Universities attract students from across the country and world and many will need to have a TV licence in order to enjoy live TV or on demand entertainment from the BBC iPlayer. This short article can help students understand whether they need to pay for their TV licence or not.
A TV licence allows a property to broadcast live TV and on demand programmes from BBC iPlayer. The TV licence fee is 44p a day and can be paid online by card or direct debit. The term of a TV licence is 12 months. Depending on how the property is organised, a student will need to pay part or all of the TV licence fee.
Only one member of the household need to pay the TV licence fee. If a house is rented to tenants who are jointly liable then only one TV licence fee will need to be paid by the group. If a property is let out as a HMO or bedsit then each tenant will need to take a TV licence if they wish to watch live TV or use the BBC iPlayer. However, tenants should check their tenancy agreements to see if any utilities or fees such as the TV licence are paid for by the landlord. This means that students may or may not need to pay for their TV licence if they are staying a student hall or if they have an all inclusive tenancy agreement.
Unfortunately, students can't get a discount on their TV licence. A concessionary TV licence is only available to people who are blind, 75 or over or residents of sheltered or residential care accommodation.
Students can claim a refund for time they are not at the property (e.g. term breaks). The refund will apply to complete months and must be for between 1 and 11 months. To request a refund, the TV licence holder will need to make a request via the TV licensing website.