Record number of homes block TV licence inspectors

By using this clever loop-hole, you can stop TV licence inspectors paying you a visit

More than 7,000 homeowners have banned the BBC’s TV licence fee enforcers from visiting them.

TV Licensing staff, although they are officially named ‘enforcement officers’, are employed by private firm Capita on the BBC’s behalf. This means they do not posses any official powers of arrest and cannot enter homes or search property without permission.

Four million home visits are made every year to gather evidence of licence fee evasion, leading to around 180,000 prosecutions.

Homeowners have complained of being harassed even when they do not own a TV, while letters have been sent to the families of viewers who have now passed away.

However, there is a legal loophole which thousands of households are taking advantage of.

Any homeowner can legally remove the ‘implied right of access’ to their front doorstep, effectively threatening to sue licence fee collectors for trespass if they continue to visit.

I wouldn’t recommend doing this because right now, having a TV licence is law and you could be fined or even sent to prison if you are caught with a TV.
Under BBC policy, all requests to remove the right of access are honoured as enforcers would be trespassing if they kept visiting.

More and more households don’t want to pay for their TV licence as they don’t watch BBC channels or they would rather not pay since the sexual abuse scandal.

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