Rules & Regulations

TV Licences

Television licences

Despite the name, you need a TV Licence to use any television receiving equipment such as a TV set, set-top boxes, video or DVD recorders, computers or mobile phones to watch TV programmes as they are being broadcast, or to record them.

One normal licence covers your business for any of the above equipment at a single site. The licence allows everyone who normally works at the site to use a TV receiver in any vehicle, vessel or caravan being used for a business purpose. But if you have residential accommodation at your business or you have multiple locations then you will need a licence for each of these. If you sublet any area of your site to another business, then this business will also need a licence for any TV receiving equipment it holds.
A normal licence costs £135.50 (2007 prices).

Accommodation providers

Accommodation providers (who provide short term guest accommodation for less than 28 days per let) can purchase a Hotel and Mobile Units Television Licence. This type of licence applies to self catering providers with multiple units on a single site, holiday parks, caravan parks and even camping sites as well as to serviced accommodation providers like hotels and guesthouses.

Cost

Your Hotel and Mobile Unit Licence will cost the price of one regular licence for your first 15 units and then the price of another regular licence for each further five (or less) units. For example, if you have 23 static caravans on your site your licence will cost the equivalent of three regular licences (£135.50 for the first 15, £135.50 for the next 5 and £135.50 for the last 3 at 2007 prices).

If you have more than one site, or your site is divided by a public road, you will need a licence for each site. This applies, for example, to self-catering providers with separate cottages at different locations, or to a hotel with an annex across the road.

What the licence covers

If you qualify as a hotel or guesthouse, then the licence also covers the use of your own, and your staff's, TV receiving equipment at any on-site accommodation as well as equipment in guest bedrooms and public areas. As above, you'll need multiple licences if you have more than one site.

If you qualify as a provider of mobile units (the definition includes any type of accommodation with wheels, or with a motor, or where a motor can easily be attached, or with some other kind of device to make the accommodation move) then the licence only covers you for the mobile units. You will need an additional licence for any other guest accommodation, public areas or for on-site residential use. As above, you'll need multiple licences if you have more than one site.

In any case, for each unit that you let for more than 28 days to any one customer, you will need a separate full licence and if you have more lets of this kind than of short-term holiday use, you won't qualify for a Hotel and Mobile Unit Licence at all. If any accommodation on your site is not owned or managed by you, the owners will need to provide their own licence.

Note about touring caravans: touring caravan owners are covered by their own residential licence provided they are not using their caravan TV equipment and their home TV equipment at the same time.

Obtaining a licence

You can purchase your licences online at www.tvlicensing.co.uk and, after the first year, you'll have the option to pay monthly by direct debit, which is good for your cashflow. For more information, or if you are unsure which licence you need, you can visit the website, contact TV Licensing by phone on 0844 800 6790, or by email from the website.

Further information and guidance

www.tvlicensing.co.uk
TV Licensing provide advice and guidance and you can purchase licences online. Contact tel: 0870 241 6468.