By Hannah Phillips

If you’re a student living away from home at university, then it’s more than likely that your household is going to need a TV licence. Knowing whether or not you need one can be a little confusing, so we’ve got some helpful advice to clear this up for you…

Do you watch or record programmes as they’re being shown on TV?

If the answer to this question is yes, then you should have a TV licence.

Watching or recording programmes whilst they are being broadcast on television will require you to have a licence, regardless of what device you are using to watch them. Whether you’re viewing on your tablet, phone, laptop, TV, games console or any other device, you will still need a licence.

Do you still need a licence to watch catch up TV?

If you only watch programmes through catch up TV such as BBC iPlayer, ITV Player and 4oD, then this does not count as live streaming, so you do not need a licence for this.

How much is a TV licence?

The annual fee for a television licence is £145.50, but you can spread the cost of this through weekly, monthly or quarterly instalments. Here at Glide, we also enable you to do this, so if you’re a Glide customer and you’re thinking about adding this service to your package then you and your housemates can easily split the cost through your monthly payment plan.

Do you need a licence if you’re living in university halls?

If you are living in halls, and you have a TV in your communal area, then you should be covered by your halls’ licence. However, it is still worth double checking to make sure your accommodation provider has this in place.

You will definitely need a licence for your individual room if your TV is plugged in to the mains or an aerial and you are watching or recording programmes as they are being shown on live TV, on any device.

Do you need more than one licence if you are living in shared accommodation?

If you’re living in shared accommodation then you will most likely only need one TV licence between you if you have a joint tenancy agreement – which is the most common type of shared house arrangement. However, you might need your own licence if your accommodation is self-contained. This means you have exclusive access to washing facilities, or your own entrance to the property. Also, if you have a separate tenancy agreement for your own room, you will definitely need to have your own TV licence if you plan on watching or recording live TV.

Do you need a new licence if you change address?

If you decide to move out but your TV licence is still valid, please be aware that this does not move with you. It is important that you notify TV Licensing that you are changing address, so you can transfer this to your new address. You can do this online up to 3 months before you move. You can find out more information about this and more on the TV Licensing website.

If you’re a Glide customer and you want to add a TV licence to your package, you can email us on glide@glide.co.uk or give us a call on 0333 666 5555. You can also drop us a message on Facebook or Tweet us @GlideUK.