do that as well when I give up my licence next month.
@@kevinthegerbil2708 Interesting - what did they say when they replied to your letter? They acknowledged mine & said that no inspector would call - and in 5 years, none have.
I haven't bought a TV licence for a good fair years now, and I get threatened, the letters get more and more abrupt, they knock on the door but I don't open it, they call through the letter box, and my windows, they say their getting enfocers from another county, I've been threatened with jail so many times, but I don't watch the BBC i don't listen to the BBC, shite programs, radio 1 now resembles radio so boring they should market it as a sleeping aid!! No, never again will i buy a licence to watch the TV that ive already bought and paid for 🌹🇬🇧🇬🇧
About to live without my techie partner after ten years. I have no idea how to do all this now so thank you! Will be sending this video to myself for when i move out. And I've subscribed! 😊
What a spendid and clear video. I will be referring back to this. At the moment my father lives with us and watches SKY. But one day - when he is no longer with us I will be cancelling the TV licence. I simply can't remember when I watched live tv - must be years ago now.
Thanks Dave. My old Mum had Sky in her retirement flat. When I checked she was paying £70 a month! When I rang to cancel they said "oh we could offer those channels for much less". I was not a happy man.
The ONLY way to stop letters and "visits" is to hand the BBC your details and i REFUSE to do that. You have ZERO obligation to give them your details. Let them send letters (costs them money), let them send their goons, they soon get sent packing. Giving them your details is the WORST way to deal with them.
It's a personal choice. It took us a few minutes and avoided annoying letters & visits. We are quite happy to put our names on that since we are doing nothing wrong. It's a personal choice but we can't see a problem with it?
The issue is now the BBC have your name, it is a lot easier for them to raise a warrant if they ever decide to do so. Which is an entirely different rabbit hole. The less you tell the BBC and their agents, the better. @@EnglishCountryLife
@@Cornz38 They have no legal basis to raise a warrant nor any evidence to submit to obtain a warrant. We don't watch broadcast TV and have no capability to receive a broadcast. We have nothing to hide.
I'd never give any details to Capita, corporate thugs, the clue is on the letter you receive " To The Occupier" well go take Mr Occupier to court or issue him with a warrant. Never would Capita get my name and seriously I've never had one ounce of hassle.
Great info! I do not have to get License in Canada. But I get free by air Channels. I had to get a digital TV set, to Seek the new Channels. But, I stopped watching TV about 10 yrs ago. My father watched it until 8 years ago. I don't have my TV connected. I just sits on the cabinet. Lol My daughter though, uses my Internet and Streaming Subscriptions. I don't bother watching anything. Not online either. I broke the habit about 30 years ago. I worked day and night, for 10 years straight. I had ONE favorite Show. If I wasn't home, I missed it. End of story. It got so my one Show was On at same time as the children's Fave and I would often find I Lose! So I just Quit. Tired of being Denied. Don't watch, can't be Abused! Lol Now I simply WONT watch the Brainashing...
Thank you for this, I'm sure it will help people. When you say you removed the aerial, do you mean you just unplugged it from the back of the set, or did you remove it from your roof? I'd be wary about withdrawing implied right of access though. They must have many people cancelling their licences and this would give them a way to narrow down their search, if they thought it meant you had something to hide. You don't have to speak to them or let them in. I suspect a lot of people think it's OK to watch live TV as long as it's not BBC, and they don't mind telling them either 😂
We literally removed the aerial and unplugged sets from the wall. Removing the implied right of access has only had one effect in five years- we've not been bothered at all. As for "narrowing the search", that's okay we are fully legal and have nothing to hide. They seem to accept that. They've confirmed in writing that they will not visit us.
This is excellent information - there is so little we watch now on the BBC that I’ve been trying to get him indoors to consider it, however we may have to purchase a new TV. And can I be arsed to keep subscribing and cancelling? (Your house is so pretty and I love the brickwork and windows - yes I should get out more - hope the ankle heals soon).
Certainly the endless repeats got to us. There is just so much better programming available. £14+ a month when much of their budget seems to be spent mostly on soap operas, game shows & pop music radio
Clear and informative! I wonder if anyone could help here. If I use Virginmedia tv bundle plan, do I still have to pay for the annual tv license fee? I've done numerous search online but no specific answer to that. Some say yes some say no.
If the plan includes any station with a broadcast schedule or iPlayer, you need a licence. If it is "on demand" TV only, like Netflix, you don't. Can you watch things like the News? Then you need a licence
Spot on. I don't pay TV licence on a point of principle, but don't watch any live TV either and frankly best thing we ever did. What we do now watch we actually choose to watch rather than randomly scrolling through what is in the TV guide. So, like you, perfectly leggit, saving money and enjoying watching what we actually choose to.
The government's only concern is how to continue funding the BBC with public money with so many people no longer paying it rather than them standing on their own two feet like every other television company, they already have BBC studios that makes big profits and even sells programmes to themselves at the BBC paid for by the licence, it's an utter piss take. If they can get away with it they'll ultimately force us to pay for the BBC using another taxation method, for instance adding it to council tax, a broadband levy or even general taxation. Removing implied rights of access can sometimes make you appear suspicious, best to just ignore them, if they turn up just say "no thanks" and shut the door, never engage.
I don't understand why people worry about removing implied right of access. We have nothing to hide and don't mind who knows we don't have a licence. We have no capability of watching live broadcast and will not be hassled about it.
The BBC isn't just a television company: it provides an outstanding national radio service - Radio 4, BBC World Service, BBC 6 Music and Radio 3 are superb. It's news service is second to none and BBC sounds is mightily impressive. There's no commercial company anywhere that has the breadth of the BBC.
@@martydav9475 It is important to reflect that Radio 1,2,3,4,5 & 6 and the World Service all have declining listening figures. Broadcast voice and broadcast music suffer from the same issue as broadcast television. In the age of podcasts, audiobooks, Spotify and Apple play it's no longer necessary or even logical to listen to what someone else decides, when they decide. radiotoday.co.uk/2024/02/rajar-q4-2023-observations-and-record-listening-figures-for-commercial-radio/#:~:text=BBC%20Radio%203%20is%20down,2.75%20to%202.5m%20listeners. pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/broadcast/bbc-annual-report-2022-2023-world-service-reach-declines/
@@martydav9475 I disagree, especially on the news service which strongly pushes government propaganda despite claiming to be unbiased, but if you like it then a subscription service would suit you fine, if enough people think it's good it will survive while people have the choice, we shouldn't be forced to pay the BBC to watch other services.
@@martydav9475 ... Indeed, and of course, the BBC is a *very* powerful propaganda machine in the Government's tool box of control, power and manipulation. Personally, I do not pay for propaganda.
Removing the implied right of access isn't a great idea, as it makes it more likely they'll apply for a warrant to search your house. You're better off completing the no license needed form every 2 years. I haven't had a licence for over a decade, and I've never had a visit from their goons.
I can't see how they could obtain a warrant short of committing perjury. They need to produce evidence to obtain a warrant and we neither watch live programmes nor have the capability of doing so.
Appreciate this is "English Country Life" which, I add, looks fantastic by the way, but just wanted to throw a little snippet in myself being resident in Scotland (although I am, by birth English, long story!). The "Implied right of access" doesn't (believe it or not) exist in Scotland, it could be a similar thing for Wales and NI too, but in Scotland if you write to TV Licencing to revoke the implied right of access it does not have any effect. Instead, here in Scotland, you have to make them aware of the trespass laws. This law states "Under Scottish common law, a landowner has the right to exclusive possession of their property. Accordingly, if someone enters a property without the lawful authority of the landowner or refuses to leave the property, then this may constitute a criminal offence under the Trespass (Scotland) Act 1865." Anyone in Scotland looking to do this needs to write explaining TV licencing and their agents are no longer welcome on the land, and any such refusal to acknowledge a letter from the owner will result in trespass. I've not tested this myself, but plan to if TV licencing decide to come to my property. Hope this helps someone.
I'm 36 years licence free, I did pay for one between Aug. 2011 and Aug. 2016 but cancelled it when I changed BB providers. They give a two year exemption when you first cancel but they might visit to see if you need a licence. Just don't renew the exemption after the first two years, they will send letters with various threats of goons visiting or will you be in on a certain date, that is one date they won't turn up, for £65 you can get a VPN for two years and watch geo-locked content. I regularly watch Tubi TV and ABS through the VPN. I can watch all the content I like from the streaming services for free. TVL only have 135 visiting officers and 34 backroom staff, a total of 169, if they operate in Scotland then they have to work in pairs meaning two goons to visit one address so that one goon can back up anything the other goon says if they have to give evidence in court. That's why there are so few convictions in Scotland as there needs to be two goons visiting every address.
So glad I came across your channel, which was through you making your furniture polish, which I have made in the past from another site and forgot the ratio I needed and yours popped up. Your channel is very interesting and so nice to find a channel on you tube homesteading in the UK. There are lots in US not many in the UK. Thank you for sharing and I hope Fiona has got her cast off now. Your home looks beautiful and your garden stunning. What do you use to control all the pests in your garden? Do you make your own for aphids, etc etc? Have a lovely day.
Hi & thank you! We don't have too bad an insect problem as we have healthy populations of wrens, thrushes & hedgehogs. We do have fruit cages and brassica cages to protect crops
Thank you both for a well thought and put together video. From a radio perspective BBC Sounds is free and has some great content. Some of the audio streams no services also have podcasts and audio books- Some one once said the pictures on radio were made ch better! Enjoy streaming as you pay what you want and chose a time that suites you. DVD and blue ray discs are so cheap that this provides to streaming! It’s time the BBC made a change to its funding away from enforcement to user choice and not legal enforcement!
Thing is I used to like watching BBC but it changed and that's why I don't watch bbc or any live channel. Plenty online to watch... You tube is pretty good 😊
I did all that you did and I get letters on a regular basis in fact I received a letter this very morning. I’ve also had visits from their salesman, I get them to identify themselves then I simply say No Thank you and close the door. No need to be rude just don’t talk to them you have no obligation to.
Have filled in the online form in the last 2 years? We get no letters at all www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/telling-us-you-dont-need-a-tv-licence?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-_mvBhDwARIsAA-Q0Q6Drh8ALjA3ofZbg1JC5bv7KgCaJWCEAIUvCs2Dda7529Pva5xZ7CoaAi_oEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
I think not getting visits has a lot to do with where you live. If you live in the middle of nowhere it’s probably not worth their time and effort to bother you, totally agree with you a polite no thank will suffice.
@@krisradjpaul278 To be fair once we revoked the Implied right of access in writing, they wrote back assuring us that they would not visit our home. You can read the letter on our website (link in the description)
But if course, even though you've de-tuned your tvs, you can indeed still watch live TV, via the catch-up services, so no one can be completely free of potential accusations. We too have been Licence free having notified them and all we get is a reminder letter every two years to renew our declaration.
You make a good point. If they made such an accusation however they would of course need to prove it beyond reasonable doubt. I suppose they could obtain records from ISPs?
I think getting information from ISPs would require the same burden of proof as applying for a warrant to enter your property and that isn't easy. @@EnglishCountryLife
you dont look like you live in buildup area are you a gest (20mile out of the local big town or village, one or two homes in the middle of no where, how on a sale commission basses, going set out for full day to nock on two or three doors?, now change to local city counel or private home in build up area, planty of doors to nock on, and if yours one of them, you goimg to get a visit, yearly, monthly, weekly, how ever long it takes go around the list none TV viewing addresses, and you actually putting your sefe on that list with them? the poeple you are dealing with are slippy, after all the want to make a sale, and especially get un licences address that watches tv, finding bonuses, and we all now point make prize or in this case cash, that more the better?
The point here is that TV Licencing have written to us, officially, confirming that they will not visit us. They have stuck to that. You can see the letter on our website.
We like you were not watching then covid struck and I wanted to keep all the cash I could. I covered over my aerial socket with a blanking plate and password locked out iPlayer with a password set whilst not looking. I still get the hilarious threat letters though.
@@EnglishCountryLife Oh no, not one bit. People look at us like aliens when we say we don't have a license. If we go to a hotel or holiday home for a week and switch on the TV...it's awful the garbage they must watch. The shows are now also geared to more adverts and constant recaps of what happened in the previous 10 minutes. As you say, the good 5% from BBC ends up on Netflix anyway... Just walk away folks! Save your money.
Thank you for your kind reply. I do appreciate your decision to remove all terrestrial TV but think it is totally unnecessary. You have deprived yourself of programs you would legally be entitled to watch without a TV licence. Personally I don't see the drama of putting unwanted mail in the bin and shutting the door on unwanted callers. It's not that dramatic. But I respect your choice but it's not good advice for those not wishing to pay the TV licence. You are not breaking the law not having a TV licence.
Those who are prosecuted are fools who have either admitted to watching live tv to to goon at the door or let them in to their property to snoop around. I reiterate "It is not a criminal offence not to have a TV licence. It is only an offence to watch live broadcasts without a licence. But Hey Ho! who's to know if you do. There are worse crimes that people get away with. Grow a pair. Roll over for the BBC.
@@adeaston6553 We are not going to advise people to commit a criminal offence. What you do is your business. We prefer to watch streaming services hassle free and legally. We have no desire to watch the BBC and almost everything else is available legally at a more convenient time on catch up. There really is no logic in breaking the law.
I am NOT breaking the law by NOT having A TV licence. "Don't you get it"! It is not a criminal offence NOT to have a TV licence. I haven't had a TV Licence in 6 years and I'm not breaking the law. Good luck with expensive streaming of American Junk TV. Mind you the BBC is no better.
@@adeaston6553 I agree not having a TV licence is fine. Watching or recording any broadcast TV without a licence is an offense though, which is why we ensured that our TVs cannot do that. Which is exactly what we advised in the video. Unless you plan to commit an offense it's just good sense to ensure that your TV is only set up for legal activities. I'm sure you agree
They IGNORE the retraction of implied rite of access notice. They simply send another goon who denies knowledge. They IGNOR everything you say and inform of. DO NOT CORRESPOND AT ALL. Shut the door to them. The more anyone corresponds the more likely you cave in, this is their model. Ignore them and you will eventually be left alone.
They didn't ignore ours, quite the opposite. They acknowledged receipt of it, confirmed that they understood what it meant & agreed that they would not send inspectors to our property. That was many years ago & they have never called here. What did they say in the letter that they sent you after you wrote to you?
@@EnglishCountryLife I told them verbally at the door. They kept coming around. It all depends where people live too. Many uploads on tube prove this, even with written correspondence. Hope the leg gets better by the way. Kind regards, Kevin.
@@kevinthegerbil2708 I think a signed letter, sent recorded or special delivery is vital. It provides a written trail of evidence that they cannot legally ignore. It certainly worked for us as they replied in writing and have complied ever since. Thanks for the good wishes
This may clarify. Utube, Channel "Blackbelt Barrister" TV Licensing-Remove implied Right of Access. His channel goes further in-depth of peoples experiences after this. Kind regards, Kevin.
I cancelled in 2010, kids still watch tv, I don't. We stream as well. Never had a visit, and all letters go straight in the bin. Do I care? Nope. I use RUclips for live sports etc, illegal maybe, unlawful no. To be honest, no one needs tv. I would sub, but your misinformation about removing implied rights of access, makes TVL get a search warrant EASIER 🤦♂️
I assure you that the implied right of access information is accurate (and acknowledged in writing by TV Licensing - you can read the letter on our website). I cannot see there is any possibility of a search warrant since we genuinely are 100% legal, but even if they did obtain one they will not discover any watching of Live TV or use of iPlayer so, no problem.
You have done the NO TV Licence in a very proper way. I just bin all the letters and tell the goons if they call to F Off! there is nothing they can do as they have no right of entry (unless you are stupid enough to let them into your home)they aren't even allowed to look through your window to see if you are watching live TV. Top Tip never engage in conversation with a goon just tell them to sling their hook and close the door. There is nothing they can do about it. lol
free deals are all very well & good but the fact is that any streaming service will be more money every year than the tv licence. I personally dont pay the tv licence as i dont watch any tv or the iplayer.
Most streaming services cost far less than the TV Licence. From next month a TV licence costs £14.12 a month. Netflix can be had for £4.99 a month. Apple TV is £8.99. Disney plus is £4.99. So in reality almost every streaming service and even multiple services cost far less than a TV licence
It's really not a good idea to remove the implied right of access. This raises the question as to why you would do this which is enough to raise suspicions that you may be wrong-doing, and with enough suspicion they could get a warrant to search your property. Now, I know that you have nothing to hide but you were trying to avoid a visit and this action might just get you one.
I can only speak to my experience which is that 5 years after removing the implied right of access we have had no visits, no letters and a thoroughly pleasant and untroubled time of it. I explained in my letter why I was doing it (I do not watch live TV or use iPlayer, I have confirmed this online & in writing). I don't believe that this constitutes evidence that would justify a search warrant and indeed my first hand experience confirms this to be the case
@@EnglishCountryLife That's fine and fingers crossed it continues; personally I'm into year 3 of no licence and I'm visit free as well. I just wanted to make the point because I don't think it's good to recommend this course of action, generally speaking.
@@geoffclements269 We must agree to disagree on this point. TV Licensing confirmed to us, in writing, that they accepted the instruction & would not call. They made no mention of considering it in any way suspicious & I suspect they would struggle to make that case half a decade later
@@EnglishCountryLife Please don't misunderstand me, I think you'll be fine and unlikely to get any unwelcome visits, but plenty of people have already had visits and if they're already under suspicion, removing implied right of access will just increase that suspicion and, with a warrant, they can enter whether there's a right of access or not.
@@geoffclements269 They can indeed but you need to show evidence to get a warrant. A signed, politely worded letter requesting not to be bothered in your own home, does not offer evidence of criminal behaviour. I am passionate about this. I will not hide in my own home, nor will I be bullied or threatened to allow a warrantless search of my law abiding home. We comply with the law. We are entitled to the peaceful occupation of our home without unwanted callers demanding, without legal basis, that we prove our innocence.
@@EnglishCountryLife one could say it's similar to being Ms or Mrs, rather than simply you as a woman. It's a legal entity, as opposed to a physical presence, something of real substance.
Britain is England, Scotland and Wales. It becomes the United Kingdom when the province of Northern Ireland, because it is a province, is included with the other three.
This is a tv license cancel video that gave me more info especially around the letter on access, re-tuning disconnected TV sets I hadn't thought of
So glad it was helpful Martyn. We did take our time to work through how to do this calmly and legally and it's great to share what we did with similarly minded people.
I learnt from other licence cancelling videos that it`s best not to use the rights of access line on the goons because they could use it as a reason to get a search warrant because they`ll think you`ve got something to hide, most of us havn`t but you still don`t want the inconvenience of them calling with one and snooping around everywhere... that said never had a visit from them in 5yrs and counting.
@@alangthorpe To get a search warrant requires them to present evidence that you are watching broadcast TV. Denying assumed right of access isn't evidence of watching broadcast TV. Since we are 100% legal, the only way they could get a warrant would be to commit perjury. Once it was proved that we don't break the law (which is all that the warrant would do) there would be a subsequent investigation into how that warrant was obtained😉
@@EnglishCountryLife Fair enough, i was just stating what other youtubers have said in the past and shall pass on your wisdom as and when required in the future too 😀
@@alangthorpe I know. I find the whole "never give your name", "don't fill in the form" thing really odd. If you are demonstrably legal, why ever not?
There is so much content on RUclips, we don't even need any paid streaming services.
There's certainly some very good stuff on RUclips. Adverts pay for it in effect, rather like ITV
There's plenty of ad supported streaming services too like pluto tv, freevee, plex and more. Especially if your not that bothered about the latest films/series.
We also cancelled our Tv license about 5 years ago. One of the things we ever did. Hope you’re both keeping well, and Fiona is having a speedy recovery xx
Thank You 🙂 Fiona's recovery is frustrating (another month before she can put her foot on the floor). She's actually jealous of me weeding!
Over 12 years since I had a TV licence - I now have more entertainment than I have time to watch! Glad you haven't had any problems with TV Licencing harassment - that was certainly NOT the caase for me!
Really sorry to hear that you had a hard time. What happened?
@@EnglishCountryLifeThanks for your thoughts. It was just a tirade of threatening letters. You know the sort of thing that you or I would get locked up for - but not them! Luckily many do not have to go through this, but a lot of us do. I don't understand why we should be treated as criminals when we unsubscribe from a service we no longer want. Liked you video though.
@@johnf3f810 From what we have seen, those letters are indefensible.
@@EnglishCountryLifeI totally agree. Having received them there is simply no way I would ever pay a penny to the BBC! This is a shame as they used to produce some really good rograms.
Great it's been working for you both . TV lic is a con.
Great your leg is improving all the best to you both.
Thank you! 😊
I just cancelled my TV licence. I don't watch live broadcasts or BBC iplayer. If the BBC wish to waste their money checking up on me then they can knock themselves out.
That's fair, we just wanted a quiet life without unwelcome people coming to the cottage.
I never owned a TV when in the UK much preferring listening to music or reading a book. We have one here but that is only used by my partner as she is an avid film watcher, I just cannot sit still long enough to get to any of the credits! Useful upload for UK residents and I am sure many will take note and follow what you have done. Have a good weekend.
Thanks Trev. We enjoy a drama of an evening with the stove going. It's an hour we spend together rather than doing jobs in different areas!
Loved your methodical approach to your viewing choice and selection
Thanks Russell. There seems to be a lot of emotion & misinformation on this subject. We wanted something calm & straightforward
I havent had a TV for over 10 years. I just ignore letters, never had a visit.
That's great! We don't want the letters so spend a couple of minutes every two years to fill the online form in, but each to their own!
I don't watch any live programs informed them, about 6 years ago, still getting snotty letters got a stack of letters.
You need to fill in the online form every two years. It's certainly stopped our letters 🙂
Brilliant. I used your letter as a template and have cancelled my TV license online and by letter. They responded to my letter in a very similar vein to the response you received. Thank you both 🙂
@@dean7442 So glad it helped 👍
You poor soul!! I feel your pain and I hope your foot heals very very soon 🙏🏻💞
Thank you so much. It's a long road back, but there is slow progress 🤞
@@EnglishCountryLife take xtra care sweet lady 💞
@@agracefilledlife1397 Hugh will make sure of that. Thank you
I am so glad we here in the US do not have to go through all that nonsense. I think I would stop watching tv.
Here’s to a speedy recovery.
Thank you! I understand PBS is funded by federal & local taxes in the US (in part at least) is that right?
Yes, fed taxes (not local as far as I know). I almost wish we had a "tv license" so I could cancel it and pay pbs nothing!
@@EnglishCountryLife
@@65CJ5 That's the one good thing about this system 🙂
Yes well in many ways the UK is not a free country. It's actually a communist totalitarian country.
@@EnglishCountryLife
Public broadcasting stations are funded by a combination of private donations from listeners and viewers, foundations and corporations. Funding for public television comes in roughly equal parts from government (at all levels) and the private sector.
And let's not talk about how expensive cable is. We gave up cable years ago. We just subscribe to various streaming services depending on what we are watching. Once we have watched what we want we cancel.
Yellowstone!! We were 'late' to this amazing show, I will say I've been to Montana and I don't remember it being so murdery. 😂😂
Fantastic series isn't it? We loved 1883 too
@@EnglishCountryLife We haven't got there yet, I really wanted to wait for the final bit of Yellowstone. I'm in charge of the dipping in and out of streaming services as well -- I put a note in my diary to remind me to swap every few months 😁 We STILL fight the jackbooted thugs who leave notices under our (vacant) flat in the UK! Some folk can't believe you can 'do' without the BBC 🤣
@@CynCopeland-TheAnswerIsMeat That's crazy 😧
Great video but would like to add a little info that may help everyone.
A TV Licence is required if you record LIVE AS BROADCAST TV which includes +1 channels plus YOU WILL need a licence if you watch Live TV received in the UK from outside the UK (So any international sports events etc) via satellite.
Very good point Stuart, you cannot watch or record any broadcast TV (no matter how it's broadcast)
You are smart to do what you are as the pricing is crazy! Smart couple, raising heritage chickens, featured columnists living the good life! Thanks for sharing tips on saving money! TV licenses?? Grocery rewards are the bomb!!
Thank you! We know people who spent over £100 a month on TV (between licence, subscription fees etc.). That's fine if you are really getting value but it's often just habit. There are better things to spend that on!
@@EnglishCountryLife MORE CHICKENS!!
@@SpinsterSister Little Puffin has 9 days to go 🐣🐣🐣🐣
I have not even owned a TV for six years. BBC begging letters are always returned to sender by yours truly.
That's one way to go 🙂
Removing implied right of access works with other agencies as well. Such as police (unless they have a warrant), bailiffs, utilities inspectors and more.
A notice on the border of your property works or a convenient window near your front door.
There are loads of online examples, some sensible, some not so.
That's really interesting. We've not needed to use it for anyone else (yet)
Police? What if yiu need them?
I just cancelled my direct debit and removed the white arial lead from the room.Job done 👍
DO NOT be intimidated by bbc license letters and DO NOT let anyone from the bbc license department into your home without a warrant (which they will never have)
You absolutely do not have inform the bbc about cancelling your payment and you absolutely do not have to explain to them why.Just completely ignore the threatening intimidating letters they send.
Never paid the tv tax ...
Be a heck of a walk for someone to knock on your door!
same!
Since I stopped paying for a licence, I've saved myself £2097, and counting.
Outstanding
Well I've not had a television since February 2012, when I had a break-in and the telly was stolen. As a news and current affairs person, pretty much the only stuff I used to watch was BBC News 24/Sky News, Channel 4 News and Newsnight - in other words, the stuff most people don't watch. I never bothered replacing the telly as I was also a big radio listener too - particularly to stations suchas Radio 4 and the BBC World Service, which remains superb in it's news and current affairs output.
It seems to me both television and the internet is 95% dross but that other 5% is good stuff but you have to dig a bit to find it - an example of the good stuff is the superb internet podcast The Rest is Politics with Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell.
If the BBC still had a separate radio licence I would gladly buy one as I reckon Radio 4, the World Service, BBC 6 Music and parts of Radio 3 are generally highly impressive.
Best wishes to you both and continued recovery for Fiona.
I think a subscription service for the bits that you want is a good thing. Fiona listens to a lot of podcasts (and indeed contributes to one), whereas I (Hugh) love audiobooks. Spoken word means we can do other things whilst listening
I cancelled 2 years ago and i received the remaining 5 months of money back.
Today i received my first reminder letter.
This is their first communication in 2 years.
I love you tube on my tv.
3 years ago i had no internet on tv, and i was stuck with broadcast tv which i only watched for news, as no other stuff was worth watching.
I thioght i would pine for it and i would want it back, but i can honestly say that cancelling was the best thing i ever did.
Now i actually look forward to settling down in front of the tv.
I feel sorry for people who are stuck with it in ignorance.
Just like yourselves, i have detuned my sets and also removed all aerials and dishes. They went off for scrap,
Thats how confident i am thst i shall never use it again, and even if they abolish it and advertise, i still shall not have it.
I am still concerned about any visits though, so i shall execute that implied right of access clause.
Very informative.
Well done.
Thank you. Sounds like we think alike 🙂
You watch the news! Wow!😮propaganda mind control for the masses. Do yourself a massive favour and stop watching it.
It's been almost 20 years since I've had a TV. I just download anything I want....I didn't get a computer to "pay" for stuff...lol. Pirate Bay, and Zlibrary are your friends!
We like the streaming services - they cost us little (or often nothing) & it works for us 🙂
Not possible to cancel this fee in Germany, unfortunatelly. Normally you just wouldn't believe that, but they assume, that every household posesses or is able to purchase devices, that can receive public brodcast services - therefore every household has to pay. I assume, the day will come our gouvernment regrets this "smart" move of enforcing payment.
That must be very annoying
Imagine how better the world would be if there was no tv at all? …. Can’t have that though can they - no control over us then. 😏
I cancelled our BBC licence a few years ago. I'm guessing many others have had the same idea as the option to do it online had been removed. Instead it took one phone call, which was surprisingly easy (no threats to make us stay) and we even got a slight refund. I am quite happy just to watch a spot of Time Team or something that interests us on RUclips including some classic films. Plus I have picked up some great TV shows and movies from car boots and charity shops so we are never short of something to watch. Good luck with the leg, it's no fun hobbling around when it's a lovely day.
Thanks so much for the good wishes 😊. You can still declare no licence needed online but it's very hard to find!
www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/telling-us-you-dont-need-a-tv-licence?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-_mvBhDwARIsAA-Q0Q6Drh8ALjA3ofZbg1JC5bv7KgCaJWCEAIUvCs2Dda7529Pva5xZ7CoaAi_oEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Thanks that's good to know @@EnglishCountryLife 👍
I have not had a TV or a licence for well over twenty years. I just stopped paying. They regularly send letters to 'The Legal Occupier' as after seven years they assume that the occupant has moved. This also effectively removes your name from the database so they cannot legally address you as they have no personal name - it is the individual who is prosecuted, not the address. I drop all the letters straight in the shredder, and so there is no proof that I have had them - so whether they threaten or not I know not and care not.
That's certainly quite legal We spend a couple of minutes every 2 years to avoid all the letters and visits. It suits us.
Note the letter (time stamp 04:55) "We won't visit you again unless we're advised by you that it's ok to do so.... OR IF YOU DON'T RESPOND TO FUTURE COMMUNICATIONS" These are the mind games that they play. You'd think from what they say and the way they say it, the only way to stop threatening letters, threats of enforcement visits, court, criminal record, £1,000 fines etc - is to just pay £170 a year to shut them up, whether you use the service or not. Which other organisation or government department could get away with this?! And I say Government department carefully, I have it in writing from the Dept of Culture, Media and Sport that the 'Licence' is officially a 'Tax', so no arguing with that! As long as you are NOT breaking the law by watching live TV on ANY Channel, or using (at all) BBC iPlayer/catch up radio etc (BBC Sounds?) then you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Don't bother opening the letters and tell the licence inspector to take a short walk if they knock, and forget about it. Remember, they need to absolutely prove that you have broken the law, you don't need to prove that you HAVEN'T broken it. This is one of the truly rare instances of 'If you've done nothing wrong you've got nothing to worry about'. Imagine how much you could sue for if they showed up with the police (for which they would need 'foundation evidence' to get a warrant) and they checked and you'd not broken the law?
You are completely correct in what you say. Our choice was to avoid the hassle of letters and visits - we simply don't want unwelcome cold callers. Totally agree that it shouldn't be necessary
You don't need a licence to listen to BBC Sounds.
But by removing their implied right of access, doesn’t that make it easier for them to get a warrant to search your property?
Not in our experience, they need to show reasonable suspicion that we are watching Live TV. We aren't & they can't
I havent watched live tv for several years.... it's full of rubbish ads and actually pretty boring!
I grew up going to video stores ( later DVD )
I remember looking into streaming for movies. I picked out 5 and went looking to see which service had them all🤷♂️
None, is the answer. So I never went down that path. Maybe 8f there was a `1 to rule them all` i may have, anyway.... i actually opshop movies and shows I want....yes this takes longer, but I do own them!....besides that where I am in Australia the internet service is slow so the good old DVD I better for me.
I do however follow your logic with music, I just signed up for 3mths of Deezer for the price of 1. Then I chop and change between having a discounted service, or only having my own music collection.
Quite happy with that.
Happy viewing.😀🙏
Thank you! You are right of course, streaming requires decent bandwidth. Of course I can get a streaming service for £5 a month - which is less than I used to pay for two DVD rentals!
@@EnglishCountryLife yes, true.... my bandwidth isn’t brilliant so that’s one issue. But I used to get a $7 deal. 1 new release and 3 weeklies 😉 I think as I mentioned, if there was a single outlet for streaming I may still opt in? 😉🙏
They will not listen your not getting visits because you are rural not a city ive done all that and they still drive you mad
Did you write to them removing implied right of access? They confirmed to us, in writing, that they would not attend our property (you can see the letter on our website).
I opted out about 6 months ago as I don’t even watch any of it. I watch RUclips maybe too often 😂 Once you opt out they will send you a letter saying you won’t hear from them for 2 years.
Yup and a reminder when two years are up
I've never paid the licence and I've discontinued all subscription services. They are all pumping out so much garbage at the moment.
Physical media of the things I actually want to watch is all I need
If that suits you, that's great 🙂
Where do you find the time to a) search through all the channels to see what's on and b) to actually watch all the programmes you have chosen. Bearing in mind all the things around the smallholding you have to do and all the filming and editing for you tube. Talking of which, did I mention it might make a good video show how you do this ? A sort of 'fly on the wall' type of thing. 😛
Honestly we don't search regularly. We try to have an hour a day before bed where we watch a hood show together. We have a few on the go at any one time (so for example the new adaptation of Shogun and Masters of the Air right now). As one show runs out (which takes a while if there are several seasons) we find another. We basically have an hour after putting the chooks to bed 🙂
I done mine 5 yrs ago too but the online site kept sending me round in circles so i could not cancel the licence so i rang them and done it over the phone, also they told me they could do it for 2yrs only and i`d have to get back in touch to re confirm i`m not using the live broadcast services for another 2yrs, i don`t know about you but once it`s cancelled i`m not telling them again every 2yrs, we don`t do it for anything else do we?
We just use the online form every 2 years Alan. It is tricky to find but this is a link.
www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/telling-us-you-dont-need-a-tv-licence?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-_mvBhDwARIsAA-Q0Q6Drh8ALjA3ofZbg1JC5bv7KgCaJWCEAIUvCs2Dda7529Pva5xZ7CoaAi_oEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
We notified them about six years ago but when the 2 years was up it peed me off that I was expected to declare yet again that no license was needed. So We've never bothered declaring again, we receive letters to 'the occupier' which promptly goes in the bin. The amount of visits we were supposed to expect have come to zilch. If their goons do show up they won't be allowed in (we have nothing to hide) and we will just say no thanks and close the door. We never watch any live stream or bbc/iPlayer anyway so when we were paying it was just wasted money we can't afford.
@@sallyk9 It is very annoying to have to repeat the declaration every two years but we do it on-line just to stop the letters
@@sallyk9 good on ya, that was my thinking too.
When I cancelled I just told them, had a friendly email acknowledgment and no further comms. Think the days of visits, detector vans (!!) etc are over. Too expensive. However I believe in the bbc as a service and listen to the radio so have bought a licence for the last year. Good value considering what a daily newspaper would cost for example. Jan.
If it's a useful service for the individual I think it's great - very much an individual choice. For us we just weren't getting value. We do listen a lot - but it's audiobooks & podcasts for us
you can't always delete iplayer on some models, however you can reset your TV as if you were in another country .. that way iplayer won't be installed .. However ( again) you can have iplayer on your TV as long as you don't use it. I'm very near to being able to cancel my licence as I only watch youtube, netflix and amazon. but the wife watches some of the reality shite.. once i've weaned her off them I intend to just cancel my licence. The reason for this is that I don't see why I should tell the BBC why im not using their service.. I'll just return to sender the letters.
That's good information on iPlayer - we weren't aware of that. It worked on our devices but obviously there are lots of other makes and models out there
I occasionally watch live panda web cameras and live by web cameras that is not TV programs and it is user content .no TV licence req
I'm no expert but I think you are right, that doesn't count as broadcast television
Are you sure that "livestreamed" content is compliant? There have been opinions that only on demand is compliant. If you are watching when they first "broadcast" then it is broadcast and straying into licence territory. Ive heard that even people receiving live foreign satellite programmes get caught out. I dont know , but it is worth being sure.
Any broadcast satellite is definitely out h from any location. Livestream is effectively broadcast TV so again to be avoided. These are covered on the TV Licensing channel. Effectively, if its live, its no.
@@EnglishCountryLife I suspected as much, thanks. Best of luck
We don't watch tv much...recently cancelled virgin tv because of it but we still can receive freeview. Cancelled our rip off licence decades ago....Was emailed they may send someone round just to check. I did exactly what was said in this vid...I emailed them that (under a certain act).. I'm removing their implied right of access & if they enter my property they will be prosecuted....they acknowledged this & said they would use other means of detection (lol). Never heard from them since! I remember the days when they had detector vans with aerials on top apparently going around..musta been a con because tech has moved on but yet no vans anymore? 😂
What address did you write to them.eith pls
@@highgatehandyman6479 Customer Relations, TV Licensing, Darlington, DL98 1TL
It's a subscription like any other, if you want to watch live broadcast you need a licence, you really do not need to be ringing these companies up to explain you don't require a tv licence subscription, let them visit and simply politely say no thank you and close the door, that being said if you are watching live TV broadcast uk then get a licence, I myself haven't had one in 15 years but still get junk mail regularly even though I did say I do not require one.. They do use very persistent bullying tactics, they are paid vast amounts to do so to keep their contract on behalf of the BBC, it's simple do not worry yourselves if you are not viewing live broadcast.
@@owenjones7620 Or spend less than 10 minutes and avoid all the junk mail, all the visits and just enjoy the peace. Personally, we aren't looking for drama (although it seems that some people enjoy it)
I revoked their implied right of access, I did mine in 2010 no visits no letters no nothing.
Fantastic. We've had the same result but only over 5 years 🙂
Pirate bay is best I just use a monitor
We like to keep everything legal - and thankfully these days streaming means that we can have great, cheap, choices 🙂
when they remove the shows and movies that you pay for then Pirate bay is great @@EnglishCountryLife
We only have internet service so we only stream what we want to watch commercial free. We don’t mind not watching shows that are not broadcast at the moment. Most of the shows here in the US aren’t worth watching today.
I suspect that's true everywhere
No current UK law requires a TV license, at an address,
Your Not required to inform Anyone,
Your Not required to modify the TV or remove any cabling, aerials, dishes etc,
The TV license is Only for watching Live broadcast TV or BBC i player, nothing else...
You are completely within the law to cancel or not purchase a TV license and not inform Anyone of your actions, in fact accomplishing a self declaration will require all of your personal details...
Removing the rights of access assumptions would require informing not just the BBC but All of the subcontracted companies too.
Been license free for over 10 yrs, the begging letters go in the bin and if they come round to attempt to gain access or gain information, it’s met with a polite, no thank you and the door is closed, Their agents have NO rights to enter your home, NO rights to request any information.
Quite correct (except that informing the BBC of removing rights of access also requires them to inform their agents). We just do the paperwork to avoid the letters and visits, which suits us. We removed the aerial because we have no use for it & it demonstrates our honesty
It's safer to remove the aerial or dish connection, if they ever obtained a warrant they'd claim it's equipped for watching live broadcast television and with the totally unfair so called single justice system where they often don't even consider evidence, you'd probably end up being another stamp and fine. That said the only way they'd ever obtain a warrant in the first place is if you engage with a goon that then stitches you up or they catch you red handed, E.g. live TV is visible when you open the door (that happened to a neighbour who was watching the cricket with his door open on a hot day lol), if you play a straight game and never engage with the goons there will never be an issue.
Licence free 10 years 😂😂
Do you use streaming out of interest?
@@EnglishCountryLife Yes and Britbox nevr watch live tv especially the BBC
Licence free for five years , and legal .
Excellent - snap 👏
Hey guys i pay no tv licence i pay no streaming service's i just dont watch live tv bbc or i player you dont need it
We enjoy streaming occasional dramas or films in the evening. It's a nice way to spend a little time together 🙂
Never had one, at over 60 I'm never getting one.
Wow - I bet there aren't many who can say that!
I got a letter from them saying they are going to call at my property and l am just going to close the door in their face
That is definitely your choice. We just don't want to see them at all.
There is no legal requirement to inform them that you don’t require a license. What you do in the privacy of you’re own home is no one's business but your own.
Quite correct, but we prefer not to receive letters and visits. It only takes a few minutes
What annoys me the most are the goons
That's why we withdrew rights of access, they aren't allowed to call here
Just don't open the door to these goons
Or do as we do and prevent them coming to the door at all 🙂
No need to do all that! just ignore them they have no powers to enter your house.
We wanted to be legal and left alone so this was the right approach for us. Some people seem to enjoy the drama of letters and inspector visits but we prefer a quiet life
Those letters are no problem and they are not going to enter your house to check tv's, You seem to be living in a remote property just put some high gates and a fence up.
@@zog97xy Why would I do all that when 10 minutes of admin means that I don't need to? I really don't understand why people are willing to put up with visits and letters when they can make it all stop with a few minutes effort?
@@EnglishCountryLife The reason you got visits in the first place was because you engaged with them, anybody can own a tv you dont need to detune them, those letters are only junk mail I bet you still get junk mail.
@@zog97xy We never have had any visits - we took these steps to ensure that they didn't start. Five years in, never had a visit or a rude letter. Its worked very well for us. We have nothing to hide & are happy to write a letter to guarantee our peace & quiet 🙂
The law states equipment that is capable of receiving live feed requires a license i.e. If you have a computer, it's possible to watch a live feed from various channels and weather webcams etc....... I therefore feel you still need a licence ?
I suggest that you consult TV Licensing Website which states
"You don't need a TV Licence to
watch on demand programmes on Netflix."
www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ104#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20watching%20a%20TV%20programme%20live%20on%20Netflix,on%20demand%20programmes%20on%20Netflix.
@@EnglishCountryLife I stand by my statement - You own a computer which is possible to watch a live feed - then you need a licence currently... I'm not talking about Netflix, I'm referring to any live feed...
@@john3LeeI'm sorry to say so, but you are simply wrong. This is from TV Licensing's own website.
"You don't need a TV Licence to own or possess a television set. However, if you use it to watch or record programmes as they are being shown on TV or live on an online TV service, or to download or watch BBC programmes on demand, including catch up TV, on BBC iPlayer, then you need a TV Licence in order to do so."
www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/foi-legal-framework-AB16#:~:text=You%20don%27t%20need%20a,in%20order%20to%20do%20so.
Just posted a comment on how to bypass ISP's blocking your access to content and y8ou t8ube cen8sored it...will repost using characters to obfuscate their anti-knowledge algorgithms
How strange
Not really....y8out8ube...they censor stuff constantly...I will send what I wrote to you directly as I've found your web site which youtube can't censor...cheers @@EnglishCountryLife
We live in a city, and gave up paying the licence fee 10 years ago Lots and Lots of letters, No visits .. No hassles. We don’t watch or record Live TV and we don’t use BBC iplayer. We stream Netflix,Prime, and catch up.
Good to hear. Do you fill in the "no licence needed" declaration? That seems to stop the letters
@@EnglishCountryLife No …..We just got fed up with all the repeated programming output at the time, decided enough is enough and stopped paying. Love the letters I photograph them and send them out to family and friends to prove I don’t pay. But if we did get a visit I’d just tell them I don’t require one and close the door. In order to get a warrant to enter they have to be able to prove you are watching or recording live TV ….. (not that we do), which is almost impossible to do. They rely on the occupiers to say something that would incriminate themselves when questioning them on a door step. You may wish to refer to the “blackbelt barristers” RUclips channel who is a KC and practices law in England and Wales, who has done many videos on this subject and gives a sound understanding of what your rights are. Especially about the implied right of access which is not totally an answer to unwanted visits.
No……. We love the letters, we photograph them and send them to friends and family to prove we don’t pay and ridicule them for doing so, it’s amazing how many of them pay through the fear of criminality, which the BBC pray on. As for any enforcement visits that may occur I assumed would have happened, we’d just say we don’t need one and close the door. The RUclips channel ”Blackbelt Barrister” a practicing KC in England and Wales is superb for understanding your rights.
@@henryjohn-vt3mw If that works for you, that's great 😃. We simply didn't want the letters and visits so did the paperwork to maintain the quiet life that we love 😊
How funny, I got a letter today saying they are going to come and check even though we don't have TV or watch it on demand and I have told them. I didn't realise about the law rights of your property. Thank you for that, very informative! 👍👌
So glad that it helped you. If they do turn up, you don't have to let them in unless they have a Search Warrant. If they haven't you are entitled to ask them to leave (and they must leave by their own rules, and the law)
Well I've not needed a TV Licence for twelve years and to be fair I've only had one visit in those twelve years. The letters can be intimidating at first but after a couple of annual reminders they tend to settle down and, as Hugh said, it's pretty much all done online now: a quick fill-in of the form and it's all done.
@@martydav9475 Exactly so - it shouldn't be necessary but we just didn't want the hassle
At the end of the day why should you have to tell them anything 😂
I don't watch live TV or BBC iPlayer and I therefore DONT need a TV license, simple. I also don't have a shotgun so I don't need a Gun license. I don't inform the police that I don't need a gun license, they would be very suspicious if I did because it wouldn't make any sense to do so. YET the BBC expect me to declare every 2 years that I don't need a TV license, Its not a legal requirement so stuff you BBC. TO BE CLEAR I don't watch live TV or BBC iPlayer EVER, I have a TV quite legally which is used to watch videos and Netflix etc and its also used as a computer monitor. I have not detuned it and the flat I live in has inbuilt Aerial and satellite equipment built in AND do you know what! That's ALRIGHT, because you can't be prosecuted for owning a TV. ITS WATCHING LIVE TV that's the offense, and even if I owned 50 TV's as long as I don't watch Live TV(or BBC iPlayer) that would be alright. Lets now talk about enforcement officers(GOONS to those in the know), They have no more authority than an insurance or double glazing salesmen or even a milkman(do you remember them lol) and if one turns up at my door I tell them to sling their hook! there is a large sticker on the entrance to my block of flats saying NO COLD CALLERS, and that's what they are! salesmen trying to sell you a TV license you don't legally need, or tripping you up so the BBC can prosecute you, both of which earns them a commission. So don't engage with them, if you want to be polite( I don't know why because GOONS are the scum of the earth) just say "no thanks" and shut the door, THAT IS YOUR LEGAL RIGHT! and don't let anyone tell you different. Above all, NEVER! I repeat, NEVER, let them onto your property or EVER sign anything.
P.S. I'm 75 so could apply for a free TV license(I'm on pension credits) and choose NOT to. I don't want to watch Live TV(any channel but especially the BBC). I would love them to try to prosecute me, I would make them more of a laughing stock than they already are.(sorry for the rant)
Rant away 😁. You are right that we don't legally have to declare anything. We choose to because we don't want TV Licencing to come on our property at all. It's the price we pay for calmness and peace 😉
£170 per year doesn't sound much but added to the other yearly expenses, car insurance and similar, it all builds up. The people probably at risk of Capita's fraudulent activities are single mums. You can plonk the kids in front of the telly and get on with the chores. Capita knows this so single mums are the target group. This upload must be the clearest and most concise guide to stop paying the TV licence I've seen yet. Brilliant!
Thank you 🙂
It's a lot for those on a low income if they don't use the service, so good to be able to stop paying without hassles.
Most of the single mums in prison have been sent there because they cannot pay the bogus fine that Crapita have had them framed with.
I didn't make the NLN Declaration, and I didn't do WOIRA.
They've spent who knows how much money (none of which of course is mine 😊) sending me 140 letters, and visiting me at least a dozen times.
I'm delighted to have cost them all this money.
That's you choice and perfectly legal. We just cannot be bothered with letters and visitors so we put a stop to them 😉
I haven't watched live tv for more than 5 years. Too anxious to cancel the licence. Thank you for this.
Glad it was useful!
All you have to do is cancel the direct debit and if anyone knocks your door just ignore it. I cancelled mine a few years back and I get letters saying they are coming to see me but they go in the bin and I have had 2 men come to ask if I have a licence and I just say not interested and close the door. These people are not from the bbc they are from capita and they get paid for each person who buys a licence so don't get anxious
@@AngelaVara-i4l You absolutely can do that - you don't have to prove your innocence. We went a bit further just to avoid letters and visitors that we didn't want
I love that additional letter to the BBC about withdrawing the right of implied access, that's absolutely great. I'll definitely do that as well when I give up my licence next month.
It has made our life much easier
It does not make a difference, I did it. Made things worse. Depends on location too. Watch TV goons channels, you will see.
@@kevinthegerbil2708 Interesting - what did they say when they replied to your letter? They acknowledged mine & said that no inspector would call - and in 5 years, none have.
I haven't bought a TV licence for a good fair years now, and I get threatened, the letters get more and more abrupt, they knock on the door but I don't open it, they call through the letter box, and my windows, they say their getting enfocers from another county, I've been threatened with jail so many times, but I don't watch the BBC i don't listen to the BBC, shite programs, radio 1 now resembles radio so boring they should market it as a sleeping aid!! No, never again will i buy a licence to watch the TV that ive already bought and paid for 🌹🇬🇧🇬🇧
If you follow the steps that we did, you won't get letters or callers
Exactly….. why pay to be indoctrinated?!
About to live without my techie partner after ten years. I have no idea how to do all this now so thank you! Will be sending this video to myself for when i move out.
And I've subscribed! 😊
@@lisaash7535 Always here for questions! Good luck!
What a spendid and clear video. I will be referring back to this. At the moment my father lives with us and watches SKY. But one day - when he is no longer with us I will be cancelling the TV licence. I simply can't remember when I watched live tv - must be years ago now.
Thanks Dave. My old Mum had Sky in her retirement flat. When I checked she was paying £70 a month! When I rang to cancel they said "oh we could offer those channels for much less". I was not a happy man.
The ONLY way to stop letters and "visits" is to hand the BBC your details and i REFUSE to do that. You have ZERO obligation to give them your details. Let them send letters (costs them money), let them send their goons, they soon get sent packing. Giving them your details is the WORST way to deal with them.
It's a personal choice. It took us a few minutes and avoided annoying letters & visits. We are quite happy to put our names on that since we are doing nothing wrong. It's a personal choice but we can't see a problem with it?
The issue is now the BBC have your name, it is a lot easier for them to raise a warrant if they ever decide to do so. Which is an entirely different rabbit hole. The less you tell the BBC and their agents, the better. @@EnglishCountryLife
@@Cornz38 They have no legal basis to raise a warrant nor any evidence to submit to obtain a warrant. We don't watch broadcast TV and have no capability to receive a broadcast. We have nothing to hide.
I'd never give any details to Capita, corporate thugs, the clue is on the letter you receive " To The Occupier" well go take Mr Occupier to court or issue him with a warrant. Never would Capita get my name and seriously I've never had one ounce of hassle.
I never said they did. I just outlined why giving any faceless entitiy that exists only to extort money from you is a bad idea.@@EnglishCountryLife
Great info! I do not have to get License in Canada. But I get free by air Channels. I had to get a digital TV set, to Seek the new Channels.
But, I stopped watching TV about 10 yrs ago. My father watched it until 8 years ago. I don't have my TV connected. I just sits on the cabinet. Lol
My daughter though, uses my Internet and Streaming Subscriptions. I don't bother watching anything. Not online either. I broke the habit about 30 years ago. I worked day and night, for 10 years straight. I had ONE favorite Show. If I wasn't home, I missed it. End of story. It got so my one Show was On at same time as the children's Fave and I would often find I Lose! So I just Quit. Tired of being Denied. Don't watch, can't be Abused! Lol Now I simply WONT watch the Brainashing...
We enjoy one good drama a day of an evening and occasionally a light short show with morning coffee. It means that we sit down together 🙂
Thank you for this, I'm sure it will help people. When you say you removed the aerial, do you mean you just unplugged it from the back of the set, or did you remove it from your roof? I'd be wary about withdrawing implied right of access though. They must have many people cancelling their licences and this would give them a way to narrow down their search, if they thought it meant you had something to hide. You don't have to speak to them or let them in. I suspect a lot of people think it's OK to watch live TV as long as it's not BBC, and they don't mind telling them either 😂
We literally removed the aerial and unplugged sets from the wall. Removing the implied right of access has only had one effect in five years- we've not been bothered at all. As for "narrowing the search", that's okay we are fully legal and have nothing to hide. They seem to accept that. They've confirmed in writing that they will not visit us.
This is excellent information - there is so little we watch now on the BBC that I’ve been trying to get him indoors to consider it, however we may have to purchase a new TV. And can I be arsed to keep subscribing and cancelling? (Your house is so pretty and I love the brickwork and windows - yes I should get out more - hope the ankle heals soon).
Thanks Jane. Plenty of streaming services can be had for £4.99 a month so still much cheaper than the licence fee
It’s the principle with me, I think the BBC is bias and I don’t want to watch endless repeats.
Certainly the endless repeats got to us. There is just so much better programming available. £14+ a month when much of their budget seems to be spent mostly on soap operas, game shows & pop music radio
Clear and informative!
I wonder if anyone could help here.
If I use Virginmedia tv bundle plan, do I still have to pay for the annual tv license fee?
I've done numerous search online but no specific answer to that. Some say yes some say no.
If the plan includes any station with a broadcast schedule or iPlayer, you need a licence. If it is "on demand" TV only, like Netflix, you don't. Can you watch things like the News? Then you need a licence
@@EnglishCountryLife Got it! Thanks!
You subscribe to disney?
Yup (although without paying). They have some good shows. Really enjoying the new adaptation of "Shogun" at the moment
Spot on. I don't pay TV licence on a point of principle, but don't watch any live TV either and frankly best thing we ever did. What we do now watch we actually choose to watch rather than randomly scrolling through what is in the TV guide. So, like you, perfectly leggit, saving money and enjoying watching what we actually choose to.
It actually results in much better quality of entertainment we find
The government's only concern is how to continue funding the BBC with public money with so many people no longer paying it rather than them standing on their own two feet like every other television company, they already have BBC studios that makes big profits and even sells programmes to themselves at the BBC paid for by the licence, it's an utter piss take. If they can get away with it they'll ultimately force us to pay for the BBC using another taxation method, for instance adding it to council tax, a broadband levy or even general taxation. Removing implied rights of access can sometimes make you appear suspicious, best to just ignore them, if they turn up just say "no thanks" and shut the door, never engage.
I don't understand why people worry about removing implied right of access. We have nothing to hide and don't mind who knows we don't have a licence. We have no capability of watching live broadcast and will not be hassled about it.
The BBC isn't just a television company: it provides an outstanding national radio service - Radio 4, BBC World Service, BBC 6 Music and Radio 3 are superb. It's news service is second to none and BBC sounds is mightily impressive. There's no commercial company anywhere that has the breadth of the BBC.
@@martydav9475 It is important to reflect that Radio 1,2,3,4,5 & 6 and the World Service all have declining listening figures.
Broadcast voice and broadcast music suffer from the same issue as broadcast television. In the age of podcasts, audiobooks, Spotify and Apple play it's no longer necessary or even logical to listen to what someone else decides, when they decide.
radiotoday.co.uk/2024/02/rajar-q4-2023-observations-and-record-listening-figures-for-commercial-radio/#:~:text=BBC%20Radio%203%20is%20down,2.75%20to%202.5m%20listeners.
pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/broadcast/bbc-annual-report-2022-2023-world-service-reach-declines/
@@martydav9475 I disagree, especially on the news service which strongly pushes government propaganda despite claiming to be unbiased, but if you like it then a subscription service would suit you fine, if enough people think it's good it will survive while people have the choice, we shouldn't be forced to pay the BBC to watch other services.
@@martydav9475 ...
Indeed, and of course, the BBC is a *very* powerful propaganda machine in the Government's tool box of control, power and manipulation.
Personally, I do not pay for propaganda.
Removing the implied right of access isn't a great idea, as it makes it more likely they'll apply for a warrant to search your house.
You're better off completing the no license needed form every 2 years. I haven't had a licence for over a decade, and I've never had a visit from their goons.
I can't see how they could obtain a warrant short of committing perjury. They need to produce evidence to obtain a warrant and we neither watch live programmes nor have the capability of doing so.
I hadn't thought about retuning our smart TV's . .I must look into that . .Thanks for the info!
Any time 😉
This would be a great video for radio. No need for the picture though.
Errrm?
Appreciate this is "English Country Life" which, I add, looks fantastic by the way, but just wanted to throw a little snippet in myself being resident in Scotland (although I am, by birth English, long story!). The "Implied right of access" doesn't (believe it or not) exist in Scotland, it could be a similar thing for Wales and NI too, but in Scotland if you write to TV Licencing to revoke the implied right of access it does not have any effect. Instead, here in Scotland, you have to make them aware of the trespass laws.
This law states "Under Scottish common law, a landowner has the right to exclusive possession of their property. Accordingly, if someone enters a property without the lawful authority of the landowner or refuses to leave the property, then this may constitute a criminal offence under the Trespass (Scotland) Act 1865."
Anyone in Scotland looking to do this needs to write explaining TV licencing and their agents are no longer welcome on the land, and any such refusal to acknowledge a letter from the owner will result in trespass. I've not tested this myself, but plan to if TV licencing decide to come to my property. Hope this helps someone.
That's really interesting, thank you.
I'm 36 years licence free, I did pay for one between Aug. 2011 and Aug. 2016 but cancelled it when I changed BB providers. They give a two year exemption when you first cancel but they might visit to see if you need a licence. Just don't renew the exemption after the first two years, they will send letters with various threats of goons visiting or will you be in on a certain date, that is one date they won't turn up, for £65 you can get a VPN for two years and watch geo-locked content. I regularly watch Tubi TV and ABS through the VPN. I can watch all the content I like from the streaming services for free.
TVL only have 135 visiting officers and 34 backroom staff, a total of 169, if they operate in Scotland then they have to work in pairs meaning two goons to visit one address so that one goon can back up anything the other goon says if they have to give evidence in court. That's why there are so few convictions in Scotland as there needs to be two goons visiting every address.
We are happy to fill in the online form every 2 years. Then we get no visits or letters which we prefer
So glad I came across your channel, which was through you making your furniture polish, which I have made in the past from another site and forgot the ratio I needed and yours popped up. Your channel is very interesting and so nice to find a channel on you tube homesteading in the UK. There are lots in US not many in the UK. Thank you for sharing and I hope Fiona has got her cast off now. Your home looks beautiful and your garden stunning. What do you use to control all the pests in your garden? Do you make your own for aphids, etc etc? Have a lovely day.
Hi & thank you! We don't have too bad an insect problem as we have healthy populations of wrens, thrushes & hedgehogs. We do have fruit cages and brassica cages to protect crops
Not had one for over 35 years.
Wow 😲. Do you get any hassle?
Thank you both for a well thought and put together video. From a radio perspective BBC Sounds is free and has some great content. Some of the audio streams no services also have podcasts and audio books- Some one once said the pictures on radio were made ch better! Enjoy streaming as you pay what you want and chose a time that suites you. DVD and blue ray discs are so cheap that this provides to streaming! It’s time the BBC made a change to its funding away from enforcement to user choice and not legal enforcement!
Couldn't agree more!
Thing is I used to like watching BBC but it changed and that's why I don't watch bbc or any live channel. Plenty online to watch... You tube is pretty good 😊
They used to make some excellent programmes, I don't know what happened
We have no TV licence either ,there was nothing worth watching. I don't miss it at all.
That's very true about nothing worth watching!
I did all that you did and I get letters on a regular basis in fact I received a letter this very morning.
I’ve also had visits from their salesman, I get them to identify themselves then I simply say No Thank you and close the door. No need to be rude just don’t talk to them you have no obligation to.
Have filled in the online form in the last 2 years? We get no letters at all
www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/telling-us-you-dont-need-a-tv-licence?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-_mvBhDwARIsAA-Q0Q6Drh8ALjA3ofZbg1JC5bv7KgCaJWCEAIUvCs2Dda7529Pva5xZ7CoaAi_oEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
I think not getting visits has a lot to do with where you live. If you live in the middle of nowhere it’s probably not worth their time and effort to bother you, totally agree with you a polite no thank will suffice.
@@krisradjpaul278 To be fair once we revoked the Implied right of access in writing, they wrote back assuring us that they would not visit our home. You can read the letter on our website (link in the description)
Thanks very much indeed for the information and template
You are very welcome, hope it helps
But if course, even though you've de-tuned your tvs, you can indeed still watch live TV, via the catch-up services, so no one can be completely free of potential accusations. We too have been Licence free having notified them and all we get is a reminder letter every two years to renew our declaration.
You make a good point. If they made such an accusation however they would of course need to prove it beyond reasonable doubt. I suppose they could obtain records from ISPs?
I think getting information from ISPs would require the same burden of proof as applying for a warrant to enter your property and that isn't easy. @@EnglishCountryLife
you dont look like you live in buildup area are you a gest (20mile out of the local big town or village, one or two homes in the middle of no where, how on a sale commission basses, going set out for full day to nock on two or three doors?, now change to local city counel or private home in build up area, planty of doors to nock on, and if yours one of them, you goimg to get a visit, yearly, monthly, weekly, how ever long it takes go around the list none TV viewing addresses, and you actually putting your sefe on that list with them? the poeple you are dealing with are slippy, after all the want to make a sale, and especially get un licences address that watches tv, finding bonuses, and we all now point make prize or in this case cash, that more the better?
The point here is that TV Licencing have written to us, officially, confirming that they will not visit us. They have stuck to that. You can see the letter on our website.
Intresting stuff.. seems like a faff though.
Paying for low quality TV that we didn't watch was a bigger pain for us, but it's always a choice, some people enjoy soap operas and game shows
We like you were not watching then covid struck and I wanted to keep all the cash I could. I covered over my aerial socket with a blanking plate and password locked out iPlayer with a password set whilst not looking. I still get the hilarious threat letters though.
Do you miss it?
@@EnglishCountryLife Oh no, not one bit. People look at us like aliens when we say we don't have a license. If we go to a hotel or holiday home for a week and switch on the TV...it's awful the garbage they must watch. The shows are now also geared to more adverts and constant recaps of what happened in the previous 10 minutes. As you say, the good 5% from BBC ends up on Netflix anyway... Just walk away folks! Save your money.
@@jabezhane A few years ago we stayed with relatives and scrolled through broadcast TV. As you say, it's stultifying 🥱
Thank you for your kind reply. I do appreciate your decision to remove all terrestrial TV but think it is totally unnecessary. You have deprived yourself of programs you would legally be entitled to watch without a TV licence. Personally I don't see the drama of putting unwanted mail in the bin and shutting the door on unwanted callers. It's not that dramatic. But I respect your choice but it's not good advice for those not wishing to pay the TV licence. You are not breaking the law not having a TV licence.
The most prosecuted crime in the UK is TV licence non payment. The relevant law is section 363 of the Communications Act 2003
Those who are prosecuted are fools who have either admitted to watching live tv to to goon at the door or let them in to their property to snoop around. I reiterate "It is not a criminal offence not to have a TV licence. It is only an offence to watch live broadcasts without a licence. But Hey Ho! who's to know if you do. There are worse crimes that people get away with. Grow a pair. Roll over for the BBC.
@@adeaston6553 We are not going to advise people to commit a criminal offence. What you do is your business. We prefer to watch streaming services hassle free and legally. We have no desire to watch the BBC and almost everything else is available legally at a more convenient time on catch up. There really is no logic in breaking the law.
I am NOT breaking the law by NOT having A TV licence. "Don't you get it"! It is not a criminal offence NOT to have a TV licence. I haven't had a TV Licence in 6 years and I'm not breaking the law. Good luck with expensive streaming of American Junk TV. Mind you the BBC is no better.
@@adeaston6553 I agree not having a TV licence is fine. Watching or recording any broadcast TV without a licence is an offense though, which is why we ensured that our TVs cannot do that. Which is exactly what we advised in the video. Unless you plan to commit an offense it's just good sense to ensure that your TV is only set up for legal activities. I'm sure you agree
They IGNORE the retraction of implied rite of access notice. They simply send another goon who denies knowledge. They IGNOR everything you say and inform of. DO NOT CORRESPOND AT ALL. Shut the door to them. The more anyone corresponds the more likely you cave in, this is their model. Ignore them and you will eventually be left alone.
They didn't ignore ours, quite the opposite. They acknowledged receipt of it, confirmed that they understood what it meant & agreed that they would not send inspectors to our property. That was many years ago & they have never called here. What did they say in the letter that they sent you after you wrote to you?
@@EnglishCountryLife I told them verbally at the door. They kept coming around. It all depends where people live too. Many uploads on tube prove this, even with written correspondence. Hope the leg gets better by the way. Kind regards, Kevin.
@@kevinthegerbil2708 I think a signed letter, sent recorded or special delivery is vital. It provides a written trail of evidence that they cannot legally ignore. It certainly worked for us as they replied in writing and have complied ever since. Thanks for the good wishes
This may clarify. Utube, Channel "Blackbelt Barrister" TV Licensing-Remove implied Right of Access. His channel goes further in-depth of peoples experiences after this. Kind regards, Kevin.
I cancelled in 2010, kids still watch tv, I don't. We stream as well.
Never had a visit, and all letters go straight in the bin.
Do I care? Nope.
I use RUclips for live sports etc, illegal maybe, unlawful no.
To be honest, no one needs tv.
I would sub, but your misinformation about removing implied rights of access, makes TVL get a search warrant EASIER 🤦♂️
I assure you that the implied right of access information is accurate (and acknowledged in writing by TV Licensing - you can read the letter on our website). I cannot see there is any possibility of a search warrant since we genuinely are 100% legal, but even if they did obtain one they will not discover any watching of Live TV or use of iPlayer so, no problem.
You have done the NO TV Licence in a very proper way. I just bin all the letters and tell the goons if they call to F Off! there is nothing they can do as they have no right of entry (unless you are stupid enough to let them into your home)they aren't even allowed to look through your window to see if you are watching live TV. Top Tip never engage in conversation with a goon just tell them to sling their hook and close the door. There is nothing they can do about it. lol
That's one way to go if you enjoy the drama. We chose to get no letters or visits. It only takes a few minutes
free deals are all very well & good but the fact is that any streaming service will be more money every year than the tv licence. I personally dont pay the tv licence as i dont watch any tv or the iplayer.
Most streaming services cost far less than the TV Licence. From next month a TV licence costs £14.12 a month. Netflix can be had for £4.99 a month. Apple TV is £8.99. Disney plus is £4.99. So in reality almost every streaming service and even multiple services cost far less than a TV licence
It's really not a good idea to remove the implied right of access. This raises the question as to why you would do this which is enough to raise suspicions that you may be wrong-doing, and with enough suspicion they could get a warrant to search your property. Now, I know that you have nothing to hide but you were trying to avoid a visit and this action might just get you one.
I can only speak to my experience which is that 5 years after removing the implied right of access we have had no visits, no letters and a thoroughly pleasant and untroubled time of it. I explained in my letter why I was doing it (I do not watch live TV or use iPlayer, I have confirmed this online & in writing). I don't believe that this constitutes evidence that would justify a search warrant and indeed my first hand experience confirms this to be the case
@@EnglishCountryLife That's fine and fingers crossed it continues; personally I'm into year 3 of no licence and I'm visit free as well. I just wanted to make the point because I don't think it's good to recommend this course of action, generally speaking.
@@geoffclements269 We must agree to disagree on this point. TV Licensing confirmed to us, in writing, that they accepted the instruction & would not call. They made no mention of considering it in any way suspicious & I suspect they would struggle to make that case half a decade later
@@EnglishCountryLife Please don't misunderstand me, I think you'll be fine and unlikely to get any unwelcome visits, but plenty of people have already had visits and if they're already under suspicion, removing implied right of access will just increase that suspicion and, with a warrant, they can enter whether there's a right of access or not.
@@geoffclements269 They can indeed but you need to show evidence to get a warrant. A signed, politely worded letter requesting not to be bothered in your own home, does not offer evidence of criminal behaviour. I am passionate about this. I will not hide in my own home, nor will I be bullied or threatened to allow a warrantless search of my law abiding home. We comply with the law. We are entitled to the peaceful occupation of our home without unwanted callers demanding, without legal basis, that we prove our innocence.
Britain is a geographical land mass, whereas the UK is a trading corporation.
The UK is a country surely?
@@EnglishCountryLife one could say it's similar to being Ms or Mrs, rather than simply you as a woman. It's a legal entity, as opposed to a physical presence, something of real substance.
Britain is England, Scotland and Wales. It becomes the United Kingdom when the province of Northern Ireland, because it is a province, is included with the other three.
Your talking rubbish
In what way do you disagree?