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There's loads of confusion about the dreaded TV licence and whether or not you need one to watch certain services. 

There are so many devices you can watch TV content on nowadays that it starts to get very confusing on whether you actually need one or not. And there are so many different services at the touch of your fingertips - streaming, downloading, watching live, catch-up. In a nutshell the answer is that you need a TV licence for some viewing activity but not others.  

'So when do I need a TV licence?!' I hear you cry, well let’s break it down.

When you DON'T have to pay for your TV licence

• If you only watch programmes you download.
• If you only ever use catch-up services and don't watch programmes LIVE. 
• If you only watch on-demand subscription services such as Netflix.
• If you watch 'TV-like' programmes on the web that aren't really TV, like BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge sessions for example. 

When you DO have to pay for your TV licence

• If you watch LIVE TV through catch-up services you still need to have a TV License.
• If you record LIVE TV to watch later then you NEED a TV Licence.

If you were unsure about the law on TV Licensing don't feel too bad, 56% of students didn't know the difference from a recent survey conducted by TV Licensing.

So in a nutshell:

• if you are watching any form of LIVE TV then you need a TV Licence.
• If you are just watching on-demand, catch-up TV then no license is needed.

If just one person is watching LIVE TV then you need to have a TV Licence and that is for the house so will cost you the £145.50 for the year.

To apply for a licence and for more information please click here to visit the TV Licensing Website.

Always check with your Student Accommodation provider as some landlords do include a TV Licence within the rental package.

Dodging the TV Licence has always been a thing for students but when you are living in a shared house it's really not that much of a hassle.

Using services such as Split the Bills you can have a TV Licence as part of your monthly payments and split equally to each person in the house. Basically a few quid every month! Definitely worth it so you don't miss out on the X Factor final or the Strictly Come Dancing Final LIVE. Also for houses that enjoy sports you'll definitely need a TV licence to watch the LIVE footy.

Just be careful if you try and dodge it, you'll be looking at a £1000 fine! And remember when you are sharing a house you just need the one TV Licence, not one each. 

TV licences are not scary things so now you know the law, there's no excuse to make sure you have one if you need it. You can easily pay for a TV Licence monthly and split equally to all tenants through Split The Bills. You can add more services including Gas, Electricity, Broadband, Water and SKY TV as part of the monthly bill.

For more information check us out at www.SplitTheBills.co.uk. Making shared bills hassle free.

A Bit About Our Contributor: Split The Bills

Sharing a house can be tough. Really tough. Whether you're studying hard or working late, life is just too short to spend dealing with complicated household bills and arguing about who pays what and when.

Wouldn't it be great if you could hand over your household bills to real experts, who will do all the hard work for you and find you some great deals? That's why we created Split the Bills - with us, each housemate has one simple monthly payment for their share of all the household bills, leaving you with more time to do the important things in life. 

Our relationships with the suppliers mean we can pass on fantastic offers or promotions to our customers throughout the year not to mention our Business Rates will definitely offer some potential cost savings

Image Credits to

Downing Students providers of attractive, modern student accommodation in some of the UK's most popular cities