Using TV receiving equipment to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV without a valid licence is against the law.
It is an offence which could lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000 (plus legal costs), not to mention the embarrassment and hassle of a court appearance.
At the heart of our operation is the TV Licensing database. This contains more than 29.5 million home, business and student addresses, telling us which of these have a TV Licence. All of our Enforcement Officers have access to this database and can check whether or not you have a licence.
We also have a fleet of detector vans, which are capable of detecting the use of TV receiving equipment within 20 seconds, and many of our Enforcement Officers carry hand-held detection devices too.
It is a criminal offence to use TV receiving equipment to watch or record TV programmes without a valid licence, and there's no excuse for doing so. Still people try. In fact, we've heard all the excuses in the book and here you can read some of our favourites.
